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The Olavsvern complex.
Northern Europe

U.S. Navy Still Wants To Operate Out Of This Norwegian Submarine Cave, But A Deal Remains Elusive

Sold after the Cold War, the U.S. Navy remains interested in once again using the Olavsvern complex as a hub for Arctic operations.

Sweden is buying 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, in addition to upgrading 66 of its older models to the same standard, continuing a period of military investment for the Scandinavian country, which joined NATO last year. The decision adds another customer to a growing list of Leopard 2A8 operators, which also notably includes fellow NATO members Lithuania and Norway, also in the strategically critical Baltic region.
Leopard

Sweden Buys More Leopard 2 Tanks As Part Of Major Defense Build-Up

The Swedish tank force is undergoing a renaissance as part of an ambitious build-up spurred by the Russian threat.

Hades ALEs
Airborne Sensors

Army Wants To Test Air-Launched Drones From A Global Express Business Jet

The planned trials tally with previous comments about launching the drones from the new Global 6500-based HADES surveillance jet.

The U.S. Navy's Ohio class guided missile submarine USS Michigan made notable use of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) in the course of operations between October 2022 and January 2024 it has emerged. During that time, the boat and its crew completed at least three secretive "national security" missions, as well as ones involving special operations forces, "in hostile and challenging environments."
Ohio Class (SSGN variant)

Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine Deployed Underwater Drones On Award Winning Secret Missions

USS Michigan's operations included three separate missions vital to national security and ones that involved special operations forces.

Donald Trump has refused to rule out using the U.S. military to seize Greenland, citing economic security as a driving factor, saying that America needs it — as well as the Panama Canal — for “economic security.” Amid predictable kickback from Denmark — of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — it’s worth looking in more detail at the enormous significance of one of the world's largest islands, in economic, geostrategic and, above all, military terms.
NATO

Why Greenland Is Of Growing Strategic Significance

Donald Trump seems more insistent than ever on controlling Greenland, but regardless of his controversial intentions, the island is of real strategic importance

The arsenals of the U.S. Air Force's F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II combat jets look set to grow with the addition of stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM).
F-15

Stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles To Arm F-15EX, F-15E

Arming the F-15E and EX with AGM-158Cs will give the Air Force a major boost in its ability to target enemy ships over long distances.

A strategically important fuel farm supplying Russia's Engels Air Base was struck by Ukrainian drones.
Russia

Ukraine Targets Strategic Bomber Fuel Supplies In Long-Range Strike On Russia

The strike was designed to keep Russian bombers from generating combat sorties.

A new independent report says that U.S. airbases have been left worryingly vulnerable, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, by a lack of investment in new hardened aircraft shelters, or even unhardened ones.
U.S. Air Force

Lack Of Hardened Aircraft Shelters Leaves U.S. Airbases Vulnerable To China New Report Warns

China is already massively outpacing the U.S. military in new hardened aircraft shelter and other airbase construction.

USS Jack H. Lucas
Procurement

Cost Of Navy’s Newest Arleigh Burke Destroyers Is Ballooning

A wide array of chronic cost overruns and industrial capacity factors could torpedo the Navy’s goal of fielding a 390-ship force by 2054.

Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities, the first-person view (FPV) drones were employed in combat during strikes on Russian ground-based air defense systems. This is the latest development in Ukraine’s Black Sea drone war, which is seeing increasingly innovative use of uncrewed systems, including adapted air-to-air missiles launched from USVs against Russian aircraft.
Russia

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boats Are Now Launching Kamikaze FPV Drones At Russian Shore Targets

Ukraine says it has destroyed three Russian air defense systems in some of the first successful FPV drone strikes launched from drone boats at sea.

NATO nations boosting naval presence and AI monitoring in response to undersea cable cuts.
Baltic Sea

NATO Boosting Naval Presence And AI Monitoring In Baltic Sea After Undersea Cables Cut

NATO is responding to the suspected severing of undersea cables linking Finland and Estonia by a Russian-linked oil tanker.

More new variants of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb could be on the horizon for the U.S. military.
Bunker Busters

Hints At More B61 Nuclear Bomb Variants In The U.S. Military’s Future

A true successor to the specialized deep bunker-busting B61-11 variant could be a future addition as adversaries increasingly go underground.

A recent satellite image shows what looks to be yet another fighter-esque airframe or test article at Shenyang's main plant in the city of the same name in China.
UCAVs

Tailless Fighter-Like Airframe Appears At Chinese Jet Manufacturer Shenyang’s Main Plant

The appearance of the object comes after two new tailless heavy tactical jet designs appeared in Chinese skies on Dec. 26.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have provided an even better look at the previously highly secretive remote vision system that is central to the operation of the Israeli Air Force’s critical Boeing 707 tanker fleet. TWZ has previously looked at this system — used by the boom operator to see what is happening at the rear of the aircraft while connecting the boom with the receiving aircraft — but the actual operator interface has, as far as we know, never been seen in such detail.
KC-46

Our Best Look So Far Inside Israel’s Once Secretive 707 Tankers

The Israeli Air Force provided unprecedented access to the rarely seen Remote Vision System refueling aid used in its 707 tankers.

With two weeks to go before Donald Trump takes office, Ukraine launched a new offensive in Russia's Kursk region
Russia

Ukraine Launches New Offensive In Russia’s Kursk Region

With Trump just weeks away from taking office and negotiations potentially on the horizon, both sides are scrambling to snap up territory.

Taiwan suspects China of latest attack on undersea cables.
China

Taiwan Coast Guard Blames Chinese-Owned Ship For Cutting Undersea Communications Cable

Taiwan has seen multiple incidents of damage to its underwater infrastructure in recent years, with China widely suspected of being the culprit.

The U.S. Navy is now officially using "Murder Hornet" to refer to F/A-18E/F fighters armed with five AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and four AIM-9X Sidewinder.
F/A-18E/F

Murder Hornet Nickname For F/A-18s Equipped With Nine Air-To-Air Missiles Now Official

The Murder Hornet configuration that includes five AIM-120s and four AIM-9Xs made its combat debut over the Red Sea last year.

231014-N-GF955-1031 EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 14, 2023) Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64), man their watch stations in the combat information center (CIC) during a general quarters drill, October 14, 2023. Carney is currently a part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. The strike group is on a scheduled deployment conducting routine operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by the U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau)
Red Sea

Red Sea Attacks Are Testing Combat Information Centers Aboard U.S. Navy Warships Like Never Before

The chaotic, high-risk nature of the grinding Red Sea fight was starkly illustrated when a Navy cruiser shot down a friendly Super Hornet last month.

Picture released on August 16, 1965 of the HQ transmission post in a buried bunker in Duc Co Camp (or called Chu Dron Special Force camp), the US Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base, near Pleiku in the Gia Lai Province. On 10 August, the South Vietnamese infantry, with the support of American and RVNAF air strikes, killed over 400 PAVN and captured 71 weapons. On 17 August additional ARVN forces supported by two battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived. (Photo by Alain Raymond / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN RAYMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

We kick-off a new year in the TWZ bunker!

The Metinvest company is beginning to add armor protection to Ukraine's Western-donated air defense systems.
Russia

New Armor Kits Being Installed On Ukraine’s Western Air Defense Systems

Ukraine Situation Report: The new armor plates are designed to add some protection for air defenders in their command vehicles.