Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 53)

F-35Bs on san clémente island for austere operations training during Steel Knight exercise.
C-17

We Went With Marine F-35Bs As They Fought A Mock War From A Pacific Island

F-35Bs and C-17As fighting their way to, from, and out of the island is the best glimpse yet at what Pacific combat may look like for Marine Joint Strike Fighters.

More North Korean Artillery Troops Heading To Russia: Ukraine Intel Chief
North Korea

More North Korean Artillery Troops Heading To Russia: Ukraine Intel Chief

The North Korean reinforcements will include gun and rocket artillery units and their hardware, as well as short-range ballistic missile capabilities.

F-22 Raptor To Get Distributed Infrared Search And Track System
F-22

F-22 Raptor To Get Distributed Infrared Search And Track System

The F-22 seemed slated to get a podded IRST system, but now a built-in one appears like it will be replacing or augmenting it.

NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) has confirmed to TWZ that four Dutch F-35A stealth fighters are now also participating in Baltic Sentry, a mission intended, among other things, to ensure the security of critical undersea infrastructure in the region. The jets were already in the region as part of the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
F-35A

F-35s Now Helping Prevent Baltic Seafloor Cable Sabotage

The Dutch stealth fighters, stationed in Estonia, are among the latest additions to the Baltic Sentry mission.

Cheap Cruise Missile Paired With Affordable Seeker From Ship-Killing Smart Bomb Eyed By USAF
U.S. Air Force

Cheap Cruise Missile Paired With Affordable Seeker From Ship-Killing Smart Bomb Eyed By USAF

The Quicksink seeker could turn the Extended Range Attack Munition into a new low-cost anti-ship weapon that could be bought quickly in large numbers.

The kit used by Air Force EOD techs was on displace in a recent photo staged during a controlled detonation.
U.S. Air Force

This Shot Of USAF Explosive Ordnance Disposal Techs In The Middle East Goes Hard

Air Force EOD personnel in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility started the new year off right with this epic shot.

An intense video has emerged in Russia, showing a portion of a Ukrainian drone strike, including the interception of one of the drones by what seems to be a Pantsir short-range air defense system. Footage showing the successful interception of Ukraine’s long-range one-way attack drones by Russian ground-based air defenses is not generally common and this one reinforces the challenge posed by these relentless Ukrainian attacks against Russian infrastructure and military facilities.
Unmanned

Extremely Low Altitude Shootdown Of Ukrainian Drone By Russian SAM Caught On Video

The dramatic interception in western Russia, purportedly by a Pantsir air defense system, came as Ukraine targeted a key missile manufacturing plant.

The Navy destroyer USS Pinckney.
News & Features

Navy Says It Won’t Repeat Cruiser Upgrade Blunder With Destroyer Modernization 2.0 Effort

Three more destroyers will return to the water this year as part of a program that will see them gain electronic warfare, radar and combat systems upgrades.

NASA’s new flying laboratory, an ex-commercial Boeing 777 airliner, has arrived in Waco, Texas, for modifications ahead of its entry to service. The aircraft will replace the agency’s now-retired Douglas DC-8.
Testbeds

NASA’s ‘New’ Boeing 777 Undergoes Modifications For Its Future Flying Laboratory Role

The modified Boeing 777 will be the biggest aircraft in NASA’s fleet, once it enters service, planned for later this year.

Drone scare New Jersey
Lasers

FBI’s New Jersey Drone Scare Investigation Has No Suspects

As the New Jersey drone scare fades from the news cycle, President Trump says he is going to release info on it to the public.

The U.S. Army is moving to establish a second production source for barrels for 155mm M777 towed howitzers in response to what it calls "unprecedented demand" from Ukraine.
M777 155mm Howitzter

Ukraine Is Burning Through 155mm M777 Howitzer Barrels So Fast The U.S. Army Can’t Keep Up

The U.S. Army is now trying to meet a requirement to produce at least 30 new barrels for M777 howitzers every month.

Houthi Pledge To Curtail Ship Attacks Sparks New Security Assessment
Israel

Houthi Pledge To Curtail Ship Attacks Sparks New Security Assessment

In the wake of the Gaza War ceasefire, the Houthis vowed to limit shipping attacks only to vessels directly affiliated with Israel.

The U.S. Navy's use of expendable Nulka decoys in combat has highlighted the need to expand the ability of its ships to launch off-board decoying electronic attacks, including ones lasting tens of minutes or more.
Drones

Nulka Combat Use Shows Warships Need Longer-Lasting Electronic Warfare-Enabled Decoys

The Navy wants ships to be able to launch decoys that are capable of luring away missiles for tens of minutes to help defend against incoming barrages.

USS Michael Murphy
News & Features

Arleigh Burke Destroyers Taking On Navy Air Defense Commander Role As Cruisers Disappear From Fleet

Arleigh Burke class Flight IIA destroyers were the air defense commanders for two carrier strike groups last year and plans are now underway to expand the practice.

A dramatic video has appeared showing a Russian BTR-82 8x8 armored personnel carrier firing its main gun wildly, apparently due to a malfunction after the vehicle was struck by a drone. While huge numbers of this particular model of BTR have been lost in Russian hands since the start of the full-scale invasion, this is certainly one of the most bizarre sequences we’ve seen of the vehicle in combat.
Russian Army

Russian BTR-82 Had A Spectacular Misfire On The Battlefield In Ukraine

Russia's BTR-82 series of armored personnel carriers have suffered extremely heavy losses in Ukraine.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - MAY 10: A vehicle drives into the tunnel at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station on May 10, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. NORAD is celebrating its 60th Anniversary at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

Great to see you guys!

In the coming weeks, drone boats will be plying the waters of the Baltic Sea helping to detect and deter undersea cable sabotage as part of Baltic Sentry.
Baltic Sea

Drone Boats Being Rushed To Help Prevent Baltic Seafloor Cable Sabotage

At least 20 drone boats will take part in NATO's new Baltic Sentry effort spurred by suspected sabotage of undersea cables.

After spending years charting a way forward to a family of unmanned surface vessels in a specific array of sizes and configurations, the Navy is eyeing a major course alteration that would see it pursuing a simpler and more interchangeable design.
Unmanned

Navy To Simplify Drone Ship Plans, Focus On Containerized Payloads That Look Alike

The Navy could abandon its separate large and medium drone boat efforts in favor a single smaller, more modular design.

A French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft was illuminated by the fire-control radar of a Russian long-range air defense system, while flying over the Baltic Sea earlier this week, according to France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
Baltic Sea

France Decries Russian S-400 Radar Locking Onto Its Maritime Patrol Aircraft Over Baltic Sea

The incident occurred the same week that NATO began patrols of these waters to prevent sabotage to critical undersea infrastructure.

Littoral Combat Ship Can Now Rapidly Shoot Down Aerial Drones With Hellfire Missiles
U.S. Navy

Littoral Combat Ship Can Now Rapidly Shoot Down Aerial Drones With Hellfire Missiles

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea prompted the Navy to rush the counter-drone Hellfire capability to the Freedom class LCS.