Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 30)

Newly released footage records the unique formation flight over Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Air Base last November, which brought together U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Soviet-era MiG-21 and MiG-29 jets. The four-ship took to the skies to mark the passing of Col. Gail Peck (ret.), the former commander of the legendary 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron “Red Eagles” that conducted highly classified missions using Soviet combat jets in the late 1970s and 1980s.
MiG-29

F-22s Fly Alongside MiGs To Commemorate Founder Of America’s Secret Soviet Fighter Squadron

Col. Gail Peck gave birth to the Red Eagles who flew Soviet fighters against American ones in training in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Russia giving North Korea Shahed 136 production capability.
Iran

Russia Giving North Korea Shahed-136 Attack Drone Production Capability: Budanov

Ukraine's intelligence chief says Moscow is giving Pyongyang advanced military technologies that could shift the balance of power on the peninsula.

Su-35 shot down in ukraine
F-16

Claims Swirl Around Russian Su-35S Flanker Shootdown

Unverified reports suggest that an F-16, and perhaps also a Saab 340 radar plane, were involved in shooting down the Russian Flanker.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) says it has developed upgrades for a family of modular, rapidly deployable protective structures to improve their ability to shield against drone attacks.
China

Growing Drone Threats Lead To Army Modular Shelter Kit Improvements

Upgrades to the Modular Protective System-Overhead Cover could offer important lower-cost layers of defense against drones at bases anywhere.

A new image appearing to show China’s ‘J-36’ 6th generation tactical jet parked on the ground has emerged online. If legitimate, this would be the best front view of the aircraft to date, notably providing clear proof of the canopy design and further confirmation of a side-by-side seating arrangement.
J-36

This Could Be Our Best View Yet Of China’s J-36 Very Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet

The latest image taken of the jet while on the ground appears to show new details, including two smaller weapons bays straddling a large main bay.

16th March 1940: Workmen putting the finishing touches to an old tube station (King William Street) which has been converted into an air raid shelter holding 2,000 people. It has air-conditioning and a first aid station, all at a cost of about £20,000. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

Oh my lord, are we out of coffee?

Open feuding between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, until recently close friends and political allies, has shone a particular light on how heavily reliant the U.S. government, and America's armed forces especially, has become on SpaceX.
Early Warning/DSP/SBIRS

This Is How U.S. National Security Has Become Dependent On SpaceX

A bitter feud between Trump and Musk serves as a reminder of just how important SpaceX has become to the U.S. military and federal agencies.

Russia launched revenge attacks across Ukraine for the destruction of its bombers.
Russia

Russia Executes Revenge Strikes Against Ukraine For Blowing Up Its Bombers

Ukraine also launched a flurry of drone attacks it said were preemptive against long-range Russian aviation bases.

The Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) finally started at Rosyth in December 2016, around 15 years behind schedule.
Air

A Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine Is Being Scrapped For The First Time

Including the former HMS Swiftsure, the Royal Navy has a backlog of 23 retired nuclear-powered subs that it needs to dispose of.

Germany plans to buy Joint Strike Missile (JSM) cruise missiles from Norway, to arm its forthcoming fleet of F-35A stealth fighters. While these jets were primarily chosen as launch platforms for U.S.-owned nuclear gravity bombs, under a long-standing NATO agreement, Germany is increasingly viewing the F-35A as part of an expanding conventional long-range strike arsenal.
F-35A

German F-35s Will Be Armed With Stealthy Joint Strike Missiles

The cruise missiles will give German F-35As a potent land-attack and anti-ship capability that doesn’t sacrifice the jet’s stealth advantage.

A North Korean frigate that partially submerged during a launch ceremony mishap is now floating.
North Korean Navy

North Korean Frigate Now Floating Upright After Partially Capsizing During Disastrous Launch

The vessel is now moored in the middle of the harbor as recovery efforts are ongoing, though the extent of the damage remains unknown.

The U.S. Navy has quietly awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to strip useful parts from an ex-Royal Air Force (RAF) E-3D Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft before disposing of it.
E-3

Plan To Turn Ex-RAF E-3 AWACS Into E-6B ‘Doomsday’ Jet Trainer Abandoned By Navy

The Navy acquired a E-3D Sentry from Britain to turn into a dedicated E-6B trainer jet, but now they are scrapping it.

The U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation combat jet program looks to have hit another setback, with the Pentagon reportedly prioritizing the Air Force’s F-47 stealth fighter, amid concerns about how to run the two efforts simultaneously. Already, the F/A-XX was in limbo, with a U.S. official telling TWZ last month that the future of the program was being reviewed. This came after reports that a contract award for the Navy’s new combat jet could be delayed by as much as three years. Navy officials, meanwhile, continue to stress the importance of the F/A-XX to their future plans.
F/A-18E/F

Pentagon Wants To Shift Funds From Navy F/A-XX To USAF F-47: Report

Amid the uncertainty surrounding F/A-XX, the Navy continues to stress its need for the sixth-generation stealth fighter.

The U.S. Air Force says it has tested a modified 500-pound-class GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, optimized for use as an anti-ship munition as part of its Quicksink program.
F-15

Smaller Version Of Quicksink Ship-Killing Smart Bomb Tested By USAF

A 500-pound-class Quicksink bomb offers a lower-cost anti-ship weapon that bombers and fighters could carry in significant numbers.

Inside frontline drone operations in ukraine
Russia

Ukrainian Commander’s Exclusive Insights On Brutal Drone Warfare On The Frontline

The commander of Azov's Unmanned Systems Battalion shares the latest details about how tactics are evolving in the bloody Donbas region.

New satellite imagery and an official video has revealed more about the scale of destruction and damage inflicted on Russian airfields in Ukraine’s unprecedented covert drone attacks last weekend. Today, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which carried out the drone attacks, published previously unreleased drone footage showing the attacks underway.
Tu-22

Confirmed Losses Of Russian Aircraft Mount After Ukrainian Drone Assault

Some of the bombers were armed with cruise missiles when Ukraine’s drones rained down on them.

North Korea looks to be making progress in recovering the second in its Choi Hyun class of frigates, which rolled over and was partially submerged after an incident at its launch ceremony last month.
North Korean Navy

Partially Submerged North Korean Frigate Appears Upright Again In Satellite Image

The frigate looks to be upright again, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear, as is how they will move it somewhere to get fixed.

Disruptor aircraft company Otto Aviation is aiming to achieve first flight with what could potentially be a revolutionary high-efficiency business jet-type aircraft with a tear-drop-shaped fuselage called the Phantom 3500 by the end of the decade, if not within the next two years or so.
Air

Otto Aviation’s Phantom 3500 Aims To Massively Disrupt Private Jet Market

The Phantom 3500 follows Otto Aviation's exotic, tear-drop-shaped Celera 500L with a targeted first flight in 2027.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery that TWZ has exclusively obtained from ICEYE points to multiple Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers having been damaged or destroyed at Belaya Air Base.
A-50/A-100

Latest On Russian Aircraft Loss Assessments From Ukrainian Drone Strikes

The full extent of Russia's losses of bombers and other prized aircraft to Ukraine's unprecedented covert drone operation is still emerging.

Royal Navy wants to arm carriers with drones and long-range missiles
Royal Navy

Royal Navy To Arm Its Carriers With Long-Range Missiles

The plan for “hybrid air wings” combines high and low-end drones with long-range missiles and crewed F-35B stealth jets.