Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 34)

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.

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.