Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 62)

A U.S. official said U.S. forces backed an SDF raid on ISIS troops in eastern Syria.
Syria

Claims Swirl Around U.S. Strikes In Eastern Syria (Updated)

The U.S. insists that it supported an operation against ISIS that had no connection with anti-Assad offensive, reports state otherwise.

South Korean military forces have descended on the country's parliament building and other parts of the capital Seoul following President Yoon Suk Yeol's unexpected declaration of martial law.
North Korea

Surprise Martial Law Declaration Throws South Korea Into Turmoil (Updated)

South Korean troops appeared at the country's parliament and elsewhere in the capital after President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration.

The Qatari landing ship dock Al Fulk.
Amphibious Assault Ships

Qatar’s Strange New Warship Combines Air Defense Frigate And Amphibious Assault Ship Roles

The 'unique' Al Fulk has vertical launch systems, a big flight deck, a deck gun, and a well deck, all in a relatively efficient package.

Russian and Syrian airstrikes are slowing the advance by anti-government rebels.
Syria

Airstrikes Slow Advance Of Anti-Assad Forces In Syria

While the anti-regime fighters continue to push south, Russian and Syrian airpower is putting those movements under increasing pressure.

The last of the classic Cold War-era MiG-21 Fishbed fighters in Europe have ben stood down from operational duties. Assigned to NATO, the Croatian Air Force was the last European operator of the MiG-21, a type that originally entered service back in 1959 and which had been a presence over the continent ever since then, in the hands of over a dozen different nations.
MiG-21

Final MiG-21 Fishbeds Stand Down From Active Duty In Europe

End of an era marked as Croatian MiG-21s end their operational duties ahead of their replacement by Dassault Rafales.

A U.S. Air Force F-16C Viper fighter has conducted the first release of a test version of the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) missile.
F-16

Stand-In Attack Missile Released From Fighter For First Time In USAF Test

Flight testing of the Stand-In Attack Weapon, under development to help the USAF strike key time-sensitive targets, is now fully underway.

Additional photos provide a much more detailed look at the mysterious Chinese flattop that TWZ was first to report on, and which recently went to sea, apparently for its first trials. While the function of this vessel remains unknown, the recently published photos do confirm that it’s intended to operate rotary-wing aircraft (perhaps in addition to fixed-wing drones), but there are no obvious signs of catapults or arrester cables of the kind that would be used for operating heavier fixed-wing types. There is also no indication that the vessel has a floodable well-deck like those found on many amphibious warfare ships.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

Detailed Deck View Emerges Of China’s Mysterious Aircraft Carrier-Like Ship

New photos of the flattop reveal additional details, but the precise role of this intriguing vessel remains unclear.

German firm Helsing says production of its HX-2 kamikaze drone, thousands of which are expected to be sent to Ukraine, is underway.
Loitering Munitions

AI-Enabled HX-2 Kamikaze Drones Now In Production For Ukraine

The German HX-2 will give Ukraine a new way to strike targets at stand-off ranges, but also reflects trends beyond that conflict.

Rebel forces have taken most of Aleppo.
Iran

Aleppo Has Fallen, Assad’s Forces Regrouping As Rebels Blitz South

The rebel forces' blitz south is impressive, but holding all that territory will be put to the test if a robust response materializes.

Fighters fire towards Syrian Army troops in the Rashidin district on the outskirts of Aleppo on November 29, 2024, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and allied factions continue their offensive in the Aleppo province against government forces. The jihadists along with Turkey-backed factions launched this week a shock offensive against Syrian regime troops and sparked the deadliest battle the country has seen in years, with the violence killing so far 242 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The war monitor said most of the victims were combatants on both sides but also including civilians.
Iran

Rebel Forces Enter Syria’s Second Largest City Of Aleppo

A surprise offensive launched against the Assad regime earlier this week has made startling progress in northwest Syria.

050714-N-5345W-093 Atlantic Ocean (July 14, 2005) – Landing Signal Officers watch as an F-14B Tomcat, assigned to the "Swordsmen" of Fighter Squadron Three Two (VF-32), catches an arresting wire with its tail hook aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is currently conducting carrier qualifications and operations off the East Coast and is also participating in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). JTFEX is a key component in the training cycle of an aircraft carrier and carrier air wing in the U.S. Navy Fleet Response Plan. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Kristopher Wilson (RELEASED)
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Turkey Day Edition

It's all gravy baby!

Mystery drones have flown over USAF bases in the UK for an eighth day.
B-52

Drone Incursions Over USAF Bases In UK Enter Second Week

A week into the drone incursion flap in the United Kingdom and there remain many more questions than answers.

An old-time Navy thanksgiving.
U.S. Navy

Navy Ship Menus From Thanksgivings Past

A look way back at what U.S. Navy sailors ate for Thanksgiving while on the high seas.

One especially interesting detail about the Phoenix Ghost family of kamikaze drones has now emerged: the different types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate.
Loitering Munitions

Warheads In Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Blast Straight Down Like Air Burst Artillery Rounds

Air-bursting top-down attacks offer benefits against troops and softer-skinned targets in trenches or behind cover, as well as ones out in the open.

The Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF has experimented with a new rapidly laid temporary surface, making it easier to conduct expeditionary aircraft operations, something that is of increasing relevance across the Indo-Pacific region. The trial, which used a temporary surface known as Dura-Base, involved an RAAF F-35A stealth fighter at RAAF Base Tindal, in Australia’s Northern Territory.
F-35A

Australian F-35 Tests Expeditionary Base Concept

Dura-Base matting can be used for air base repairs as well as for helping establish austere operating locations across the Pacific.

A mysterious Chinese vessel with a large open flight deck, which TWZ was first to report on, looks to have made its maiden voyage.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

China’s Wacky And Puzzling New Aircraft Carrier Has Set Sail

With the curious carrier now at sea, more details about its design and purpose may begin to emerge.

Ukraine's top commander says a new offensive is the only path to victory.
Russia

Ukraine’s Top Commander Wants New Counteroffensive, Says It’s The Only Path To Victory

Ukraine would face serious challenges and take on significant risks pulling off another counteroffensive.

ideos purporting to show a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian oil refinery may actually have been of a wayward civilian An-2 biplane.
Special Operations Aviation

An-2 Biplane Caused Major Scare When Russians Thought It Was A Long-Range Kamikaze Drone

The fear that An-2s could be converted into explosives-laden, deep-penetrating drones should come as no surprise.

The German arm of the European missile house described its RCM² remote carrier (RC) as a multidomain platform that is able to perform both kinetic strike and electronic warfare (EW) jamming and decoy roles in highly contested and denied airspace.
Unmanned

This Is MBDA’s Latest Vision For Its Cruise Missile-Like RCM² ‘Remote Carrier’

Somewhere between a missile and a drone, the remote carrier has been shown launching from air, land, and sea platforms.

The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) arrives onboard U.S. Naval Base Guam, Nov 26. Minnesota, the first Virginia-class fast-attack submarine to be forward deployed to Guam, joins four Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines forward deployed in the Pacific. Regarded as apex predators of the sea, Guam's fast-attack submarines serve at the tip of the spear, helping to reaffirm the submarine forces' forward-deployed presence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin Wolpert)
Virginia Class

Submarine Presence In Guam Gets Boost With Its First Forward-Based Virginia-Class

Stationing the USS Minnesota in Guam brings persistent, forward-based Virginia class capabilities to the Western Pacific.