Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 108)

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has released a new rendering of a stealth tanker concept amid uncertainty about the U.S. Air Force's future tanker plans.
U.S. Air Force

New Skunk Works Stealthy Tanker Concept Unveiled

The U.S. Air Force has a critical need for survivable tankers, but questions are growing about its future aerial refueling plans.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) visits Naval Station Norfolk following a seven-month deployment, May 10. Throughout the ship’s seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations, Carney successfully destroyed Houthi-launched weapons, including land attack cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and unmanned systems.
Red Sea

USS Carney Destroyed 65 Houthi Targets During Its Cruise

The USS Carney, which just returned to the U.S. last week, made history during a tumultuous six months in the Red Sea region.

Green berets on Shemya
U.S. Homeland

American Special Operations Forces Are At A Crossroads

Nowhere was the great pivot to near-peer threats clearer than at this year's special operations convention in Tampa, Florida.

A black-and-white photo shows a man standing next to a surface (above ground) bomb shelter that is advertising Victor J. Nelson's sales and distribution business, circa 1951. (Jim Heimann Collection/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

A laid-back weekend discussion with old friends and new.

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.