Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 41)

KURAHOVE, UKRAINE - DECEMBER 19: Ukrainian servicemen of the 33rd brigade operate a Leopard battle tank in the direction of Kurahove, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russia

New Russian Offensive In Ukraine Looms

Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv expecting major Russian battlefield push to gain leverage amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

There are signs that a new AIM-120E variant of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) may now be in development.
U.S. Air Force

New AIM-120E Variant Of AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Hinted At By USAF

The AIM-120 family looks set to continue to be a workhorse of the U.S. air-to-air arsenal even with the introduction of new designs.

The U.S. Air Force’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter may just be “Increment 1” of a family of Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat jet designs. This is the opinion of former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Andrew Hunter. It echoes something that was previously hinted at, namely the possibility that the Air Force might consider fielding two distinct versions of the NGAD fighter component.
F-47

F-47 Fighter Program Could See Multiple Versions Built In Increments

Top U.S. officials that had a major hand in the NGAD fighter program say it was designed to be built in iterative increments, not just as a single configuration.

China’s KD-21 air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), a shadowy weapon that is widely seen as part of the country’s rapidly developing anti-shipping armory, appears to now be in operational service. The missile, carried by the H-6K bomber, made its public debut at Airshow China in Zhuhai in November 2022, but until now had not been confirmed as being carried by aircraft assigned to frontline unit.
H-6 Bomber

China’s KD-21 Air-Launched Ballistic Missile Appears To Be Operational

The KD-21 air-launched ballistic missile is now being carried by frontline People’s Liberation Army Air Force H-6K bombers.

The U.S. Air Force has used B-2 Spirit stealth bombers against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
B-2

B-2 Spirits Amassed On Diego Garcia Underscore Hardened Aircraft Shelter Debate

The remoteness of key forward operating locations no longer offers the level of protection, even against Iranian capabilities, it once did.

Puma Helicopter Retires From UK Service After More Than 50 Years
Royal Air Force

Puma Helicopter Retires From UK Service After More Than 50 Years

The Puma was a tireless workhorse for the Royal Air Force and its successor has yet to be formally selected.

Retired Marine Col. Charles Del Pizzo told a South Carolina newspaper his version of events that led to his F-35B crashing nearly 12 minutes after he ejected.
F-35B

Sacked Marine Pilot Whose F-35B Flew Without Him After Ejecting Gives His Side Of The Story

Charles Del Pizzo has finally given his version of the bizarre 2023 incident that resulted in his jet flying for dozens of miles without him in it before crashing.

C-32 in Greenville without its paint.
Air Force One

C-32A ‘Air Force 2’ Jet Like You’ve Never Seen One Before

One of the USAF's workhorse VVIP 757s has been spotted 'in the nude' while undergoing maintenance and modifications in Texas.

Bunker 42 situé à plus de 60 mètres de profondeur en plein centre-ville, ancien centre stratégique de commandement et de communication militaire transformé en musée de la Guerre Froide, 23 mars 2016, Moscou. (Photo by Francois LOCHON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Bunker Talk

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

Plenty of food and drink, but you better earn your keep!

Significant parts of the veil of secrecy over the origins of Boeing's F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, and the decisions and tradeoffs made along the way, have now been pulled back.
F-47

Major F-47 Revelations Were Just Dropped By Former Air Force Secretary

We now have a fuller picture of how the Air Force arrived at the F-47, and the potential for future next-generation fighter "increments."

Tensions between Israel and Turkey around mounting over air bases in Syria.
Israel

Israel-Turkey Tensions Mounting Over Air Bases In Syria

The souring relationship between Turkey and Israel could get much worse as Ankara eyes taking control of bases in Syria.

Roadrunner and coyote deployed on US Destroyer
U.S. Navy

Coyote, Roadrunner Loitering Drone Interceptors To Arm U.S. Navy Destroyers

Coyote and Roadrunner interceptor drones will give Arleigh Burke class destroyers a better option for taking down lower-end unmanned aircraft.

The use of Signal to communicate details about a looming airstrike against the Houthis raised questions about why officials didn't use goverment systems.
Yemen

Signal For Secure Comms: Convenience Over Security Without The Record-Keeping

We talked to experts about what secure communications options key decision makers have and why Signal is an attractive but highly problematic solution.

If Northrop Grumman wins the F/A-XX context what cat name will they give their naval fighter.
F/A-XX

What Cat Name Should Northrop Grumman Give Its Fighter If It Wins The Navy’s F/A-XX Competition?

Not since the F-14 Tomcat has their been a 'Grumman cat,' but that could soon change.

Turkey has begun using tablet computers in the cockpits of its F-16s to enable rapid integration of new locally developed weapons. The development has interesting parallels with Ukraine’s use of such devices to allow its Soviet-era jets to employ Western air-to-ground weapons.
F-16

Turkish F-16s Are Using Tablets To Control Locally Made Weapons

Tablets are an increasingly popular way of fast-tracking the integration of new capabilities on a variety of aerial platforms.

X-36 was an early progenitor that lead to the F-47.
F-47

Reflections Of The F-47: Looking Back At The X-36

The tailless X-36 demonstrator was one of several test planes and studies that likely paved the way for the F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter.

The U.S. Army has formally given the designation ME-11B to its forthcoming High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) intelligence-gathering aircraft.
E-11

ME-11B Official Designation Of Army’s New Intelligence Gathering Business Jets

The sensor-packed ME-11Bs will fly faster, farther, and higher than the Army's current turboprop intel aircraft and could also launch drones.

North Korea's shadowy airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, based on a Russian Il-76 Candid cargo aircraft, has flown.
A-50/A-100

First North Korean Airborne Early Warning Jet Flies, Kim Shows Off Interior

North Korea's radar plane, based on an Il-76 cargo jet, has been taking shape for more than a year.

Airbus has unveiled LOAD, a new anti-drone drone concept — an adapted target drone that will be armed with air-to-air guided missiles, expressly designed to shoot down other uncrewed aerial vehicles. In recent years we’ve seen a proliferation of single-use drones with explosive warheads that are designed to bring down other uncrewed aerial vehicles. However, a reusable anti-drone drone, armed with its own missiles, appears to be something of a novelty.
Unmanned

Micro Missile-Slinging Drone-Killing Drone Concept Revealed By Airbus

The Airbus Low-Cost Air Defense or LOAD concept takes an existing target drone and adds small air-to-air missiles to bring down enemy UAVs.

The U.S. Air Force office responsible for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program (RMP) is asking for new information about options for derivatives of off-the-shelf multi-mode radars that could go into the bombers.
B-52

B-52 Radar Upgrade Alternatives Info Sought By Air Force

The USAF says that an existing B-52 radar modernization plan remains unchanged despite delays, but it is clearly also looking at other options.