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Ukraine has, apparently for the first time, released a video showing its use of the Soviet-era S-200 (SA-5 Gammon) long-range surface-to-air missile, a weapon that was apparently reinstated to service only after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
Air

Our Best Look At Ukraine’s Reactivated S-200 Long-Range Surface-To-Air Missiles In Action

Ukraine’s shadowy SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missile systems have been connected with some high-profile Russian aircraft shootdowns.

General Atomics Long shot drone.
Loyal Wingman

Air-Launched ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft Being Eyed By Air Force

Air-launching Collaborative Combat Aircraft could reduce runway dependence and open up new tactical dilemmas for the enemy, but there are also drawbacks.

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General Rajiv Ghai with Air Marshal AK Bharti, Vice Admiral AN Pramod during a press conference on 'Operation Sindoor' at National Media Centre, on May 12, 2025 in New Delhi, India. Senior officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force addressed the nation, revealing details of Operation Sindoor, a coordinated military strike carried out on May 7 targeting terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. Officers confirmed that over 100 terrorists were killed during the operation. The strikes were launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
Indian Air Force

Claims Swirl As India And Pakistan Assess Results Of Latest Conflict

Both sides are proclaiming the successes of their respective militaries as the dust settles on a brief but intense conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump again justified accepting a gifted 747-8 from Qatar to serve as a temporary Air Force One, but can it meet safety and security requirements?
Air Force One

Turning Qatar’s Gifted 747 Into Air Force One Will Be Anything But Free

Trump rightly said only "a stupid person" would turn down the free Qatari jet, but transforming it into Air Force One for a few years of service doesn't appear realistic.

KC-130T Hercules tanker/transports belonging to the U.S. Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 30 (VX-30), the “Bloodhounds,” are gaining the ability to link up to the Starlink satellite constellation to help with long-range missile and other test work out in the Pacific.
KC-130

Starlink-Equipped Navy C-130s Offer Communication Boost For Pacific Missile Tests

KC-130Ts with Starlink will get test data where it needs to go rapidly, a new example of the military's growing use of commercial satellite constellations.

TOPSHOT - An employee handles 155 mm caliber shells after the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 16, 2024. In brick buildings that are more than a century old, nearly in the heart of Joe Biden's Rust Belt hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, dated machinery churns artillery for modern conflicts, especially the war in Ukraine. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) is making steel tubes for 155 mm caliber shells, which are crucial to Kyiv's efforts to face down Moscow's invasion. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Cannons

Shell Game: Inside The Worldwide TNT Shortage

We talk to a major U.S. artillery shell maker about how ongoing conflicts have severely strained the global supply of critical explosive compounds.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service has released details of a new Russian cruise missile, the S8000 Banderol, which it claims makes extensive use of components sourced from foreign manufacturers, including in the United States. Unusually, the missile was apparently developed for launch from drones and has reportedly already been used in combat in the war in Ukraine.
Russian Air Force

New Small Russian Cruise Missile Captured By Ukrainian Intelligence

Lightweight, low cost, and reportedly full of foreign components, Russia's Banderol cruise missile has emerged on the battlefield in Ukraine.

BRDY MILITARY BASE, CZECH REPUBLIC - MARCH 28: A part of the abandoned bunker complex that formerly belonged to the Soviet military on the Brdy reservation near Mirosov on March 28, 2007 near Plzen, Czech Republic. The site which was visited by US experts, may become the new location of an American radar installation that will be used for the pupose of anti-missile defense. (Photo by Kurt Vinion/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

That's not snow pal...

Chinese-Made PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Components Came Down Intact Inside India
Air-To-Air

Chinese-Made PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Components Came Down Intact Inside India

Pakistani use of PL-15Es against Indian fighters opens up a new vector for intelligence exploitation on one of China's most threatening missiles.

The U.S. Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones are being developed around fundamentally different understandings of maintenance, logistics, and sustainment, with a heavier focus on commercial-off-the-shelf components, than the service’s existing crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Loyal Wingman

USAF Wants Collaborative Aircraft Fleet To Stress Parts Commonality For Forward Operations

In order to make CCA work, a high degree of component commonality needs to exist even across drastically different airframes.

Two new drone designs, Apollo and Athena, are in development at Kratos with a particular focus on collaborative operations with other crewed and uncrewed aircraft, and an eye toward sales in Europe.
Loyal Wingman

Two Secretive Loyal Wingman Drones Aimed At European Market In Development From Kratos

Apollo and Athena drones will focus on performance over range, and could be very valuable when paired with third and fourth generation fighters.

AV introduced its new Kraken3 uncrewed surface vessel at the SOF Week conference in Tampa
Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs)

New Drone Boat Unveiled At Special Operations Conference In Afterglow Of Ukrainian Success

The Kraken3 Scout Medium is designed for one-way attacks, counter-drone missions and cargo and personnel delivery.

The U.S. Army has incorporated special operations-specific requirements into the design of its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotor, which has led to an unspecified increase in gross weight.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

Army’s Future Tiltrotor Gets Heavier So It Can Rapidly Convert Into Special Ops Variant

Turning UH-60s into Night Stalker MH-60s is a complicated process, and the hope is to avoid that with the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft.

Satellite imagery indicates that there are now 10 U.S. heavy bombers – six stealthy B-2s and four B-52s – on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
B-2

B-52s Join B-2s On Diego Garcia,10 Bombers Now At Indian Ocean Island

This is the most bombers seen at Diego Garcia for many years, but it's very likely that at least some of the B-2s will rotate back home soon.

Pakistan claims it downed more than two dozen Israeli-made Harop drones as the conflict with India intensifies.
Air

Israeli-Made Harop Attack Drones Launched By India By The Dozens, Pakistan Claims

Evidence points to the potential use of long-range loitering munitions by India to attack air defenses in Pakistan.

Red Cat drone interview.
Drones

We Talk About The U.S. Army’s New Black Widow Short-Range Recon Drone With Red Cat

As the U.S. military works to catch-up to major unmanned warfare trends on the battlefield, companies like Red Cat are stepping in.

Reports of the air war that’s been taking place between India and Pakistan in recent days suggest what may well be the most intense series of aerial engagements for decades. While it’s still very hard to obtain confirmed details of this combat, which some sources state has involved more than a hundred fighters simultaneously, we do, at least, know what kinds of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are available to the Indian and Pakistan Air Forces.
Indian Air Force

The Air-To-Air Missiles That Equip India And Pakistan’s Fighters

Between them, India and Pakistan can bring to bear a hugely diverse array of air-to-air ordnance offering impressive capabilities, especially at long range.

A U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider flies over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 31, 2025. Designed for close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance, the AC-130J provides CENTCOM forces an expeditionary, direct-fire platform with 30mm and 105mm cannons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gerald R. Willis)
AC-130

Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile-Armed AC-130J Gunships Could Be On The Horizon

Harpoons would give AC-130Js a dedicated tool for engaging enemy ships and fit well with plans to boost their capabilities with new radars.

L3Harris Sky Warden test aircraft for the OA-1K Skyraider II program for the Air Force Special Operations Command.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

OA-1K Skyraider II Walk-Around Tour With Its Test Pilot

We get an up-close look at L3Harris' Sky Warden, which is based on the AT-802 Air Tractor and is branded Skyraider II by the Air Force.

Stealthy Special Operations Speedboats Are Getting Kamikaze Drone Launchers
Loitering Munitions

Stealthy Special Operations Speedboats Are Getting Kamikaze Drone Launchers

The Navy's future Combatant Craft Medium Mk 2s will gain the ability to launch long-range strikes on their own.