Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 28)

C-130 from the IAF dropping material via airdrop.
C-130

Could Israeli C-130s Drop GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bunker Busters?

B-2s are the only aircraft that can employ MOPs to get at Iran's deepest facilities, but C-130s may be a viable option with a similar weapon.

As Israel's campaign of strikes on Iran continues, a question emerges about whether some level of additional action may be required on the ground to meet the stated goal of preventing the regime in Tehran from being able to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran Nuclear Crisis

Loose Nukes In Iran Is A Scenario U.S. Special Operators Have Been Training For

Ground operations in Iran could be needed to secure dangerous nuclear materials and verify the program's destruction, especially if the regime falls.

Thirteen C-17 aircraft fly over the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia during low-level tactical training Dec. 20, 2005. The C-17s, assigned to the 437th and 315th Airlift Wings at Charleston AFB, demonstrated the Air Force's strategic airdrop capability.
C-17

Boeing In Talks To Restart C-17 Production

The ability to operate from short fields and haul heavy loads at jet speeds is coveted, but a C-17 production restart would be far from easy.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that one of its drones had been downed by a surface-to-air missile while operating over Iran, AFP reports. An army statement said the drone “fell in Iran. No injuries were reported and there is no risk of an information breach.”
Iran

Israeli Hermes Drone Shot Down In Iran, Trump Ramps Up Threats To Tehran

With increasing pressure on Iran’s leadership, the country’s beleaguered air defenses made their first confirmed kill of the war.

Iran's primary presidential plane and two other government airliners have touched down in the Omani capital Muscat.
Iran

Iranian Government Aircraft Make Mysterious Dash To Oman

Iran's presidential A340 and two A321s have flown to Oman days after Israel declared air superiority over the country.

Israel's air campaign against Iran's missiles and launch systems appears to be having an effect.
Iran

Israeli Airstrikes Blunt Iranian Long-Range Ballistic Missile Threat (Updated)

As Israel claims to have destroyed a large portion of Iran's long-range missile launchers, the number of weapons fired in each barrage has also plummeted.

ONE WAY EFFECTOR represents a trade-off between the need for mass and performance at lower cost to meet the challenges faced by armed forces in a high-intensity context. ONE WAY EFFECTOR is a new attrition proposition based on feedback from the armed forces, particularly from the conflict in Ukraine.
Air

Inspired By Ukraine War, Europe Is Developing Shahed-Style One-Way Attack Drones

European missile-maker MBDA is enlisting an automotive manufacturer to ensure the kamikaze drones can be rapidly built in mass.

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, refuels a U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft during exercise RAMSTEIN FLAG 2024 while flying over the coast of Greece, Oct. 4, 2024. RAFL24 demonstrates NATO unity and strength, as Allies across the Euro-Atlantic area train side by side in defensive and offensive air operations scenarios in support of the enduring commitment to shared values and ability to adapt to the emerging environment.
F-35A

U.S. Air Force Fighters Deploy To Reinforce Middle East

The Pentagon is expanding its tactical options by using the tankers it just deployed to flow additional fighters into the region.

The latest addition to General Atomics' MQ-9B medium-altitude long-endurance drone family is set to be an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) configured version.
Q-9

MQ-9B Airborne Early Warning Variant Could Fill Major Aerial Surveillance Gaps

The new airborne early warning MQ-9B from General Atomics and Saab could provide a highly flexible and efficient look-down radar capability over sea and land.

Spike launcher found in Iran after attacks by Mossad agents.
Iran

Spike Missiles That Destroyed Air Defenses From Inside Iran Were Remotely Operated

Iran shows evidence of how Mossad's anti-tank missiles and drones were deployed from inside the country during the war's opening barrage.

28 tankers were sent out over the Atlantic heading east tonight.
KC-135

Armada Of USAF Tankers Just Deployed East Over Atlantic Spurring Speculation (Updated)

The mysterious migration could signal a major contingency being put in place or even a change in U.S. policy on the Iran-Israel war.

The U.S. Navy is sending the supercarrier USS Nimitz and the rest of its strike group to the Middle East amid a new buildup of forces in the region ostensibly for defensive purposes, U.S. officials have told TWZ.
KC-135

Major U.S. Middle East-Focused Buildup Confirmed (Updated)

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is now rushing to the Middle East and a snap deployment of tankers has landed at bases across the Atlantic.

Israel strikes Iranian F-14 tomcat.
F-14

Iranian F-14 ‘Persian Tomcats’ Obliterated In Israeli Airstrike

Regardless of how this conflict ends, if an Iranian Air Force of any relevancy exists after it, it is very unlikely to include the F-14.

The Israeli military claims it has destroyed one third of Iran’s long-range surface-to-surface missile launchers since the start of the conflict. For now, however, Iran is still launching missile strikes against Israel, with overnight attacks having killed at least eight people, according to Israeli sources.
Iran

One Third Of Iran’s Long-Range Missile Launchers Destroyed, Israel Claims (Updated)

Israel is declaring some progress in rolling back Iran’s long-range ballistic missile capabilities, but these weapons remain a major threat.

Iran and Israel continue to trade blows late on Saturday and into Sunday. On the Israeli side, the strikes constitute the latest phase of Operation Rising Lion, a campaign designed to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability and long-range weapons capacity. For its part, Tehran continues to launch barrage of retaliatory missile strikes at Israel, with reportedly killed at least 10 people and injured more than 100 overnight.
Iran

IAF Destroys Iranian Aerial Tanker 1,400 miles From Israel, Farthest Strike Yet (Updated)

Israel’s strikes on Tehran are now accelerating after achieving air superiority over the capital, with an eye towards Iran’s east.

Israel is now attacking Iranian energy facilities after warning it would if Iran didn't stop hitting Israeli urban areas.
Israeli Air Force

Israel Escalates To Attacking Iranian Energy Targets After Ballistic Missiles Hit Tel Aviv (Updated)

Netanyahu is now also stating that every regime target in Tehran is on the IAF's hit list.

Mysterious chinese flying wing aircraft that could be the H-20 bomber appears in satellite image.
B-21

Massive Stealth Flying Wing Emerges At Secretive Chinese Base

This appears to be China's largest high-altitude, long-endurance drone, and one that has clear low observable qualities.

The threat of Iran attempting to blockade the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz has re-emerged amid the conflict that has now erupted between it and Israel.
Iran

Could Iran Carry Out Its Threat To Shut Down The Strait Of Hormuz?

The threat of Iran closing the Strait has persisted for many decades, and it has built unique capabilities to do exactly that.

PHILLIPS, SOUTH DAKOTA - AUGUST 26: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been shot in black and white. Color version not available.) An underground former nuclear missile launch control facility officer's quarters displays a mural of deer on August 26, 2011 in South Dakota. Located in the rural farmland of the South Dakota plains, the bunker is now a national historical site open to visitors. Put out of service after treaties with the former Soviet Union, the missiles controlled by this room were probably capable of destroying the planet. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

It's a good time to hide.

Dramatic footage is emerging online as Iran has begun launching a huge ballistic missile barrage against Israel as part of its retaliatory strikes.
Iran

Iran Strikes Back (Updated)

Iran has executed a large ballistic missile attack on Israel, with multiple missiles impacting amidst a barrage of interceptors.