More from Thomas Newdick (Page 8)

A U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter has completed initial ground runs with two of the new T901 Improved Turbine Engines. Developed under the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), the T901 was planned to power the now-canceled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) but will instead now make its way into the UH-60 and the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
UH-60

UH-60 Black Hawk Begins Ground Tests With Far More Powerful T901 Engines

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 29, 2025

Dozens Of Israeli Patriot Missiles Sent To Ukraine
Israel

Dozens Of Israeli Patriot Missiles Sent To Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 29, 2025

Airbus and Navantia will explore the integration of the Sirtap drone on the LHD Juan Carlos I. Both companies have signed an agreement on board the Navy's flagship to study the possible use of the RPAS from its deck.
NATO

Spain Wants To Convert Its Aircraft Carrier For Drone Operations

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 28, 2025

The first supersonic flight of the Boom Supersonic XB-1.
U.S. Air Force

Boom! The XB-1 Demonstrator Jet Has Gone Supersonic

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 28, 2025

A Congolese army tank heads towards the front line near Kibumba in the area surrounding the North Kivu city of Goma on May 25, 2022 during clashes between the Congolese army and M23 rebels. - DR Congo soldiers fought M23 militiamen on several fronts in the troubled east of the country Wednesday, military and local officials said, with the government appearing to implicate Rwanda in the violent flare-up.
Africa

Rebel Troops Claim Capture Of Congo Border City Stoking Fears Of Wider Conflict

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 28, 2025

A newly emerged photo of the still-mysterious Chinese tailless combat aircraft, likely from the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, which first appeared last month, provides a better view of the rear aspect of the jet. This would appear to confirm that the aircraft’s outer wing sections, as we had previously suggested, act as moving control surfaces.
J-XDS

China’s Mysterious Tailless Stealth Fighter Has Swiveling Wingtips

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jan 27, 2025

DUKW (or ‘Duck’) amphibious truck, outfitted with an extension ladder to scale cliffs in northern France and then rain down suppressive fire on the German defenders.
WWII

Army Rangers Used Gun-Toting Fire Engine Ladders To Assault Cliffs On D-Day

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 24, 2025

One of Ukraine’s Cold War-era Leopard 1 main battle tanks survived as many as a dozen hits from Russian first-person view (FPV) attack drones, according to Ukrainian sources. The incident underscores the proliferation of this particular threat on the battlefield but also points to the effectiveness of the ‘up-armored’ version of the venerable Leopard 1, examples of which have received a variety of different protective measures in Ukrainian service.
Leopard

Ukrainian Leopard 1 Tank Survived A Dozen Drone Strikes: Report

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 24, 2025

North Korea rocket launcher truck MLRS in Russia
Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)

Artillery Rocket Launcher Disguised As Civilian Truck May Have Just Appeared In Russia

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jan 24, 2025

South Korea's domestically developed Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH) completed its first flight test in December 2024, the country's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on January 15, 2025.
Helicopters

This Is South Korea’s New Heavily Armed Marine Attack Helicopter

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 23, 2025

Royal Navy warships tracked a suspected Russian spy ship as it sailed through waters close to the UK. Yantar, believed to be used by the Russian Navy for intelligence gathering, was shadowed by HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne. Somerset covertly launched her Merlin helicopter, which used its powerful sensors to locate the Russian ship as it made its way north towards the English Channel. The Type 23 frigate closed in on Yantar’s location and intercepted it in the entrance to the Channel – south of the traffic separation scheme at Ushant, near France. The Plymouth-based warship took over monitoring duties from NATO allies after they shadowed Yantar in waters close to France. Somerset used her cutting-edge radars and sensors to report on every move during the operation, as she maintained a close distance to Yantar through the Channel and the Strait of Dover. Patrol ship Tyne was also monitoring the Yantar – last in waters around the UK in November when its activities were monitored by several Royal Navy units.
Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSNs)

Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine Surfaced Next To Russian Spy Ship To Send A Clear Message

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 23, 2025

NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) has confirmed to TWZ that four Dutch F-35A stealth fighters are now also participating in Baltic Sentry, a mission intended, among other things, to ensure the security of critical undersea infrastructure in the region. The jets were already in the region as part of the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
F-35A

F-35s Now Helping Prevent Baltic Seafloor Cable Sabotage

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Updated on Jan 22, 2025

An intense video has emerged in Russia, showing a portion of a Ukrainian drone strike, including the interception of one of the drones by what seems to be a Pantsir short-range air defense system. Footage showing the successful interception of Ukraine’s long-range one-way attack drones by Russian ground-based air defenses is not generally common and this one reinforces the challenge posed by these relentless Ukrainian attacks against Russian infrastructure and military facilities.
Unmanned

Extremely Low Altitude Shootdown Of Ukrainian Drone By Russian SAM Caught On Video

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 21, 2025

NASA’s new flying laboratory, an ex-commercial Boeing 777 airliner, has arrived in Waco, Texas, for modifications ahead of its entry to service. The aircraft will replace the agency’s now-retired Douglas DC-8.
Testbeds

NASA’s ‘New’ Boeing 777 Undergoes Modifications For Its Future Flying Laboratory Role

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 21, 2025

A dramatic video has appeared showing a Russian BTR-82 8x8 armored personnel carrier firing its main gun wildly, apparently due to a malfunction after the vehicle was struck by a drone. While huge numbers of this particular model of BTR have been lost in Russian hands since the start of the full-scale invasion, this is certainly one of the most bizarre sequences we’ve seen of the vehicle in combat.
Russian Army

Russian BTR-82 Had A Spectacular Misfire On The Battlefield In Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 20, 2025

A French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft was illuminated by the fire-control radar of a Russian long-range air defense system, while flying over the Baltic Sea earlier this week, according to France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
Baltic Sea

France Decries Russian S-400 Radar Locking Onto Its Maritime Patrol Aircraft Over Baltic Sea

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 17, 2025

An F-15E on a flight line in San Antonio, Texas. The aircraft was recently upgraded with Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, advanced electronic warfare system.
F-15

F-15E Strike Eagle With New EPAWSS Electronic Warfare Suite Heads To Frontline Unit

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 17, 2025

A Russian decoy drone was engaged by Ukrainian air defenses over Kyiv today, close to where President Volodymyr Zelensky was meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of one of Ukraine’s staunchest military allies. The drone’s presence further underscores the threat posed by long-range Russian uncrewed aerial vehicles, and the incident coincided with Starmer announcing that the United Kingdom would provide Ukraine with additional mobile air defense systems.
Unmanned

This Is The Type Of Russian Decoy Drone Shot Down Over Kyiv As Britain’s Prime Minister Met Zelensky

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 16, 2025

Iran has developed a reputation for launching some unconventional naval vessels, some of them downright bizarre — at least when compared with their equivalents elsewhere in the world. Its latest offering, the Zagros, is very much in keeping with this trend: a surveillance ship based on a corvette hull, an unorthodox approach for a type of vessel that’s normally converted from a commercial hull.
Iranian Navy

Iran Unveils New Spy Ship Based On Corvette Hull

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 16, 2025

Members of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, arrive in a vehicle at a street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. Thousands of Gazans celebrated on January 15 as news spread that a ceasefire and hostage release deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in the Palestinian territory.
Israel

Gaza Ceasefire Agreed To, Final Israeli Approval Pending (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Updated on Jan 15, 2025

Norwegian F-35s are in Poznań, Poland, as part of Norway's contribution to NATO's integrated air and missile defense.
F-35A

Norwegian F-35s Scrambled In Poland During Russian Missile Strikes On Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 15, 2025

Saxony-Anhalt, Altengrabow: A new RCH 155 wheeled howitzer from tank manufacturer KNDS is on display at the Altengrabow military training area. Here, KNDS is using the platform of the Boxer wheeled tank as a weapon carrier for an automated and remote-controlled artillery gun. With the fully automated wheeled howitzer, which fires on the move, the tank manufacturer KNDS promises the Bundeswehr and the armed forces of partner countries an advantage on the battlefield. In addition, two soldiers are said to be sufficient as a crew, whereas previously five men were needed as driver and operator in the tracked Panzerhaubitze 2000.
Cannons

Ukraine Gets First RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzer, Boxer Fighting Vehicles May Follow

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 14, 2025

The new Tempest configuration, this time with Japan Air Self-Defense Force markings.
Royal Air Force

UK Emphasizes Need To Arm Tempest Stealth Fighter With Larger, Longer Range Air-To-Air Missiles

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 14, 2025

Chinese SAM Launch
U.S. Air Force

Air Force Predicts Enemy Anti-Air Missiles With 1,000-Mile Range By 2050

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jan 14, 2025

A North Korean-made mobile surface-to-air missile system has appeared for the first time in the Ukraine conflict. The air defense system, the name of which remains unknown, is the latest example of Pyongyang’s military assistance for Moscow’s war. Ironically, however, its presence in the fighting was disclosed by a video shared by Russian military bloggers, showing it being attacked by a Russian drone, in an apparent ‘blue on blue’ incident.
Russian Army

North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 13, 2025

Soldiers driving Revised Weapons Mount Installation Kit (RWMIK) from Support Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, on their way to defensive positions during Exercise Haraka Storm, Kenya, on the 19th of July 2023. The British Army’s global response force has tested its ability to deploy and fight at short notice in some of Africa’s most challenging environments. The soldiers of 3 PARA Battlegroup honed both their fighting and fieldcraft skills on the Kenyan savannah as part of the six-week long Exercise Haraka Storm. Dealing with the rough terrain, searing heat and potentially deadly animals - ranging from lions and elephants to scorpions and snakes – troops followed a progression of training, building from polishing their individual skills and specialities to a final mission which sees the whole force operating together to assault a heavily-defended objective. The 1,000-strong battlegroup is built around the airborne infantry of Colchester-based 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, bolstered by artillery, engineers, signallers, medics, and logisticians from across 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. Specially trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter or airlanding, the 3 PARA Battlegroup is currently held at very high readiness to respond to global crises. In April, it deployed to Sudan to provide security and logistic support to the evacuation of British civilians.
United Kingdom

Land Rover Replacement Program Kickstarted By U.K. Military After 76 Years Of Service

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 10, 2025

Sweden is buying 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, in addition to upgrading 66 of its older models to the same standard, continuing a period of military investment for the Scandinavian country, which joined NATO last year. The decision adds another customer to a growing list of Leopard 2A8 operators, which also notably includes fellow NATO members Lithuania and Norway, also in the strategically critical Baltic region.
Leopard

Sweden Buys More Leopard 2 Tanks As Part Of Major Defense Build-Up

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 9, 2025

Hades ALEs
Airborne Sensors

Army Wants To Test Air-Launched Drones From A Global Express Business Jet

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 9, 2025

Donald Trump has refused to rule out using the U.S. military to seize Greenland, citing economic security as a driving factor, saying that America needs it — as well as the Panama Canal — for “economic security.” Amid predictable kickback from Denmark — of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — it’s worth looking in more detail at the enormous significance of one of the world's largest islands, in economic, geostrategic and, above all, military terms.
NATO

Why Greenland Is Of Growing Strategic Significance

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 9, 2025

Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities, the first-person view (FPV) drones were employed in combat during strikes on Russian ground-based air defense systems. This is the latest development in Ukraine’s Black Sea drone war, which is seeing increasingly innovative use of uncrewed systems, including adapted air-to-air missiles launched from USVs against Russian aircraft.
Russia

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boats Are Now Launching Kamikaze FPV Drones At Russian Shore Targets

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 7, 2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have provided an even better look at the previously highly secretive remote vision system that is central to the operation of the Israeli Air Force’s critical Boeing 707 tanker fleet. TWZ has previously looked at this system — used by the boom operator to see what is happening at the rear of the aircraft while connecting the boom with the receiving aircraft — but the actual operator interface has, as far as we know, never been seen in such detail.
KC-46

Our Best Look So Far Inside Israel’s Once Secretive 707 Tankers

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 7, 2025

Taiwan suspects China of latest attack on undersea cables.
China

Taiwan Coast Guard Blames Chinese-Owned Ship For Cutting Undersea Communications Cable

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 6, 2025

An inside look at the life of a Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker fighter pilot in the country’s war with Russia is the topic of a recently released video from the Ukrainian Air Force.
Su-27

Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker Pilot’s Rare Account Of The Changing Air War

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 3, 2025

IDF raid on Iran underground missile base in Syria
Israeli Air Force

Inside Israel’s Commando Raid On Iran’s Underground Missile Factory In Syria

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 3, 2025

For the first time, Ukraine has released official video showing its Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack jets employing French-supplied Hammer rocket-boosted precision-guided munitions.
Su-25

Ukraine’s Su-25s Seen Launching Hammer Rocket-Boosted Bombs For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 2, 2025

Ukrainian USV Mi-8 Hip R-73 missile kill Black Sea
Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs)

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boat Shot Down A Russian Mi-8 Helicopter With A Surface-To-Air Missile

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 31, 2024

North Korea's new warship with VLS and phased array radar.
North Korean Navy

North Korea’s New Warship Appears To Be Designed For Vertical Launch System, Phased Array Radar

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 30, 2024

It appears that another new Chinese combat aircraft design has entered flight testing. Imagery of the previously unseen aircraft began to circulate on social media today, only a matter of hours after the first appearance of a remarkable diamond-shaped tailless combat aircraft design, thought to be a Chengdu product.
J-XDS

Yes, China Just Flew Another Tailless Next-Generation Stealth Combat Aircraft

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 26, 2024

A Russian cargo ship claimed to be heading to Syria, to take part in the Kremlin’s military withdrawal from that country, has sunk in the Mediterranean. The Ursa Major went down overnight between Spain and Algeria, with 14 crew members rescued and another two still unaccounted for. The incident comes amid uncertainty over the fate of the Russian naval base at Tartous on the Syrian coast, which provides Moscow with a vital foothold on the Mediterranean.
Syria

What We Know About The Russian Cargo Ship That Sank In Mediterranean

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 24, 2024

Gold Apollo pager
Israel

Ex-Mossad Agents Reveal Details Of How They Turned Hezbollah’s Communications Devices Into Bombs

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 24, 2024

Recent satellite imagery of Belbek Air Base, near Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, shows new hardened aircraft shelters and additional construction to help shield aircraft from drone attacks and other indirect fire.
Flankers

Russia’s Belbek Air Base In Crimea Is Getting Hardened Aircraft Shelters

By Thomas Newdick, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 20, 2024

A Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon participating in NATO exercise Ramstein Flag 24 flies over the west coast of Greece, Oct. 4, 2024. Over 130 fighter and enabler aircraft from Greece, Canada, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States are training side by side to improve tactics and foster more robust integration, demonstrating NATO’s resolve, commitment and ability to deter potential adversaries and defend the Alliance.
F/A-18A-D

Spanish Typhoon Buy Signals Upward Trend For Eurofighter

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 20, 2024

As the world’s only operator of the legendary F-14 Tomcat swing-wing fighter, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) has a unique airpower status. A recent airshow provided the chance for a very rare close-quarters look at the Cold War-era jet, which by now has very questionable capabilities and serviceability, while there are persistent reports that it could soon be replaced entirely by Russian-provided Su-35 Flanker multirole fighters.
F-14

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Encounter At An Airshow Unlike Any Other

By Thomas Newdick, Živojin Banković

Posted on Dec 19, 2024

Israeli has launched airstrikes on multiple targets in Yemen, including the capital of Sana’a, in response to an overnight missile launch from Yemen toward Israel. The Israeli raids come after an uptick in attacks against Israel by the Yemen-based Houthi militant group, including two in the past week.
F-15

Israeli Air Force Strikes Yemen With Popeye And Rampage Standoff Missiles

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 19, 2024

Bill Kennedy, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron transit alert, marshals a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Dover Air Force Base, Del., April 26, 2015. The aircraft is loaded with 69 members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, their supplies and equipment, and six K-9s, to assist Nepal with rescue operations after the country was struck by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
C-17

New Jersey Base Confirms Multiple Past Drone Incursions… By Contraband Smugglers

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 18, 2024

Swedish defense firm Saab has presented concepts for a potential new-generation crewed fighter and a series of drones that would be intended to work alongside it.
Gripen

These Are Saab’s Concepts For Its Next Generation Fighter, Drones

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 18, 2024

A view of the scene after Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Defense Troops, and his assistant were killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russia on December 17, 2024. The blast was caused by an explosive device planted in an electric scooter, Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, said in a video statement on Telegram.
Nuclear

Russian General Accused Of Using Chemical Weapons Assassinated By Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 17, 2024

The Russian Khmeimim Air Base in Jabla in Latakia, Syria on December 15, 2024. With the Baath regime's collapse, Russia continued to transfer its troops from Damascus, Homs and other cities across Syria to the base.
Syria

Future Of Russia’s Bases In Syria Remains In Flux, Libya Possible Alternative

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 16, 2024

Taiwan has received its first batch of M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks as it continues its drive to modernize its armed forces, which face an expanding military threat from Beijing. While the upgrade for the Republic of China Army (ROCA) — which was still operating 1950s-era M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tanks until the last couple of years — is obvious, there are still questions over how suitable the big and heavy Abrams is for the island’s defensive requirements.
M1 Abrams

M1A2 Abrams Tanks Arrive In Taiwan

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 16, 2024

A recently released video from the cockpit of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker provides an unprecedented close-quarters view of the fighter lobbing GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) toward a Russian target.
Su-27

Cockpit Video Of Ukrainian Su-27 Lobbing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

A U.S. C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft takes off from Ramstein Air Base. A conference on the Ukraine war was held at the U.S. air base.
Luftwaffe

U.S. Air Force Confirms Drone Sightings Over Ramstein Air Base In Germany

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

We have gotten our best look at a Ukrainian 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) mobile short-range air defense system (SHORADS) armed with the Soviet-era R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided air-to-air missile. While other such systems have typically integrated Western missile armament on existing Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems — known as ‘FrankenSAMs’ — this one is notable for combining a Soviet-era SHORADS vehicle with Soviet-era missiles.
Ukrainian Army

Ukraine’s SA-8 Gecko ‘FrankenSAM’ Adapted To Fire Air-To-Air Missiles Seen In New Detail

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 12, 2024

A U2 Dragon Lady Pilot is integrated into his spacesuit for a flight to the Edge of Space. This photoshoot was done by Blair Bunting, a commercial photographer from Phoenix, AZ.
U-2

Dressing For Success At 70,000-Feet Aboard The U-2 Dragon Lady

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 11, 2024

Imagery has appeared showing Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Felon new-generation fighter fitted with a new type of thrust-vectoring engine nozzle. The radical-looking design is intended to improve the low-observable features of the Felon, although the future of the new engine nozzle is far from certain.
Su-57

Su-57 Felon’s Two-Dimensional Thrust-Vectoring Engine Nozzle Breaks Cover

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

North Korea is set to receive MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft from Russia in return for Pyongyang having sent thousands of troops to fight in Moscow’s war in Ukraine. This is the assessment of the commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), after much speculation about the nature of the support that might be headed to North Korea to reward that country for its growing military backing of Russia. The prospect of fighter aircraft being transferred by Russia is something that TWZ has discussed in the past.
MiG-29

Russia Giving North Korea MiG-29s And Su-27s Isn’t That Straightforward

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

The United Kingdom has taken an important step toward its Tempest next-generation fighter, with the start of a trials campaign for the Flight Test Aircraft (FTA), nicknamed Excalibur, which will serve as a flying laboratory for the new combat aircraft. Based on a Boeing 757 airliner, the FTA joins a growing band of dedicated trials aircraft that are being used to prove out technologies for current and future-generation fighter programs, also in the United States and China.
Airborne Radar

UK’s 757-Based ‘Excalibur’ Avionics Testbed For Tempest Future Fighter Emerges

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

A huge underground bunker complex, said to be beneath the mansion of Maj. Gen. Maher al-Assad, the disposed dictator’s brother. Maher al-Assad was best known as the leader of the Syrian Army’s elite Fourth Armored Division.
Syria

Descend Into The Depths Of The Assad Regime’s Massive Bunker

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

Gen. Bussiere said the number and speed of delivery of the B-21 is a “valid discussion” to have “based on the age of the B-1 and B-2” and the advancing strategic capabilities of Russia and China.
B-21

B-21 Raider Numbers Could Be Boosted With Existing Production Capacity

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

Ngad punted to trump adminstration
NGAD

Future Of NGAD Fighter Punted To Trump Administration

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Dec 5, 2024

An anti-government fighter remotely fires rockets against regime forces, in the northern outskirts of Syria's west-central city of Hama on December 4, 2024. Syrian government forces pressed a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around the key city of Hama on December 4 after suffering a string of staggering losses further north, a war monitor said.
Iran

Anti-Assad Forces’ Capture Of Strategic Hama A Critical Stop On Road To Damascus

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Dec 5, 2024

A recent drill by the Russian Armed Forces in the Mediterranean has provided us with a more detailed view of the shadowy Zircon hypersonic missile, a weapon that has only been glimpsed in the past and shown up in the form of fragments after being combat tested in Ukraine. The maneuvers come as Russia’s position in Syria — home to its two major Mediterranean bases — increasingly looks to be under threat, as rebels continue their rapid advance south, threatening the rule of Bashar al-Assad, a key Kremlin ally.
Russian Navy

Our Best Look At Russia’s Shadowy Zircon Hypersonic Missile

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

An advanced Russian air defense radar system is among the equipment captured by anti-regime forces in Syria as they continue their rapid push south, with the potential for serious repercussions in the wider region. The Podlet-K1 radar system, also known by the designation 48Ya6-K1, is one of the more modern pieces of equipment in its class and would be a significant intelligence windfall if it finds its way into Western hands.
S-300

Russia’s Advanced Podlet-1K Radar Captured By Anti-Assad Forces In Syria

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) recently commissioned the first of its new KDX-III Batch 2 destroyers, also known as the Sejong Daewang class. Among the many advanced features incorporated in these warships, especially striking is the latest version of the Korean Vertical Launch System — KVLS-II — which is initially planned to hold surface-to-air missiles, but which could well also add land attack cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
South Korea

South Korea’s New Destroyer Is Designed To Fire Ballistic Missiles

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

The last of the classic Cold War-era MiG-21 Fishbed fighters in Europe have ben stood down from operational duties. Assigned to NATO, the Croatian Air Force was the last European operator of the MiG-21, a type that originally entered service back in 1959 and which had been a presence over the continent ever since then, in the hands of over a dozen different nations.
MiG-21

Final MiG-21 Fishbeds Stand Down From Active Duty In Europe

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024