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NANTWICH, ENGLAND - MAY 24: The nuclear strike mapping room view inside 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

We are running out of light bulbs.

A US Army soldier with an XM7 rifle.
Assault Rifles

Army Captain Slams New XM7 Rifle As “Unfit,” Sig Sauer Says Otherwise (Updated)

The infantry officer and Expeditionary Warfare School student presented his findings, which lambasted the new rifle for its ergonomics, weight, and durability.

Procurement of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle for the U.S. Army may end, with the drone being among the platforms that the service could lose under a wide-ranging force-structure overhaul. The development comes as the drone’s manufacturer continues to develop modernized versions of the Gray Eagle, as well as add new equipment and capabilities.
Air

Stop Buying MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones Army’s Top Leadership Decrees

The Army's top leadership wants to end procurement of the MQ-1C, a type which they have branded “obsolete.”

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a model of Air Force One on the table, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Air Force One

Is An ‘Interim’ Air Force One Replacement Even Feasible?

Reports state that Trump is looking to convert a Qatari royal flight 747 into a less exquisite Air Force One as Boeing's delays on the VC-25Bs stack up.

Marine AH-1Z Attack Helicopter’s Mystery Missiles Identified
AH-1

Marine AH-1Z Attack Helicopter’s Mystery Missiles Identified

The modular Red Wolf launched effects weapon could give Marine AH-1Zs a key new standoff strike tool and open the door to other capabilities.

Marine MV-22 Ospreys Won’t Get Tanker Capability To Refuel F-35Bs Anytime Soon
MV-22

Marine MV-22 Ospreys Won’t Get Tanker Capability To Refuel F-35Bs Anytime Soon

MV-22 tanker capability was a priority over a decade ago, but now, even as range has become more critical than ever, the program is going nowhere.

The U.S. Air Force and Anduril have offered what appears to be the first look at a "production representative" example of the YFQ-44A drone, also known as Fury.
Loyal Wingman

Our First Look At The YFQ-44A ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft

The Air Force has kicked off ground testing of Anduril's YFQ-44A and General Atomics' YFQ-42A ahead of expected first flights this year.

F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Jul. 30, 2010. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is converting F-16s into usable manned or drone targets allowing Air Force to train and test new weapons platforms in the process. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)
F-16

F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts

The U.S. had not committed to giving Ukraine its F-16s, but images of the type being flown out of Arizona on a Ukrainian An-124 began circulating last week.

Future versions of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missile for the U.S. Army could carry Coyote drones or Hatchet miniature glide bombs, according to Lockheed Martin.
U.S. Army

PrSM Ballistic Missiles Loaded With Coyote Drones, Hatchet Mini Smart Bombs Eyed By Army

Army Precision Strike Missiles loaded with precision munitions or drones would offer new ways to wreak havoc deep inside enemy territory.

Making Sure Wingman Drones Don’t Hit Their Crewed Companions Still A Challenge Marines Say
XQ-58

Making Sure Wingman Drones Don’t Hit Their Crewed Companions Still A Challenge Marines Say

The services continue to face many basic questions about how they will fly alongside their CCAs, let alone send them into combat.

Imagery has emerged showing North Korea’s heavily armed new frigate, the Choi Hyon, firing a variety of weapons from its huge array of vertical launch system (VLS) cells. The missiles seen appear to include a previously unknown air defense missile and a possible new supersonic cruise missile.
North Korea

North Korea’s New Frigate Tests Its Weapons Days After Commissioning

The firing trials aboard the Choi Hyon reveal some of the weapons carried in its diverse vertical launch system and also raise some questions.

Lumberjack strike munition from Northrop Grumman
Loitering Munitions

Lumberjack Jet-Powered One-Way Attack Munition Can Drop Its Own Precision Bomblets (Updated)

Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack can travel several hundred miles or loiter for hours, and strike multiple targets on a single sortie.

An F-15EX Eagle II aircraft assigned to 53rd Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida taxis towards the runway prior to take off at Nellis Air Force, Nevada, Oct. 21, 2021. The aircraft are at Nellis AFB to conduct Integrated Test and Evaluation along with F-15C aircraft from the 123rd Fighter Squadron, Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
F-15

F-15EX To Replace Michigan Air National Guard A-10s

The surprise announcement made by President Trump prompts questions about a larger F-15EX buy and expanded basing plans.

The U.S. Marine Corps has received an Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) weapon in order to facilitate experimentation with the use of high-power microwave (HPM) technology in the increasingly volatile low altitude air defense (LAAD) role. This kind of counter-drone system is increasingly seen as a critical layer in force protection and urgently needed to enhance current and future ground-based air defense (GBAD) capabilities.
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)

Marines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon For Taking On Drone Swarms

Testing the ExDECS weapon will give the USMC a better idea of how high-power microwave technology can boost its short-range air defenses.

Aurora Flight Sciences has provided new details about the demonstrator design it is working on for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Liberty Lifter X-plane program.
C-130

Liberty Lifter Ekranoplan Demonstrator Aims To Lift C-130-Sized Payloads

DARPA is eyeing a first flight for the Liberty Lifter X-plane in 2028-2029, which could lead to a much heavier-lifting production aircraft.

Tactical airpower, and specifically the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II, are big beneficiaries of recently proposed legislation put forward by the Republican leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
F-15

F-15 Eagles Win Big In Supersized Defense Spending Bill

Lawmakers want to accelerate F-15EX production and prevent F-15E Strike Eagle retirements as part of a massive $150B increase in defense spending.

USS Harry Truman Was Evading Houthi Attack When F/A-18 Super Hornet Rolled Off Its Deck
Red Sea

USS Harry Truman Was Evading Houthi Attack When F/A-18 Super Hornet Rolled Off Its Deck

The F/A-18E's loss is the latest in a string of incidents to befall the Truman, including a collision and friendly fire shootdown, as combat ops grind on.

The U.S. Army could be in line to get nearly $640 million in extra funding for new medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM), including ones capable of hitting ships at sea.
U.S. Army

Bringing Back Medium Range Ballistic Missiles Fast Tracked Under Proposed $150B Defense Boost

Congress wants to speed up work on the Army's first MRBMs since the Cold War, which will offer new ways to strike land targets and ships.

The U.K. Royal Air Force officer in charge of defining requirements for the Tempest future fighter says the program’s top priority is a large payload — roughly twice that of the F-35A stealth fighter. The same officer is eyeing “really extreme range” for the new aircraft, with potentially enough internal fuel to fly across the Atlantic without refueling. These requirements provide some more idea about the size and capabilities of the sixth-generation stealth fighter and also parallel similar concerns that have driven the development of the U.S. Air Force’s Boeing F-47 under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.
Royal Air Force

Tempest Future Fighter Aims For “Really Extreme Range,” Twice F-35 Payload

We're getting a clearer picture of what the Global Combat Air Program 'fighter' will be capable of, including acting as a flying computer server.

North Korea Frigate
Air

North Korea’s New Frigate Has Ballistic Missile Launchers

North Korea just unveiled its new air warfare frigate and the ship has a whopping 74 vertical launch cells, some of which could launch cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as SAMs.