Nuclear Proliferation

Latest in Nuclear Proliferation

As the dust settles, for now, on the latest clashes between India and Pakistan, it’s clear that the nations’ respective air forces played a very active role in the fighting. At this stage, details of what happened are still extremely hard to come by, with seemingly endless claims and counterclaims, especially around possible shootdowns, and very little in the way of verifiable facts about how the air-to-air engagements played out. However, many observers are already pointing to the potentially significant impact of the Pakistan Air Force’s Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C multirole fighters, as well as their vaunted PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
Air

China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality

By Thomas Newdick

Posted 13 Hours Ago

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General Rajiv Ghai with Air Marshal AK Bharti, Vice Admiral AN Pramod during a press conference on 'Operation Sindoor' at National Media Centre, on May 12, 2025 in New Delhi, India. Senior officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force addressed the nation, revealing details of Operation Sindoor, a coordinated military strike carried out on May 7 targeting terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. Officers confirmed that over 100 terrorists were killed during the operation. The strikes were launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
Air

Claims Swirl As India And Pakistan Assess Results Of Latest Conflict

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on May 13, 2025

Reports of the air war that’s been taking place between India and Pakistan in recent days suggest what may well be the most intense series of aerial engagements for decades. While it’s still very hard to obtain confirmed details of this combat, which some sources state has involved more than a hundred fighters simultaneously, we do, at least, know what kinds of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are available to the Indian and Pakistan Air Forces.
Air

The Air-To-Air Missiles That Equip India And Pakistan’s Fighters

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 8, 2025

The air war currently unfolding between India and Pakistan is exceedingly murky, but one aspect that seems almost certain is the use of the Chinese-made PL-15 active-radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) by Pakistan. So far, Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft and at least one Indian official has reportedly confirmed the crash of three aircraft but cautioned that the reasons were not clear. Unverified imagery suggests that one of the Indian Air Force’s prized Rafale multirole fighters may have been shot down. Regardless, the fighting between the two nuclear-armed states is the most intense for decades, now with the growing risk of the situation spiraling further out of control.
Air

China’s PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Appears To Have Been Used In Combat For The First Time

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on May 7, 2025

India Strikes, Pakistan Responds, Claims Of Aircraft Losses Mount (Updated)
News & Features

India Strikes, Pakistan Responds, Claims Of Aircraft Losses Mount (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 6, 2025

Imagery has emerged showing North Korea’s heavily armed new frigate, the Choi Hyon, firing a variety of weapons from its huge array of vertical launch system (VLS) cells. The missiles seen appear to include a previously unknown air defense missile and a possible new supersonic cruise missile.
News & Features

North Korea’s New Frigate Tests Its Weapons Days After Commissioning

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 30, 2025

North Korea Frigate
Air

North Korea’s New Frigate Has Ballistic Missile Launchers

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 27, 2025

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

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

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Dec 30, 2024

The U.S. military has not seen demonstrable evidence of North Korea successfully testing a re-entry vehicle capable of bringing a nuclear warhead back down to Earth through the atmosphere, according to America's top officer in the Pacific region.
Nuclear

ICBM Reentry Vehicle Capability Still Unproven By North Korea, U.S. Military Says

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 20, 2024

North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that it claims is its longest-ranged so far. The announcement of the test of the Hwasong-19 comes amid large-scale U.S.-South Korean military maneuvers during which their aircraft have bombed mock-ups of North Korean ballistic missile launchers.
Around The Globe

North Korea’s New ICBM May Have Biggest Transporter-Erector-Launcher We’ve Ever Seen

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 1, 2024

B-2 MOP Yemen iran
Air

B-2 Spirits Just Sent A Very Ominous Message To Iran

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Oct 17, 2024

A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a ceremony on September 6 to celebrate the launch of a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" during a news program at the Yongsanl Railway Station. North Korea has launched a newly built "tactical nuclear attack submarine" capable of carrying out an underwater nuclear attack, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to "further strengthen the state nuclear deterrence," the North's state media said on September 8. (
Around The Globe

Signs Point To North Korea Building A Nuclear-Powered Submarine: South Korean Intel

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Oct 9, 2024

Israel raid
News & Features

Israeli Commando Raid In Syria Sends A Message To Iran That Its Underground Bases Are Not Untouchable

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Sep 13, 2024

W76-1 warhead
Nuclear

Current American Nuclear Warhead Inventory Numbers Revealed

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 22, 2024

A new report indicates the thresholds for Russia's use of tactical nuclear weapons are much lower than have previously been understood and also points to continued planning for a potential nuclear conflict with China.
Nuclear

Russia’s Low Threshold For Nuclear Weapons Use Detailed In New Report

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 29, 2024

Natanz nuclear facility satellite view
News & Features

Iranian Underground Nuclear Facility May Be A Hard Target For America’s Biggest Bunker Busters

By Oliver Parken

Posted on May 24, 2023