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Russian Artillery
Russia

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Launches Offensive In Kharkiv Region

Russia looks to be seeking to build on its recent momentum on the battlefield by opening up a new front in northeastern Ukraine.

A B-2 Spirit taxis at Whiteman Air Force Base
B-2

Damaged B-2 Won’t Be Repaired, Fleet To Shrink To 19 Jets (Updated)

The Air Force deeming one of its B-2s to be "uneconomical to repair" comes as it pushes ahead with work on the new B-21 Raider.

After an extraordinary career spanning more than 80 years of service, and plenty of wartime missions, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is preparing to retire its last C-47 Dakotas. The decision is yet to be formally announced by the SAAF but looks set to confirm the fate of the service’s Dakotas, which have now been grounded for around two years.
Air Forces

South Africa’s C-47 Dakotas Set For Retirement After 80 Years Of Service

Amid budget cuts and spares shortages, time is finally up for South Africa’s Dakotas, most of which were delivered in World War Two.

The replacement for Barrett .50 caliber riles, a well as Mk 15s in the same caliber, in U.S. special operations forces inventories may be chambered in a new smaller cartridge.
Sniper Rifles

Barrett .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Replacement For SOCOM May Fire A Smaller Round

A gun in a smaller caliber could replace the iconic .50 caliber Barrett, as well as Mk 15 rifles, in U.S. special operations inventory.

A fourth Combatant Craft Heavy stealthy special operations boat is now on order for the Navy and testing of a loitering munition launcher for the Combatant Craft Medium is underway.
News & Features

Navy’s Secretive Fleet Of Stealthy Special Operations Boats Set To Evolve

A fourth Sealion stealth boat is on order and tests of a new loitering munition launcher on a smaller type are underway.

AEVEX Aerospace, makers of the Phoenix Ghost loitering munition, now makes sea drones.
Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs)

Mako Is A Jet Ski Turned Into A Weaponized Drone

The personal watercraft-based uncrewed vessel can take on many missions, from cargo delivery to acting as a kamikaze against enemy ships.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft last month, has acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air. The likelihood is that these will be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s aging 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday planes,’ although at this stage we still don’t know how many of the new SAOC aircraft will be fielded.
E-4

Former Korean Air 747s Slated To Become USAF Doomsday Planes (Updated)

Korean Air has confirmed the sale of five of its 747-8s to SNC, which is building the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft.

The famed Little Bird helicopters used by the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment are seeing a 'resurrection' after the Army's cancellation of the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft program, but their future is still murky.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

H-6 Little Bird’s Future Upended Due To Army Axing Armed Scout Helicopter

The Night Stalkers' famed AH/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters are looking at a "resurrection," but for how long and what comes after is uncertain.

We now have our first look at a mini-cruise missile U.S. Special Operations Command is developing that could arm AC-130J gunships and other aircraft.
AC-130

Our First Look At The Tiny Cruise Missile That Aims To Arm AC-130 Gunships

Special Operations Command sees a mini-cruise missile as a top priority that will help ensure the relevance of AC-130s and other aircraft.

STRAIT OF SAN JUAN DE FUCA, Wash. (May 6, 2024) The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) transits the Strait of San Juan de Fuca escorted by U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and U.S. Coast Guard screening escort vessels. Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad including commitments to our allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gwendelyn Ohrazda/Released)
China

A-10 Warthogs Escorting A Ballistic Missile Submarine Is Certainly Different

The A-10 is highly capable of force protection, including against boats that could threaten a submarine loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles.

KH-101s are now being fired at Ukraine with two warheads onboard.
Russian Air Force

Russia Now Firing Kh-101 Cruise Missiles Modified With Two Warheads At Ukraine

The modification likely halves the range of the missile, but a separate fragmentation warhead makes it considerably more lethal.

Unmanned Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft crew chiefs, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, prep an ULTRA aircraft for taxi across the flightline before an early morning takeoff at an undisclosed location, May 7, 2024. ULTRA is an unmanned aerial system capable of flight times up to 80 hours, providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to combatant commanders, with a smaller operational footprint than other UAS in its class.
UAE

Air Force’s ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-Like Drone Is Now Operating In The Middle East

The product of a long program to field a low-cost, long-endurance surveillance drone, ULTRA is now flying missions around the Persian Gulf.

An annual special operations capability demonstration has included paragliding Marines on a mock drone hunt.
Special Operations Aviation

Marine Special Operations Paragliding Capabilities Emerge At Demonstration In Tampa

Paragliding Marines went on a mock drone hunt at the event, but this is a capability that could be valuable for a host roles.

Rogue 1 the marines' new drone.
Loitering Munitions

Rogue 1 Is One Of The Marine Corps’ Newest Kamikaze Drone

Rogue 1 is being procured alongside two other types that are competing to give the USMC more robust man-portable loitering munitions.

Armed robotic dog in use by MARSOC
Drones

Rifle-Armed Robot Dogs Now Being Tested By Marine Special Operators (Updated)

MARSOC is using robotic dogs equipped with remote weapon stations to detect targets automatically before being given approval to fire.

US Special Operations Command says it has 'hit pause' on plans to convert an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport in a floatplane.
MC-130

C-130 Floatplane Program Put ‘On Pause’ By Special Operations Command

The grand on again, off again plan for putting a special operations MC-130 on floats is not moving forward.

Super hornets now carrying nine air-to-air missiles
F/A-18E/F

Super Hornets Now Flying With Nine Air-To-Air Missiles To Counter Houthi Drones

Thanks to a recent upgrade, five AIM-120s, four AIM-9Xs and an ATFLIR pod offer considerable ‘magazine depth’ for tackling Houthi drones.

Ukraine Situation Report: Half Of North Korean Missiles Used By Russia Failed, Kyiv Says
North Korea

Ukraine Situation Report: Half Of North Korean Missiles Used By Russia Failed, Kyiv Says

Ukrainian authorities paint a dismal picture regarding the accuracy and reliability of the 50 or so KN-23 missiles provided by Pyongyang.

161013-N-OI810-093 WATERS SURROUNDING THE KOREAN PENINSULA (Oct. 13, 2016) Petty Officer 1st Class (AW/SW) John Diwa, from Dededo, Guam, installs inboard and outboard bearings on a main tire mount of an F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the "Diamondbacks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, in the hangar bay of the Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), during Exercise Invincible Spirit. Invincible Spirit is a bilateral exercise conducted with the Republic of Korea Navy in the waters near the Korean Peninsula, consisting of routine carrier strike group (CSG) operations in support of maritime counter-special operating forces and integrated maritime operations. USS Ronald Reagan is on patrol with CSG 5 supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class (SW/AW) Nathan Burke/Released)
F/A-18E/F

Navy Pays $100K To Replace Each F/A-18 Tire, 3D Printed Repairs Cuts Cost To $300

Additive manufacturing and cold spray technology are revolutionizing how the Navy looks at sustainment, saving millions in the process.

The Air Force new 5,000-pound-class GBU-72/B bunker buster bomb could be a future addition to the B-2 bomber's arsenal.
B-2

B-2 Spirits Could Get New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters

The new GBU-72/B penetrator bombs could be a valuable addition to the B-2's already diverse arsenal before it is replaced by the B-21.