Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 26)

Los Alamos scientist Gary Stradling gives us his exclusive insights into the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb.
Iran Nuclear Crisis

Los Alamos Scientist’s Insights On The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator

Before visiting a MOP test crater, Gary Stradling studied the physics of how a weapon could penetrate deep into heavily fortified underground facilities.

US is halting some deliveries of weapons to ukraine
Russia

Fears Of Disaster Brewing For Ukraine As U.S. Halts Weapons Shipments Over Stockpile Concerns

Air defense interceptors are atop the list of items being curtailed as Russia's ability to pummel Ukraine from afar is growing.

The U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor stealth fighters are set to get an array of new "viability" upgrades to help protect them from emerging threats and otherwise ensure their continued relevance in future conflicts.
F-22

New F-22 Upgrade Package To Keep The Jets Viable Laid Out

The Air Force's latest budget request has new details about the cocktail of enhancements that aim to keep the F-22 relevant.

The U.S. Air Force has developed a means to launch small drones from its KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and is now looking at adding that capability to the fleet.
KC-135

KC-135 Tankers Set To Get Drone Launchers

The USAF thinks small drones launched from KC-135s will give the tankers another layer of defense and extra situational awareness, among other capabilities.

A-10 firing rockets
F-15

A-10 Warthog Already Has The Capability To Use Laser-Guided Rockets To Shoot-Down Drones

The A-10 could be a uniquely capable drone hunter and they already have the ability to use APKWS rockets to do it, but its career is set to end before it gets the chance.

The U.S. Army wants its armored vehicles to begin sporting top attack armor protection by 2027.
M1 Abrams

Army Wants Cope Cage-Like Armor To Protect From Drone Attacks On Its Tanks

With the threat of drones rapidly changing the realities of warfare, the Army finally requests overhead armor on 1,500 tracked vehicles.

New pictures have emerged showing work being done on the Japan Self-Defense Forces' prototype electromagnetic railgun currently installed on the test warship JS Asuka.
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force

Railgun Installed On Japanese Warship Seen In New Photos

The turreted prototype installed on a testbed surface combatant is the latest step forward in Japan's work on railguns, something the U.S. Navy shelved years ago.

The U.S. Army wants to see if a startup founded three years ago by former SpaceX employees can deliver a lower-cost ground-launched missile, dubbed Blackbeard, capable of engaging targets hundreds of miles away at hypersonic speeds.
Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)

Blackbeard ‘Cheap’ Hypersonic Strike Missile Being Developed For U.S. Army (Updated)

Blackbeard could give the Army a way to quickly strike dynamic targets hundreds of miles away, and also shake its acquisition processes.

Both sides have deployed elite units to fight in Sumy, where Ukraine says it has repelled a massive Russian offensive.
Russia

Fight On Ukraine’s Northern Border Sees Elite Troops Poured In From Both Sides

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia has amassed 50,000 troops including some of its best units to try and advance into northern Ukraine.

Plans To Finally Give F-35 External Fuel Tanks Emerge In New Air Force Budget (Updated)
F-35A

Plans To Finally Give F-35 External Fuel Tanks Emerge In New Air Force Budget (Updated)

External fuel tanks for the F-35 have never materialized after past development efforts, but now they are back on program's to do list.

An intriguing photo has emerged of an M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) captured by Russia and fitted with a Russian-made 30mm cannon in place of the vehicle’s original Bushmaster M242 25mm automatic cannon. Whether the installation is intended for operational use, or for trials, or for some other purpose, is unclear, but it is the latest in a long line of unorthodox modifications to armored vehicles that have appeared since the start of the war in Ukraine.
M2/3 Bradley

M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Appears In Russia With Locally Made 30mm Cannon

The captured infantry fighting vehicle has had its Bushmaster chain gun swapped out for a Russian-made weapon.

U.S. Air Force members of Goodfellow Air Force Base wait in the second floor of the launch control center for their turn to see the silo inside the underground portion of the Lawn Atlas Missile Base in Lawn, Texas, Dec 3, 2020. In 2008, LAMB was a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Abbey Rieves)
Bunker Talk

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

Hot Pockets and Crystal Light for all!

F-15Is on a mission to Iran.
Iran

Israel Vows To Maintain Air Superiority Over Iran

Israel's defense minister ordered the IDF to devise a plan to keep Iran from restoring its ballistic missile capabilities and furthering its nuclear program.

For the first time, at least publicly, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are seeking funds – nearly $670.5 million in total – to support procurement of AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles (JATM) for operational use in its latest annual budget request.
AIM-120 AMRAAM

AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Funding To Start Production Sought In New Budget

The AIM-260A is being developed as a far longer-ranged replacement for the workhorse AIM-120 air-to-air missile.

The Pentagon’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget fully commits to the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, while effectively shelving the U.S. Navy's plans for a next-generation carrier-based F/A-XX combat jet.
F-35

Pentagon “All In” On Air Force’s F-47, Puts Navy’s F/A-XX On Ice

The new DoD budget prioritizes F-47, slashing F/A-XX and planned purchases of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

F-15EX will have 129 aircraft in its fleet under trump.
F-15

F-15EX Planned Fleet Size Grows To 129 Jets

The F-15EX has gotten a substantial boost from the Trump administration's Pentagon budget request, going from a 98 to 129 aircraft fleet.

The defense of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar against Iranian ballistic missiles included the largest volley of Patriot air defense interceptors in U.S. military history, the Pentagon's top general told reporters.
MIM-104 Patriot

Largest Patriot Missile Salvo In U.S. Military History Launched Defending Al Udeid Air Base Against Iranian Attack

The Pentagon's top officer offered new details about how air defense crews at Al Udeid Air Base knocked down incoming Iranian missiles.

The Pentagon has shared extensive new information about the use of 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs in recent strikes on Iran, a mission it says was 15 years in the making.
B-2

Everything We Just Learned About The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator Strikes On Iran

The strikes on Fordow were 15 years in the making, with that target being the primary driver behind the MOP's development and evolution.

There are conflicting reports about the extent of the damage at Iran's nuclear facilities in the wake of U.S. and Israeli. attacks.
Iran

Claims Swirl Over Extent Of Damage From Attacks On Iranian Nuclear Facilities (Updated)

The result of 12 days of war and a U.S. bombing raid on Iran's nuclear program remain hotly contested, spurred by conflicting intel reports.

B-2 hawaii diverted during decoy operation
B-2

B-2 Used As Decoy For Iran Strike Mission Is Stuck In Hawaii

One of the B-2s that captured the public's attention as the real strike force made its way to Iran had to divert with an emergency into Honolulu.