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ZAPORIZHZHIA DIRECTION, UKRAINE - JANUARY 14, 2024 - A serviceman of the 66th separate cannon artillery battalion of the 406th separate artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is pictured by the howitzer shells, Zaporizhzhia direction, south-eastern Ukraine.
Eastern Europe

Ukraine Situation Report: Czechs Call For Sourcing Shells For Ukraine From Outside Europe

Amid dire warnings of ammunition shortages for Ukraine, the Czechs are urging Europe to source shells from further afield.

Bunker Talk
Bunker Talk

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

Welcome to the first TWZ.com bunker!

The Navy no longer plans to acquire a version of the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile with additional land-attack capability.
AGM-158 Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)

Land Attack Capability Axed On AGM-158C LRASM Anti-Ship Missile

Development of the AGM-158C-3 variant, which will now remain purely focused on the anti-ship role, has also slipped some two years to 2026.

B-1b strikes Iranian backed targets
News & Features

Over 85 Targets Hit In U.S. Retaliation Strikes Against Iranian Proxies, IRGC (Updated)

The U.S. has launched strikes in retaliation for the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured dozens more in Jordan.

Ukraine's high-end weapons decoys.
Surface-To-Air Missile Systems

Ukraine’s Air Defense Decoys Keep Getting Better

New Ukrainian decoys of a surface-to-air missile system and an air defense radar are among the most accurate seen so far.

Starship pictured during static-fire testing
Launch Vehicles

Military May Get Its Own SpaceX Starship Rockets For Dangerous Missions

According to SpaceX, the Pentagon has spoken to the company about procuring its own fleet of Starship rockets for sensitive missions.

Coyote Drone intercepting another drone
Drones

Navy Looking For Counter-Drone Systems That Can Be Rapidly Added To Its Ships

The Navy is interested in quickly enhancing its ships' ability to down drones, reflecting concerns over what's happening in the Red Sea.

As they await looming retaliation strikes from the U.S., Iranian proxies have scattered.
Iran

Iranian Proxies Scatter Ahead Of Looming U.S. Retaliation Strikes

Plans are already leaking about the extent of the expected attacks in response to the deadly drone strike on U.S. soldiers in Jordan.

The Defense Innovation Unit has put out a call for proposals for low-cost "interceptor" drone boats that can operate in swarms to at least find and shadow targets of interest at sea.
U.S. Navy

Drone Boat Swarm Vision Laid Out By DoD

A new program envisions swarms of drone boats autonomously finding and chasing down target ships, and maybe even attacking them directly.

The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) sunk the Russian missile cruiser Ivanovets with sea drones.
Russia

Ukraine Sinks Russian Navy Missile Corvette In Drone Boat Attack

The Russian corvette Ivanovets was hit by six Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels and sunk in the Black Sea, Ukraine's spy boss told us.

STANDARD MISSILE-6, SM-6 LAUNCH
U.S. Navy

Navy’s SM-6 Missile Used In Combat: Report

The use of the multi-purpose SM-6 missile in the ongoing battle with the Houthis would mark a major milestone for the versatile weapon.

NEW LADA CLASS
Diesel-Electric Submarines

First Of Russia’s New Diesel-Electric Submarines Enters Service

Much-delayed, the first of the series-production Lada class diesel-electric boats has now been commissioned by the Russian Navy.

The Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS). (U.S. Navy)
Red Sea

Phalanx CIWS Downs Houthi Missile Dangerously Close To Destroyer: Report

For a Navy warship, using a Close-In Weapon System against an approaching anti-ship missile is a method of last resort.

Armed rebels of the Iran-backed Houthi militia take part in a demonstration against the USA and Israel in January 2024 in Sanaa, Yemen.
Red Sea

U.S. Carries Out First Preemptive Strike On Houthi SAM

Houthis do not possess a capable air defense network, but they do have SAM capability that has proven effective in aerial ambushes.

World war two aircraft: B-17G Fortresses of the 381st Bomb Group in flight, Summer 1944.
U.S. Air Force

This Is What It Took To Defend A B-17 Bomber

Manning the .50 caliber machine guns aboard a U.S. Army Air Force heavy bomber was a tough and at times terrifying job.

Recent events in the Red Sea had prompted new qusetions about whether a 32 cell vertical launch system array for various types of missiles is sufficient as part of the overall armament package for the US Navy's future Constellation class frigates.
News & Features

Does The Navy’s New Constellation Class Frigate Have Enough Vertical Launch Cells?

Recent events in the Red Sea again raise questions about whether 32 vertical launch cells is adequate for the Constellation class frigates.

Ground Launched SDB scale model
Russia

Ukraine Situation Report: Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb’s Arrival Finally Imminent

The long-delayed weapon, which can reach targets over 90 miles away, could arrive on the battlefield for Ukraine as early as tomorrow.

MQ-20 Avenger Tests Previously Unseen Air-Launched Effects Drone
Drones

MQ-20 Avenger Tests Previously Unseen Air-Launched Effects Drone

A2LE is a new drone from General Atomics that leverages rapid design and manufacturing that could pave the way to future air-launched swarms.

Khataib Hezbollah says it is pausing attacks on U.S. troops in the region.
Iran

Iranian-Backed Militia Group Wants A Timeout As U.S. Retaliation Looms

The decision by Khataib Hezbollah to pause attacks on U.S. forces is unlikely to change the Biden administration's plans.

F-22
Red Flag

Massive New Air Combat Exercise Underway Along The California Coast

Bamboo Eagle is an extension of the Air Force's Red Flag exercises that focuses on winning a fight in the vast Pacific theater.