Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 33)

The U.S. Air Force is now actively exploring what it would take to turn an already heavily-modified 747-8i airliner from Qatar into a platform that can meet extremely stringent requirements to serve in the Air Force One role.
Air Force One

Plans To Modify Qatari 747 Into Air Force One Now Being Drawn Up By USAF

The USAF is moving forward with coming up with requirements for turning the secondhand 747 into an aircraft able to securely carry the president.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jordan Green, 67th Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief, marshals an F-15E Strike Eagle during an elephant walk at Kadena Air Base, Japan, May 6, 2025. Directly after, the 18th Wing generated real-time sorties to strengthen Kadena’s readiness to defend Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Johnson)
F-15

Additional F-15E Strike Eagles Arrive In Diego Garcia

The multi-role fighters were sent to protect the island stronghold and its B-52 guests amid evolving threats.

We now have our first look at an actual prototype of General Atomics' YFQ-42A 'fighter drone.'
Loyal Wingman

Our First Look At The YFQ-42 ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft

General Atomics' YFQ-42A and Anduril's YFQ-44A, the two initial CCA designs for the Air Force, are set to fly for the first time later this year.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MAY 14 (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin enters the hall during a Russian-Malaysian bilateral meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace, May 14, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. Prime Minister of Malaysia arrived in Moscow for 4-day official visit to Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Russia

Trump Tries To Spur Sputtering Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks With Flurry Of Calls

While there is a renewed optimism after the U.S. and Russian leaders spoke, Russian statements have not matched actions so far during Trump's attempt at detente.

Russia has followed Ukraine’s lead in adapting the propeller-driven Yak-52 primary training aircraft as an ad-hoc drone-killer. The Yak-52B2 includes a sensor turret to help detect long-range one-way attack drones and has a shotgun mounted under the wing for shooting them down. While it appears that Ukrainian Yak-52s have had some success in the counter-drone role, the appearance of the Yak-52B2 provides more evidence of the pressure that Ukrainian drone strikes are placing on Russia’s traditional air defenses.
Russian Air Force

Russia Testing Shotgun-Armed Yak-52 Trainer Aircraft To Down Ukrainian Drones

WWI-style air combat tactics applied to the drone problem have been proven by Ukraine and are now being adopted in Russia, but using shotguns is questionable.

The first production example of the new B61-13 nuclear bomb has been completed roughly a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
B-2

Far More Powerful B61-13 Guided Nuclear Bomb Variant Joins U.S. Stockpile

U.S. officials say adding the B61-13 bomb to America's nuclear arsenal is key to holding certain underground and large area targets at risk.

F-15s deploy to Diego Garcia to protect B-52s.
F-15

F-15s Deploy To Protect Diego Garcia

The F-15s are providing protection for the island base, which is currently hosting B-52s, amid rapidly developing threats from Iran and its proxies.

NANTWICH, ENGLAND - MAY 24: A general view outside of the former RAF Hack Green secret nuclear bunker on May 24, 2023 in Nantwich, England. Hack Green played a central role in the defence of Britain for almost sixty years. It was chosen during WW2 to protect the land between Birmingham and Liverpool from hostile attack and as a location for the new RADAR equipment. The bunker went on to be used for shelter and protection during the Cold War. As relations between East and West thawed many of the UK's nuclear bunkers were sold off. The Secret Bunker is now privately owned by the Siebert family and is run as a museum trust. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

Concrete is the new drywall!

F-16 from Ukrainian Air Force.
Russia

Ukraine Situation Report: Third F-16 Viper Lost

Unlike the two prior crashes, the Ukrainian F-16 pilot in this incident survived.

MBDA missile concept
Air Force Munitions

Long-Range ‘Deep Precision Strike’ Missile To Be Developed By UK And Germany

The weapon, which targets a 2,000km range, is spurred by the Russian threat and could emerge as a ballistic or cruise missile.

Northrop Grumman has released a brief video clip showing an individual shooting a new futuristic 25mm precision grenade launcher it has been working on together with gunmaker Colt.
Rocket And Grenade Launchers

Futuristic Grenade Launcher From Colt And Northrop Grumman Seen Being Fired For First Time

The semi-automatic grenade launcher is meant to use smart air-burst rounds to take out drones and targets behind cover.

As the dust settles, for now, on the latest clashes between India and Pakistan, it’s clear that the nations’ respective air forces played a very active role in the fighting. At this stage, details of what happened are still extremely hard to come by, with seemingly endless claims and counterclaims, especially around possible shootdowns, and very little in the way of verifiable facts about how the air-to-air engagements played out. However, many observers are already pointing to the potentially significant impact of the Pakistan Air Force’s Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C multirole fighters, as well as their vaunted PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
Indian Air Force

China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality

China's J-10C is in the spotlight after claims of Pakistani air-to-air kills against their Indian counterparts, but just how capable is it?

Ukrainian officials were in Washington this week to hammer out details of a potential $50 billion drone deal.
Sea

Our Best Look Yet At Ukraine’s AIM-9 Sidewinder-Toting Magura-7 Drone Boat

A newly released video offers new views of the Magura-7 and offers more details about its capabilities.

Trump wants a twin engine F-35.
F-35

Trump Wants A Twin-Engine “F-55” Version Of The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Trump lamented ugly stealth aircraft and also discussed another “super upgrade” for the F-35 and one for the F-22, while elaborating on his F-55 concept.

The U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotors will be designated MV-75s, the service announced today at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual Mission Solutions Summit.
FLRAA

MV-75 Official Designation Given To Future U.S. Army Tiltrotor Assault Aircraft (Updated)

The Army is now pushing to speed up delivery of its baseline MV-75s, with special operations versions also on the horizon.

The future of the Navy NGAD crewed aircraft program remains in limbo.
Loyal Wingman

Fate Of Navy’s F/A-XX Future Fighter Is In Limbo (Updated)

Major delays could be on the horizon for the F/A-XX stealth fighter, which the Navy wants to replace its aging Super Hornets and Growlers.

F-35 was nearly downed by Houthi air defenses.
F-16

How The Houthis’ Rickety Air Defenses Threaten Even The F-35

Highly mobile Houthi SAM systems and ones that use passive infrared sensors present a vexing problem for even advanced U.S. combat aircraft.

F-47 has a range of 1,000+ nautical miles.
F-47

F-47 Now Has An Officially Stated Combat Radius Of 1,000+ Nautical Miles

We have gotten our first official basic specifications for the Air Force's Next Generation F-47 fighter and its accompanying drones.

A U.S. F-35 stealth fighter had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by a Houthi SAM, a U.S. official told The War Zone.
F-35

F-35 Had To Maneuver To Evade Houthi Surface-To-Air Missile: U.S. Official

The incident took place during Operation Rough Rider, the enhanced bombing campaign against the Houthis launched by Trump on March 15.

Russia is taking a page out of Ukraine's play book and creating Naval drone regiments
Russian Navy

Ukraine Situation Report: Russian Navy Creating New Drone Regiments In Wake Of Enemy Successes

The Russian Navy is applying lessons learned from Ukraine's multi-pronged drone campaigns to reinvent parts of its own force.