Europe(Page 6)

Latest in Europe

The Olavsvern complex.
Northern Europe

U.S. Navy Still Wants To Operate Out Of This Norwegian Submarine Cave, But A Deal Remains Elusive

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Jan 9, 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.
NATO

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

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

A strategically important fuel farm supplying Russia's Engels Air Base was struck by Ukrainian drones.
Russia

Ukraine Targets Strategic Bomber Fuel Supplies In Long-Range Strike On Russia

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jan 8, 2025

A new independent report says that U.S. airbases have been left worryingly vulnerable, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, by a lack of investment in new hardened aircraft shelters, or even unhardened ones.
Europe

Lack Of Hardened Aircraft Shelters Leaves U.S. Airbases Vulnerable To China New Report Warns

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jan 8, 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

NATO nations boosting naval presence and AI monitoring in response to undersea cable cuts.
Baltic Sea

NATO Boosting Naval Presence And AI Monitoring In Baltic Sea After Undersea Cables Cut

By Howard Altman

Updated on Jan 7, 2025

With two weeks to go before Donald Trump takes office, Ukraine launched a new offensive in Russia's Kursk region
Russia

Ukraine Launches New Offensive In Russia’s Kursk Region

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jan 6, 2025

The Metinvest company is beginning to add armor protection to Ukraine's Western-donated air defense systems.
Russia

New Armor Kits Being Installed On Ukraine’s Western Air Defense Systems

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jan 3, 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.
Russia

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

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.
Ukraine

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 2, 2025

The Biden administration spent the last of its funds earmarked to procure equipment for Ukraine from industry and partners.
Russia

Biden Spends Last Of Funds Set Aside To Purchase New Weapons For Ukraine

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 31, 2024

Ukrainian USV Mi-8 Hip R-73 missile kill Black Sea
Russia

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

Signs Russian Fighter Jets Still At Syrian Base, Top Rebel Leader Pushes Back On Total Exit For Moscow
Russia

Signs Russian Fighter Jets Still At Syrian Base, Top Rebel Leader Pushes Back On Total Exit For Moscow

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 30, 2024

A Russian-connected oil tanker suspected of severing the Estlink 2 power cable running under the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia was reportedly found to be packed with spy equipment.
Baltic Sea

Russian-Linked Oil Tanker Suspected Of Sabotage Was Brimming With Spy Equipment: Report

By Howard Altman

Updated on Dec 27, 2024

Early reports indicate a Russian SAM system downed an Azerbaijanian Airlines flight Wednesday.
Russia

Everything We Know About What Led Up To The Azerbaijan Airliner Crash

By Howard Altman

Updated on Dec 26, 2024

Russian forces have begun using improvised counter-drone buggies each armed with a weapon made up of 24 barrels that fire shotgun-like ammunition, as well as six AK-series infantry rifles on a single mount.
Russia

Anti-Drone Weapon With 24 Barrels Firing Buckshot-Like Rounds Emerges On Russian Buggies

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
Mediterranean

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 24, 2024

North Korea may be preparing to send additional troops and weapons to Russia to help its fight against Ukraine.
Russia

North Korea To Send More Troops To Fight For Russia Against Ukraine: South Korean Intel

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 23, 2024

The commander of a Ukrainian Abrams tank talked about surviving Russian FPV drone strikes.
Russia

Ukrainian M1 Abrams Commander Talks Tank’s Major Vulnerabilities, Advantages In Combat

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 20, 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.
Russia

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

By Thomas Newdick, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 20, 2024

Russia Pummels Kyiv In Retaliation For ATACMS, Storm Shadow Strikes On Its Soil
Russia

Russia Pummels Kyiv In Retaliation For ATACMS, Storm Shadow Strikes On Its Soil

By Howard Altman

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.
NATO

Spanish Typhoon Buy Signals Upward Trend For Eurofighter

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 20, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted today that his country is still exploring its options for retaining a pair of bases in Syria that have uniquely strategic value following the fall of longtime ally Bashar Al Assad.
Russia

Putin Claims No Final Decision Yet On Russia’s Bases In Syria Despite Withdrawals

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 19, 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.
Europe

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 18, 2024

Top Pentagon officials offered new insights into the state of play on the battlefield, the role of North Korean troops there and how it will be paid for.
Russia

Pentagon’s Assessment Of North Koreans Fighting In Kursk, Rate At Which Ukraine Is Losing Ground

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 18, 2024

New satellite imagery shows the continued withdrawal of Russian forces from its Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. Russia is also massing units at its Tartus naval base in the country, which also points to plans for their impending departure.
Russia

Satellite Imagery Shows Ramp-Up In Russian Forces Massing At Bases In Syria For Withdrawal

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 17, 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.
Russia

Russian General Accused Of Using Chemical Weapons Assassinated By Ukraine

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 17, 2024

There is growing, but still circumstantial evidence that a Syrian Airlines Il-76 Candid cargo plane currently at Russia's Khmeimim Air Base in Syria is one that appeared to go missing in the final chaotic moments of Bashar Al Assad's regime.
Russia

The Mystery Of The Syrian IL-76 Cargo Jet That Went Missing As Assad Fled

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 17, 2024

North Korean Troops in Kursk, Russia are now fighting more actively on the front.
Russia

North Korean Troops Launched Large-Scale Combat Operations In Kursk: Officials

By Howard Altman

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.
Russia

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

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.
Ukraine

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

Russian Forces Appear To Be Pulling Out Of Prized Syrian Air Base
Mediterranean

Russian Forces Appear To Be Pulling Out Of Prized Syrian Air Base

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
Germany

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.
Russia

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

Any plans the Air Force might have for new hardened aircraft shelters or other physical defenses at bases are prominently absent from a new infrastructure modernization strategy rolled out today.
Europe

Plans For New Hardened Aircraft Shelters Notably Absent From New USAF Base Modernization Strategy

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 12, 2024

Hysteria about drones over New Jersey obscures the fact that there is a real national security concern.
United Kingdom

Coast Guard Ship Stalked By Unidentified Aircraft, Iran Drone Mothership Claim Shot Down By DoD

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 12, 2024

Mohamed Bashir, who heads HTS's so-called "Salvation Government", holds a press conference in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on November 28, 2024. The Syrian rebels now in power in Damascus have appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will be in place until March 1, state media said on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia

New Syrian Prime Minister Assumes Power Amid Airstrikes, Continued Fighting

By Howard Altman

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.
Russia

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.
Russia

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

What will happen to highly strategic Russian air and naval bases in Syria is now very much now an open question following the downfall of long-time strongman Bashar Al Assad and his flight to Moscow.
Mediterranean

Fate Of Russia’s Prized Syria Bases: What We Know

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
United Kingdom

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats
Russia

Ukraine’s Drone Boats Are Now Shooting Machine Guns At Russian Helicopters, Boats

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

Homs, Syria.s third-largest city, is close to being captured by rebels opposed to Bashar Al-Assad.
Russia

Syrian Rebels Closing In On Homs, Cutting Off Damascus From Coast An Imminent Possibility (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the possibility of forward deploying new conventionally-armed Oreshnik missiles capable of carrying multiple warheads in neighboring Belarus in the latter half of next year.
Russia

Experimental Ballistic Missile Russia Used On Ukraine Could Be Headed To Belarus

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 6, 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.
Russia

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

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Dec 5, 2024

Russia is massing for a possible attack across the Dnipro River to draw in Ukrainian troops.
Russia

Russia Massing For Possible Cross-River Offensive In South Ukraine

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 4, 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.
Russia

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.
Russia

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

Russian fighter base in Syria
Russia

Russia’s Prized Bases Along The Mediterranean In Syria Could Be At Risk

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

Russian and Syrian airstrikes are slowing the advance by anti-government rebels.
Russia

Airstrikes Slow Advance Of Anti-Assad Forces In Syria

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 2, 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.
NATO

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

German firm Helsing says production of its HX-2 kamikaze drone, thousands of which are expected to be sent to Ukraine, is underway.
Ukraine

AI-Enabled HX-2 Kamikaze Drones Now In Production For Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

Fighters fire towards Syrian Army troops in the Rashidin district on the outskirts of Aleppo on November 29, 2024, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and allied factions continue their offensive in the Aleppo province against government forces. The jihadists along with Turkey-backed factions launched this week a shock offensive against Syrian regime troops and sparked the deadliest battle the country has seen in years, with the violence killing so far 242 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The war monitor said most of the victims were combatants on both sides but also including civilians.
Russia

Rebel Forces Enter Syria’s Second Largest City Of Aleppo

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 29, 2024

Mystery drones have flown over USAF bases in the UK for an eighth day.
United Kingdom

Drone Incursions Over USAF Bases In UK Enter Second Week

By Howard Altman

Updated on Nov 27, 2024

One especially interesting detail about the Phoenix Ghost family of kamikaze drones has now emerged: the different types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate.
Russia

Warheads In Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Blast Straight Down Like Air Burst Artillery Rounds

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

Ukraine's top commander says a new offensive is the only path to victory.
Russia

Ukraine’s Top Commander Wants New Counteroffensive, Says It’s The Only Path To Victory

By Howard Altman

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

ideos purporting to show a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian oil refinery may actually have been of a wayward civilian An-2 biplane.
Russia

An-2 Biplane Caused Major Scare When Russians Thought It Was A Long-Range Kamikaze Drone

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

The German arm of the European missile house described its RCM² remote carrier (RC) as a multidomain platform that is able to perform both kinetic strike and electronic warfare (EW) jamming and decoy roles in highly contested and denied airspace.
Germany

This Is MBDA’s Latest Vision For Its Cruise Missile-Like RCM² ‘Remote Carrier’

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

SUMY, UKRAINE - NOVEMBER 26: A destroyed car stands in a parking lot after a Russian missile attack on November 26, 2024 in Sumy, Ukraine. According to the acting mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, the Russian army attacked the city with a missile. As a result of the strike, a residential multi-storey building was damaged and a parking lot was destroyed.
Russia

Russia Launched The Largest Drone Attack On Ukraine Of The War

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 26, 2024

Still unidentified drones continue to be spotted around air bases in the United Kingdom that host American forces.
United Kingdom

British Troops Reinforce USAF Airbases Amid Mysterious Drone Incursions: Reports (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Nov 26, 2024

Ukraine used ATACMS missiles to hit an airbase in Russia for the first time.
Russia

ATACMS Hit Airfield In Russia For The First Time

By Howard Altman

Updated on Nov 25, 2024

Mystery drones have appeared once again near US bases in the UK.
United Kingdom

Mysterious Drones Have Descended Again On U.S. Air Bases In The United Kingdom (Updated)

By Tyler Rogoway, Howard Altman

Updated on Nov 25, 2024

Ukraine has lost nearly half the territory it captured in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Russia

Ukraine Lost Nearly Half The Territory It Captured In Russia: Report

By Howard Altman

Posted on Nov 23, 2024