Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 12)

The giant WindRunner cargo jet concept was shown off for the Air Force.
An-124

Giant WindRunner Cargo Jet Concept Shown Off To USAF

Still in the design phase, this aircraft is anticipated to fly for the first time in 2030 according to its builder.

India’s then-controversial decision to buy the MiG-21 ushered in an era in which Soviet (and latterly Russian) fighters were dominant in the Indian Air Force, a situation that continues to this day. While India buying arms from Moscow is now well established, the Fishbed helped kick off this trend. The delta-winged fighter was selected in favor of Western designs to revamp the Indian Air Force. A key driver was the need to field a fighter that would challenge the F-104 Starfighter that the Pakistan Air Force was then operating.
MiG-21

India’s Iconic MiG-21 Blasts Off Into Retirement

After more than six decades of service, India has finally given up its Cold War-era MiG-21 Fishbed fighter jet.

A business jet converted into a tanker is among the options the U.S. Air Force has been considering as part of plans for a future aerial refueling 'system of systems.'
Tankers

Business Jet Aerial Refueling Tankers Eyed By USAF

Smaller business jet-derived tankers offer many advantages, but the amount of fuel they have to offload isn't one of them.

J-XDS images of china's new 6th generation stealth fighter
J-XDS

Is This Our Best Look At China’s Tailless J-XDS Stealth Fighter?

The images, if authentic, provide us with by far the clearest view of the J-XDS and answer at least one important question.

German defense startup Helsing has unveiled a new uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), the CA-1 Europa. The company is targeting a first flight in 2027 for the UCAV, which looks very similar to the MQ-28 Ghost Bat. Boeing’s Australian subsidiary developed Ghost Bat first as a ‘loyal wingman’ drone for the Royal Australian Air Force, under the Airpower Teaming System. The U.S. Air Force has also now acquired at least one example ostensibly to support research and development and test and evaluation efforts.
MQ-28

Helsing’s CA-1 Drone Is An MQ-28 Ghost Bat Lookalike

The German startup has presented its CA-1 Europa, the latest in a line of loyal wingman-type drones pitched to European air forces.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summed top military leaders to an emergency meeting next week.
U.S. Army

War Secretary’s Emergency Meeting A Mystery To Hundreds Of Top Officers Ordered To Attend

Nobody seems to have any concrete info on what Hegseth's surprise upcoming meeting of flag officers in Virginia is all about.

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Maurielle Pankau, a 183rd Air Component Operations Squadron intelligence analyst planner, participates in the Shadow Operations Center-Nellis Experiment 3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 13, 2025. Experiment participants were challenged to use human-machine teaming to deliver decision advantage in scenarios marked by complexity, speed, and uncertainty. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)
Artificial Intelligence

Air Force AI Targeting Tests Show Promise, Despite Hallucinations

Artificial intelligence can come up with battlefield options far faster than a human can, but it can fail to factor in small nuances that have major repercussions.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 25, 2025. Aerial refueling allows Fighting Falcons to extend their mission and guarantee war-winning airpower throughout the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natalie Jones)
F-15

Laser-Guided Rockets Now Primary Anti-Drone Weapon For USAF Jets In Middle East

The Air Force's top officer praises APKWS's role in downing "scores" of drones since last year as the system moves to more platforms.

India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the country’s main military research and development agency, announced the successful test firing of an Agni-Prime from a rail-based mobile launcher system, on September 24. The test, which the DRDO says involved a “full operational scenario,” was carried out at an undisclosed site in the country in collaboration with India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
India-Pakistan Nuclear Standoff

India Just Launched A Ballistic Missile From A Train

Using the proven Agni-Prime missile, the rail-based system could be a valuable and survivable addition to India’s nuclear forces.

The U.S. military was totally unaware of the unprecedented Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month, one of its senior leaders has confirmed. In the aftermath of the raid, there had been questions as to why the various highly advanced air defense systems and sensors, both American and Qatari, that would normally provide prior alert to an impending attack on Qatar had apparently not functioned as expected. Now we have a better understanding of what happened, from a U.S. perspective.
Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles

New Info On How U.S. Military Was Caught Off Guard By Israeli Strike On Qatar

Israel's novel use of air-launched ballistic missiles to attack Qatar from the west clearly had an impact on the ability to classify the threat and defend against it.

Aggressor satellites for space force.
Anti-Satellite Capabilities

Space Force Wants Aggressor Satellites To Emulate Adversary Orbital Capabilities

Like how Air Force pilots fly against aggressor fighters that replicate the enemy's capabilities and tactics, Space Force wants to do the same in orbit.

Renderings from General Atomics offer new looks at how its air-launched LongShot drone might be employed from F-15 fighters, as well as B-52 bombers and C-17 cargo aircraft.
C-17

F-15 Depicted Launching LongShot Air-To-Air Missile Carrier Drone In New Renderings

General Atomics has told us that LongShot, which can be launched by bombers and cargo planes, too, is not intended to be reusable operationally.

Closing Kill Chains Before The Battle Begins

Closing Kill Chains Before The Battle Begins

Branded Content: Boeing's family of systems is aiming to evolve kill chain effectiveness for the future.

Update from General Atomics from the show floor of Air, Space & Cyber 2025

We Talk YFQ-42A, LongShot, And 9M Flight Hours With General Atomics

Branded Content: The latest from General Atomics from the show floor at Air, Space And Cyber 2025.

A long-range kamikaze drone that U.S. firm Kratos is working on together with Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is set to make its maiden flight early next year.
Unmanned

Jet-Powered Kamikaze Drone Kratos Is Developing With Taiwan To Fly Next Year

Taiwan sees the AI-infused Chien Feng IV as a valuable way to attack enemy ships, but it can also be used against land targets or as a decoy.

Leidos has raised the possibility of eventually integrating its Black Arrow, also known as the Small Cruise Missile, in the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft. The roughly 200-pound munition has, so far, been tested from C-130 variants but offers the kinds of capabilities that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is increasingly looking at harnessing.
Q-9

Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates A Whopping 400-Mile Range

Currently being tested on the C-130, the Black Arrow, also known as the Small Cruise Missile, could find its way onto other U.S. Special Operations Command platforms and more.

The crew of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle attempted to take down a long-range kamikaze drone with a Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) precision-guided bomb after running out of missiles in the frantic midst of an all-out Iranian barrage aimed at Israel.
F-15

F-15Es Tried To Shoot Down Iranian Kamikaze Drones With Laser Guided Bombs

"And then just out of this massive [explosion], like in Star Wars, just here comes the drone, just right out of the cloud."

The U.S. Air Force is currently looking toward a single next-generation airlifter to supplant both the C-17A Globemaster III and the C-5M Galaxy, starting in the mid-2040s.
C-130

C-17 and C-5 Cargo Planes Will Be Replaced With One Aircraft: USAF

Plans for a Next Generation Airlift platform, or NGAL, targeted for entry into service in the 2040s, are starting to coalesce.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Olde, the F-15 director of programs and operations at Defense Contract Management Agency Boeing St. Louis, exits an F-15EX Eagle II aircraft at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, June 11, 2025. Olde brought the aircraft to the base as part of a site activation task force visit, one of the initial steps to ensure that when both the F-15EX and KC-46 Pegasus missions arrive at Selfridge ANGB, the 127th Wing will be fully prepared with the right infrastructure, personnel, and support to stand them up and operate them effectively.
Air

New APG-82(V)X Radar For F-15EX Announced By Raytheon

Using advanced gallium nitride technology means the latest iteration of the APG-82 has longer range while ensuring the F-15EX is harder to detect.

KC-390 USAF
Tankers

Despite Setbacks, Embraer Still Pitching KC-390 As Air Force ACE Tanker Of Choice

Embraer still has hopes that the USAF will adopt the KC-390 to fit its future combat plans that focus on tactical operations out of remote airfields.