Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 21)

The Polish Ministry of Defense has signed a $3.8 billion contract to upgrade the country's 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ Viper fighters to the F-16V configuration.
F-16

Poland’s F-16s Are About To Become Much More Potent

The upgrade will keep Poland's F-16s, already among the most capable in Europe, relevant and better suited for operating with F-35s.

South Korea is looking to develop a new air-launched ballistic missile, joining a group of nations that are looking to introduce this capability, or which already have systems of this kind in operational service. If successful, the program would likely see the weapon fielded on South Korea’s locally developed KF-21 fighter jet, which you can read more about here.
Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles

South Korea Has An Air-Launched Ballistic Missile Program

South Korea is also working on an air-launched standoff weapon designed for attacking enemy power grids.

A small U.S. Army quadcopter carrying a Claymore mine recently knocked down another small uncrewed aerial system in a test.
Unmanned

Claymore Mine-Armed Drone Tested by U.S. Army

Drones toting Claymore mines could help defend against low-end uncrewed aerial threats and be used against ground targets.

Russian forces have made their deepest advance into Donbas in a year.
Russia

Russia Punches Through Ukrainian Lines In Deepest Advance In A Year

Russia's advance in the east has resulted in Ukraine shifting some of its most experienced troops there in an attempt to blunt it.

Last week, it was reported that German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall is awaiting a billion-dollar order from the German Armed Forces for its Skyranger anti-aircraft gun. During a recent earnings call, the firm’s CEO, Armin Papperger said that he expected Skyranger contracts from the German military worth between $7-9 billion to be signed this year. The systems would be delivered by 2035.
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)

Germany To Bet Big On Skyranger Gun System To Address Growing Drone Threat

The 35mm cannon with programmable ammo mounted on an 8x8 armored fighting vehicle gives Germany an efficient hard-kill point defense solution.

More MQ-58 Variants In The Works After Marines Move To Make Valkyrie A Full Program Of Record
XQ-58

More MQ-58 Variants In The Works After Marines Move To Make Valkyrie A Full Program Of Record

Kratos is already planning a new Q-58 production run to meet the needs of the Marine Corps and a partnership with Airbus.

Russia is now using Shahed drones to drop mines.
Unmanned

Russia’s Shahed-136 Drones Are Laying Anti-Tank Mines

Shaheds being able to drop mines with some precision very deep behind the front lines could prove to be major problem for Ukraine.

Bizarre footage has emerged from Russia, showing what’s claimed to be part of an experiment to integrate a counter-uncrewed aerial system (CUAS) interceptor drone on a MiG-29 Fulcrum jet fighter. On closer inspection, the quadcopter drone is lashed to the fighter using zip ties and, even if that weren’t the case, the overall practicality of the solution is extremely questionable — to say the least.
MiG-29

Russian MiG-29 Fitted With An “Interceptor Drone” Is A Laughable Mess

Attaching the drone to the fighter jet using zip ties is the first in a long list of problems for this supposed counter-drone experiment.

A recently released picture of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Bainbridge offers a good look at new launchers for Coyote counter-drone interceptors installed on the ship.
Maritime Surface-To-Air Missiles

Coyote Loitering Drone Interceptors Have Arrived On U.S. Navy Destroyers

The Navy says it's rushing to install Coyote and Roadrunner-M interceptors on some Arleigh Burke destroyers amid the growing drone threat.

A Chinese Coast Guard cutter chasing a Philippine Coast Guard cutter when it was rammed by a Chinese guided missile destroyer in the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

Chinese Destroyer Rips Bow Off Chinese Coast Guard Cutter During Intense Harassing Maneuvers

The Chinese ships were chasing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in the tumultuous waters of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - MAY 10: A small group of media were allowed an inside look at the command center at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station on May 10, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a part of an on going joke the command center has stuffed alien doll in a jar placed in front of the director's desk. NORAD celebrates its 60th Anniversary at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

"What's that red blinking phone all about?"

The U.S. is monitoring five Chinese icebreakers in the Arctic near Alaska..
Arctic

Unprecedented Chinese Icebreaker Deployment Off Alaska Being Monitored By U.S.

China’s increasing presence near Alaska comes as the U.S. is scrambling to field more icebreakers.

A B-2 bomber left a smiley face made out of bomb craters on the 'runway' of a mock airfield during a test some two decades ago.
B-2

B-2 Bombed A Smiley Face Of Craters Into The Ground Because It Ran Out Of Targets

The B-2 can drop so many JDAMs on a single pass that there weren't enough targets to put out on a mock airfield, so the crew left a happy message in the runway.

The turboprop-powered Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo is seen swooping low over a Ukrainian cornfield, very much its traditional operating environment. In this case, however, it sports a single R-73 air-to-air missile under each wing. The agricultural plane also appears to have received a military-style dull gray overall paint scheme, with white identification stripes on the rear fuselage to reduce the risk of ‘friendly fire.’ Details of the date and location of the video are not immediately available.
Ukrainian Air Force

Crop Duster Armed With Air-To-Air Missiles Appears In Ukraine

A Czechoslovakian-made agricultural plane toting Soviet-era heat-seeking missiles is Ukraine’s latest drone-killer.

Despite a week of Russian bombardment, a key bridge in Kherson remains standing.
Russia

Key Kherson Bridge Still Standing After Week Of Russian Bombardment

Ukraine Situation Report: Attacks on the bridge linking Korabel Island with central Kherson City have sparked concerns of a Russian incursion.

For all the new capabilities the B-21 Raider will bring as an individual aircraft, the U.S. Air Force's top bomber officer says he is most excited about the sheer numbers of those aircraft that are set to enter service in the coming years.
B-2

For B-21, Quantity Is Its Most Critical Quality Top Bomber Officer Says

The B-21 Raider will bring combat mass unlike anything the B-2 can muster, which will change how stealth bombers fight.

Russia radar strikes by FPV in crimea
Russia

Uncrewed Boats Launch FPV Drone Strike On Key Russian Radars Located On Crimea’s Southern Tip

The attack is an example of the rapidly evolving nature of drone warfare and likely did significant damage to Russia's ability to surveil Black Sea skies.

Northrop Grumman has released a new rendering of a possible configuration for its submission for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based combat jet. The program has long been even more secretive than the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance jet, with only a handful of concept artworks previously released. In the meantime, the future of the Navy program is being increasingly questioned, with the service and Pentagon officials apparently at loggerheads about how best to proceed with it.
F/A-XX

F/A-XX Next Generation Naval Fighter Concept Art Emerges From Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman has provided a very rare glimpse of what the F/A-XX could look like at a time when the program's future is in serious doubt.

Cybertrucks Wanted By Air Force As Missile Targets
Land

Cybertrucks Wanted By Air Force As Missile Targets

The Air Force says enemies may use Cybertrucks in the future, so its Test Center needs to add them to its live fire target fleet.

A new variant of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile with a warhead that can be set to focus its blast in different directions depending on the target is in the works for the U.S. special operations community.
AGM-114 Hellfire

AGM-114 Hellfire Missile Getting Articulated Warhead Capable Of Blasting In Different Directions

Hellfires equipped with the new warheads will give MQ-9s and AC-130s the flexibility to engage widely different targets with the same missile.