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Ukraine is pushing back on a Russian claim that Vladimir Putin's helicopter came under fire on May 20.
Helicopters

Claims Swirl Over Supposed Ukrainian Attack On Putin’s Helicopter

While no one disputes Putin was in Kursk on May 20th, what happened or didn't happen while he was there is a major point of contention.

Announced today, the Quarterhorse Mk 1 first took to the air last week at Edwards Air Force Base, California, when it “achieved stable flight and landed smoothly,” according to the company. “Mk 1's flight validated our rapid, iterative approach to airplane development and advanced our mission to radically accelerate aviation,” Hermeus added.
Drones

First Flight For Quarterhorse Prototype That Aims To Lead To A Reusable Hypersonic Jet

The first flying Quarterhorse is the next step in an ambitious program to test high-speed and hypersonic reusable aircraft designs.

In January, the U.S. military moved to halt work on the new AN/TPY-6 radar, one of seven key elements of the huge new air and missile defense architecture taking shape on Guam, and its current status is now unclear.
MIM-104 Patriot

Uncertainty Over AN/TPY-6 Guam Missile Defense Radar Emerges

The fate of the AN/TPY-6 radar is unclear amid larger questions about plans to dramatically expand Guam's shield against Chinese missiles.

Aircraft like the KJ-3000 help Chinese forces extend and support anti-access and area denial bubbles, including around the mainland, Taiwan, and the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as project power further afield.
Airborne Radar

China’s New KJ-3000 Airborne Early Warning Radar Jet Seen In Detail In New Image

The KJ-3000 will be the crown jewel in China’s rapidly expanding armada of airborne early warning and control aircraft.

400871 01: U.S. Army 101st Airborne soldiers (L-R in circle) Sgt. Christopher Harry from Las Vegas, Nevada, PFC Marc Leming from Atlanta, Georgia, 2nd Lt. David Reis from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sgt. Keith Amaral from Providence, Rhode Island, and PFC Victor Ferenzi from Chicago, Illinois relax February 11, 2002 in a forward perimeter bunker at the Kandahar Airbase in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The soldiers are part of a U.S. force that is continuing to pursue and fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in the country. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Memorial Day Weekend Edition Part 2

This weekend, we remember those who sacrificed it all.

The Aerial Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (AARV), which was a two-seat scout. It was envisaged as a successor to the U.S. Army’s Hughes OH-6 Cayuse and Bell OH-58 Kiowa. These had been procured under the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program and saw extensive use in Vietnam.
Helicopters

These Heavily Armored Helicopters Were Pitched To The Army During The Cold War

The Aerial Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle was Sikorsky’s Vietnam-era effort to create a survivable scout helicopter built around a heavily armored airframe.

06 April 2019, Brandenburg, Prötzel Ot Harnekop: A general's jacket hangs in the Harnekop bunker in the army command room. On three floors 30 meters below the ground, the GDR defense minister and his high-ranking commanders wanted to entrench themselves in the event of war. The current owner has assigned the site and the bunker to various leaseholders who are in dispute over the rights of use. Photo: Bernd Settnik/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa (Photo by Bernd Settnik/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Memorial Day Weekend Edition Part 1

This weekend, we remember those who sacrificed it all.

Recovery efforts are underway for a North Korean frigate that capsized during a launch ceremony attended by dictator Kim Jong Un.
North Korea

Partially Sunk North Korean Frigate Recovery Effort Seen Underway In Satellite Image

North Korea has proclaimed highly dubious timelines to right and repair the stricken Choi Hyun class frigate.

Adding APKWS II to the F-15E's arsenal is an unsurprising development that would turn the Strike Eagle into a counter-drone and counter-cruise missile arsenal ship.
F-15

F-15E Spotted Packing Big Laser-Guided Rocket Arsenal Ideal For Drone Hunting

An F-15E test jet image points to turning the Strike Eagle into a counter-drone arsenal ship with 42 laser-guided rockets and eight air-to-air missiles.

North Korea sunken destroyer
Air

Aftermath Of Disastrous North Korean Frigate Launch Seen In Satellite Image (Updated)

In a rare move, North Korea has admitted to the accident and Kim Jong Un is demanding severe punishment for those responsible.

RATT55 737
Area 51

World’s Most Secretive 737 Just Made A Very Rare Appearance

RAT55, a highly modified Air Force NT-43A, bounces around between secretive test bases and is used to collect radar data on stealthy aircraft in-flight.

Myanmar rebels claim they shot down a government Mi-17 helicopter with an FPV drone.
Mi8/Mi-17

Mi-17 Appears To Have Been Downed By FPV Drone In Myanmar

The threat to helicopters posed by lower-end FPV and interceptor drones is now proliferating far beyond the Ukraine conflict.

A front view rendering of PA-Ng, dated 2022.
UCAVs

French Navy Offers Sneak Peek Of Its Future Carrier Air Wing

France is interested in first procuring a stealthy flying-wing UCAV to fight alongside its Rafales, then getting fighter-like collaborative drones.

The U.S. Marine Corps is buying a pair of new medium landing craft from Australia-headquartered firm Birdon to help the service continue to refine its new expeditionary and distributed concepts of operations.
U.S. Navy

This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought By The Marines

The Ancillary Surface Craft will help the Marines further develop their island-hopping playbook until larger landing ships arrive, but time is ticking.

The Army has signed off on the XM7 as the official replacement for the M4A1 Carbine.
M16/AR15/M4 Pattern

Sig Sauer’s XM7 Rifle Gets Army’s Seal Of Approval Despite Controversy (Updated)

The XM7 rifle, which was recently lambasted by an Army captain, also received its official M7 designation as part of the milestone.

Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces, according to an assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA. While nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union’s armory during the Cold War, their current status within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), is little-known, which makes the disclosure from this U.S. intelligence agency all the more intriguing.
Russian Air Force

Russia Fielding New Nuclear-Armed Air-To-Air Missiles: U.S. Intel

A nuclear-tipped air-to-air missile sounds like a Cold War relic, but the Pentagon assesses that Russia is introducing a new weapon of this type.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to return its F-15E Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath in England and consolidate its fleet stateside. Currently, the F-15Es in the United Kingdom are the only permanently forward-deployed examples of the aircraft, which remain the service’s first choice for a wide variety of critical missions around the globe.
F-15

F-15E Strike Eagles To Leave England For Good

Exactly what will replace the forward-deployed F-15Es, which are some of the most in-demand aircraft in the USAF, at RAF Lakenheath isn't clear.

The head of the U.S. Navy Reserve says that acquiring new C-130J Hercules aircraft is a top priority, particularly because of the critical organic aerial refueling capacity they could provide in a future Pacific fight.
KC-130

Buying KC-130Js Key To Navy’s Ability To Fight In Pacific: Reserve Boss

The Navy is way behind in replacing its rickety fleet of C-130Ts that suffer from low readiness, which spells trouble in a fight with China.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump announced his plans for the "Golden Dome," a national ballistic and cruise missile defense system. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. Space Force

Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Shield: What We Just Learned And Its Implications

Golden Dome is a very ambitious and costly endeavor that could have major ramifications beyond defending America's skies.

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin today discussed the potential of a new version of the prolific F-16, a so-called Block 80, as a way of increasing the combat mass of the service in the future. While the Air Force doesn’t at this point have a plan to start buying Vipers again, it’s certainly interesting that the topic is up for discussion, especially with the service looking hard at how it will balance its next-generation fighter requirements, while introducing the F-47 crewed stealth fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones.
F-16

Air Force Chief Responds To Possibility Of Buying New ‘Block 80’ F-16s

The Air Force is still facing an aging fighter fleet and its top officer said loyal wingman drones won't solve the problem alone.