Air-To-Ground

Latest in Air-To-Ground

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker offloads fuel to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, assigned to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 8, 2025. The KC-135 Stratotanker is the backbone of U.S. Air Forces Central's global reach aerial refueling capability and delivers critical support to joint and coalition aircraft in order to guarantee war-winning airpower throughout the CENTCOM AOR.
Air-To-Ground

Super Hornet Seen With Rare SLAM-ER Missile Loadout On Yemen Mission

By Thomas Newdick

Posted Yesterday

Celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Korean People’s Air Force (KPAF) provided an apparent first look at three new types of air-launched weapon, intended to arm the KPAF’s Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack aircraft, and potentially others. The event also yielded a better look at the country’s ‘copycat’ drones, the Saetbyol-4 and Saetbyol-9 that are almost exact visual copies of the U.S.-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper, respectively.
Air-To-Ground

Analyzing North Korea’s New Air-Launched Guided Weapons

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 2, 2025

French authorities have provided the first real look at the latest version of the Air-Sol Moyenne Portee (ASMP; or Medium-Range Air-to-Surface) ramjet-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile.
Air-To-Ground

France’s New Nuclear-Armed Supersonic Cruise Missile Seen Clearly For The First Time

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 13, 2025

Current and future operators of A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft could use them to shoot down incoming drones, according to manufacturer Embraer.
Laser Guided Rockets

A-29 Super Tucano Light Attack Aircraft Being Pitched As Drone Hunter

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 12, 2025

Imagery has been published providing a rare look inside the weapons bays of one of the prototypes of Russia’s Su-57 Felon new-generation fighter. While internal weapons carriage is a key design feature of the Sukhoi jet, the main weapons bays, at least, haven’t been seen in such detail, with weapons loaded. The footage comes as Moscow embarks on another export drive for the Su-57, which has reportedly so far only been ordered by Algeria.
Air-To-Ground

Su-57 Felon Brandishes Its Loaded Weapons Bays For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 10, 2025

We may well have seen the first evidence of a Russian glide bomb kit combined with a motor, providing these notorious weapons with a significant boost in range. The latest version of the weapon is reportedly designated UMPK-PD, in which the P suffix very likely denotes Dalniaya, for long range, and looks set to be another serious challenge for Ukraine’s air defenses.
Air-To-Ground

Russia Is Now Launching Jet-Powered Glide Bombs At Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 23, 2025

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II flies a presence patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Feb. 26, 2025. The U.S. Air Force is globally postured to protect and defend the freedom of coalition allies and regional partners within the CENTCOM AOR to maintain peace and stability.
Laser Guided Rockets

A-10 Warthog Appears To Have Become A Drone Killer

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 13, 2025

VAMPIRE Live Fire 2025
Laser Guided Rockets

Entire Family Of VAMPIRE Counter-Drone Systems Unveiled

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 9, 2025

An employee holds a miniature of a 70mm rocket during a visit to the Thales production site in Herstal, on October, 3 2025. The company has also inaugurated a new ammunition production line at this site. Production has increased fivefold in recent years to meet the needs of the armed forces. (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR / Belga / AFP) / Belgium OUT (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
Laser Guided Rockets

Thales Anti-Drone Rockets Now Being Used In Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 7, 2025

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 25, 2025. Aerial refueling allows Fighting Falcons to extend their mission and guarantee war-winning airpower throughout the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natalie Jones)
Laser Guided Rockets

Laser-Guided Rockets Now Primary Anti-Drone Weapon For USAF Jets In Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Sep 25, 2025

Leidos has raised the possibility of eventually integrating its Black Arrow, also known as the Small Cruise Missile, in the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft. The roughly 200-pound munition has, so far, been tested from C-130 variants but offers the kinds of capabilities that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is increasingly looking at harnessing.
Air-To-Ground

Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates A Whopping 400-Mile Range

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Updated on Sep 24, 2025

The crew of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle attempted to take down a long-range kamikaze drone with a Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) precision-guided bomb after running out of missiles in the frantic midst of an all-out Iranian barrage aimed at Israel.
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)

F-15Es Tried To Shoot Down Iranian Kamikaze Drones With Laser Guided Bombs

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Updated on Sep 24, 2025

Among the highlights of the recent Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2025 exhibition held in London was a new tank destroyer from Lockheed Martin and Germany’s Rheinmetall. The Fuchs JAGM, based on a well-established 6×6 armored vehicle, and armed with no fewer than 24 missiles, reflects a growing interest in anti-tank warfare, spurred in part by lessons of the war in Ukraine.
AGM-114 Hellfire

Fuchs JAGM Tank Destroyer Packs 24 Missiles Into A Single Vehicle

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 20, 2025

U.S. military aircraft employed GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) and laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets as part of the operation to strike Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this year.
Laser Guided Rockets

Pentagon Moves To Replace Weapons It Used In Operation Midnight Hammer

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Sep 17, 2025

An Italian Air Force F-2000 Eurofighter Typhoon flies a routine presence patrol mission over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Feb. 6, 2025. Close collaboration with partner nations improves interoperability, ensuring rapid crisis response and sustained operations to protect vital mutual interests in the AOR.
Laser Guided Rockets

Drone-Killing APKWS Laser-Guided Rockets Eyed For Eurofighter Typhoon

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 12, 2025

We now have our first full look at a modified 2,000-pound-class GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, optimized for use as an anti-ship munition as part of the U.S. Air Force's Quicksink program.
Air-To-Ground

USAF’s Quicksink Ship-Killing Smart Bomb Seen In Detail Like Never Before

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Sep 10, 2025