News & Features(Page 9)

Latest in News & Features

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.
News & Features

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 16, 2024

A video and pictures have emerged showing testing of Chinese high-flying and high-speed uncrewed air vehicles related to a design called MD-22, including aerial releases from a TB-001 drone and a high-altitude balloon.
Air

China Launches Hypersonic Test Planes From Drones, Balloons

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
Land

M1A2 Abrams Tanks Arrive In Taiwan

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 16, 2024

Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is the latest U.S. military installation to report drone overflights.
Air

Drone Incursions Closed Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s Airspace Friday Night

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 15, 2024

Solid Steel Bunker Door - Access to an abandoned bunker
News & Features

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Dec 14, 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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

Yachts are increasingly getting counter-drone systems
Sea

Counter-Drone Systems For Yachts Are Growing In Popularity

By Eric Tegler

Updated on Dec 13, 2024

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

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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

The U.S. Army has finally test-fired its Dark Eagle hypersonic missile from its trailer-based launcher after attempting to do so for some two years.
Land

Army’s Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile Finally Blasts Out Of Its Launcher

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 13, 2024

Federal, state, and local authorities have not been able to corroborate any claimed visual sightings of mysterious drones in the skies over New Jersey, according to a top White House spokesperson.
Air

None Of The New Jersey Visual Drone Sightings Have Been Corroborated: White House

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Dec 13, 2024

A Standard-Missile 6 is fired from a Mk 70 mobile missile launcher in 2023.
News & Features

Littoral Combat Ships To Sail With Mk70 Vertical Launchers Strapped To Their Decks

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 12, 2024

Apparent drones spotted in the skies over New Jersey, some as big as six feet across, look to be operating in a coordinated manner not consistent with hobbyists, according to state and local officials.
Air

Drones Over New Jersey Show Signs Of Coordination, Elude Helicopters: State Officials

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 12, 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.
Land

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.
Air

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.
News & Features

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

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 12, 2024

he U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy could soon be tasked with exploring whether extending the range of existing AIM-120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles is one path to help right-size stocks of those weapons.
Air

Extended Range AIM-120s, AIM-9s Eyed To Meet Future Air-to-Air Missile Demands

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 11, 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)
News & Features

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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

Mk 41 launcher MDA Guam
Land

Tilting Mark 41 Launcher Emerges During Guam’s First Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test

By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Joseph Trevithick

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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

Pictures and videos have now emerged of the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Syrian port of Latakia overnight, which destroyed at least six Soviet-era Osa II class missile boats.
News & Features

Israel Lays Waste To Syria’s Missile Boats (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 10, 2024

Israel strikes targets in Syria after Assad falls.
News & Features

Syria’s Suddenly Permissive Airspace Prompts Flurry Of Foreign Airstrikes (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated 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.
News & Features

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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

HMAS Brisbane fires a Tomahawk Weapon System off of the cost of San Diego, United States of America.
Sea

Australian Navy Fires Tomahawk Cruise Missile For The First Time

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

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

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

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
News & Features

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 9, 2024

A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. Syria's embattled government said on December 7 it was setting up a ring of steel around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which has headed the assault, told fighters to prepare to take Damascus, just over a week into a renewed offensive in the long dormant conflict. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
News & Features

The Assad Regime Has Fallen, Claims Swirl Around Possible Crash Of His Escape Jet (Updated)

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Dec 8, 2024

Storage-tunnel for nuclear missiles at an abandoned soviet military in Brandenburg State, Germany
News & Features

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Dec 7, 2024

The USS Zumwalt's hypersonic missile launchers are now installed.
Sea

USS Zumwalt Returns To The Water With A Hypersonic Missile Launcher Upgrade

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

F-35 CCA under trump admin
Air

Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About The Future Of Big Ticket Defense Programs

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 6, 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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

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

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.
Land

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

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

5 inch Mark 45 deck gun firing.
Sea

USS Carney’s Red Sea Operations Highlight 5-inch Deck Gun’s Anti-Air Capability

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 6, 2024

The Pentagon has released a summary of a new classified strategy to guide efforts to protect American forces abroad and across the U.S. homeland from growing drone threats.
Air

This Is The New ‘Counter-Drone Strategy’ Just Unveiled By Pentagon

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 5, 2024

Ngad punted to trump adminstration
Air

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.
News & Features

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

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Dec 5, 2024

Bell has released a rendering showing updated design concepts for vertical takeoff and landing-capable crewed and uncrewed aircraft that feature wingtip rotors that fold away during level flight.
Air

Revised Fold-Away Rotor Aircraft Concepts Emerge From Special Operations X-Plane Program

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 5, 2024

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

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.
Sea

Our Best Look At Russia’s Shadowy Zircon Hypersonic Missile

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

Recent satellite imagery shows a curious white-colored object at the end of the runway at a remote airstrip in northwestern China.
Space

Mysterious Object Appears At Remote Chinese Airfield Linked To Spaceplane Program

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

The Pentagon says more tests are required to verify that the 25mm automatic cannon mounted internally on the F-35A variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is indeed now an effective weapon.
Air

F-35A’s 25mm Gun Still Needs Tests To Verify It Works

By Joseph Trevithick

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.
Land

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

USS Boxer at sea. (U.S. Nav)
Sea

The Navy’s Amphibious Fleet Is In Really Bad Shape

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 4, 2024

Russian fighter base in Syria
Air

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

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Dec 3, 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.
News & Features

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

A U.S. official said U.S. forces backed an SDF raid on ISIS troops in eastern Syria.
News & Features

Claims Swirl Around U.S. Strikes In Eastern Syria (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

South Korean military forces have descended on the country's parliament building and other parts of the capital Seoul following President Yoon Suk Yeol's unexpected declaration of martial law.
News & Features

Surprise Martial Law Declaration Throws South Korea Into Turmoil (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

The Qatari landing ship dock Al Fulk.
Sea

Qatar’s Strange New Warship Combines Air Defense Frigate And Amphibious Assault Ship Roles

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted on Dec 3, 2024

Russian and Syrian airstrikes are slowing the advance by anti-government rebels.
News & Features

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.
Air

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

Additional photos provide a much more detailed look at the mysterious Chinese flattop that TWZ was first to report on, and which recently went to sea, apparently for its first trials. While the function of this vessel remains unknown, the recently published photos do confirm that it’s intended to operate rotary-wing aircraft (perhaps in addition to fixed-wing drones), but there are no obvious signs of catapults or arrester cables of the kind that would be used for operating heavier fixed-wing types. There is also no indication that the vessel has a floodable well-deck like those found on many amphibious warfare ships.
Sea

Detailed Deck View Emerges Of China’s Mysterious Aircraft Carrier-Like Ship

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.
Air

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

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

Rebel forces have taken most of Aleppo.
News & Features

Aleppo Has Fallen, Assad’s Forces Regrouping As Rebels Blitz South

By Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 1, 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.
News & Features

Rebel Forces Enter Syria’s Second Largest City Of Aleppo

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 29, 2024

050714-N-5345W-093 Atlantic Ocean (July 14, 2005) – Landing Signal Officers watch as an F-14B Tomcat, assigned to the "Swordsmen" of Fighter Squadron Three Two (VF-32), catches an arresting wire with its tail hook aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is currently conducting carrier qualifications and operations off the East Coast and is also participating in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). JTFEX is a key component in the training cycle of an aircraft carrier and carrier air wing in the U.S. Navy Fleet Response Plan. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Kristopher Wilson (RELEASED)
News & Features

Bunker Talk: Turkey Day Edition

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Nov 28, 2024

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

Drone Incursions Over USAF Bases In UK Enter Second Week

By Howard Altman

Updated on Nov 27, 2024

An old-time Navy thanksgiving.
Sea

Navy Ship Menus From Thanksgivings Past

By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Posted 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.
Air

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

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

The Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF has experimented with a new rapidly laid temporary surface, making it easier to conduct expeditionary aircraft operations, something that is of increasing relevance across the Indo-Pacific region. The trial, which used a temporary surface known as Dura-Base, involved an RAAF F-35A stealth fighter at RAAF Base Tindal, in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Air

Australian F-35 Tests Expeditionary Base Concept

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

A mysterious Chinese vessel with a large open flight deck, which TWZ was first to report on, looks to have made its maiden voyage.
Sea

China’s Wacky And Puzzling New Aircraft Carrier Has Set Sail

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

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

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

By Howard Altman

Posted on Nov 27, 2024