Read the latest articles from The War Zone (Page 90)

smoke billows following an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the Lebanese-Israeli border on June 21, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on June 21, that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not turn Lebanon into "another Gaza." (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP) (Photo by RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran

War Drums Grow Louder Along The Israel-Lebanon Border

America's top uniformed officer says the U.S. military may not be able to support Israel like in the past if an all-out war with Hezbollah were to erupt.

80-passenger Soviet Mil Mi-6P helicopter
Russia

The Story Of The Soviet Union’s Monster Mi-6 Helicopter Airliner

The airline variant of the Mi-6 could seat up to 80 passengers and was intended to usher-in a new era of Soviet rotary-wing commercial air travel.

A USAF F-15EX Eagle II armed with 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs.

F-15EX Testers Are Now Preparing The Eagle II For Rapidly Adapting To New Missions

Long-range kill chains, outsized weapons, and drone teaming are all possibilities, with tablet interfaces keeping new software from accessing the jet's computer.

The Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee, the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Normandy, an E-6B Mercury 'doomsday plane,' and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft recently took part in an unusual show of force in the Norwegian Sea.
P-8

U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarine, ‘Doomsday Plane’ Take Part In Rare Show Of Force Off Norway

USS Tennessee and the E-6B Mercury were joined in the Norwegian Sea by a Ticonderoga class cruiser and P-8 patrol plane.

A propeller-driven Yak-52 primary training aircraft has appeared with an impressive collection of kill marks displayed on its fuselage; seemingly confirmation of its success having been impressed into service as a drone-killer. While we reported on a series of previous videos showing the use of Soviet-era Yak-52s to attack Russian drones, the latest evidence suggests that the unorthodox solution could be becoming a more important part of Ukraine’s multilayered air defenses.
Ukrainian Air Force

Yak-52 Kill Marks Hint At Success In Ukraine’s Drone War

For the first time, a Ukrainian Yak-52 propeller-driven trainer has appeared with markings that could indicate a string of aerial victories against Russian drones.

Ukraine attacked a Russian space communications facility in Crimea.
MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)

Ukraine Used Prized ATACMS Missiles To Strike Unique Cold War-Era Space Communications Station

The NIP-16 space communications and tracking facility is an intriguing target for a Ukrainian ATACMS strike that may point to its new purpose.

A secretive stealthy drone being developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft (SHEPARD) Demonstration program has now been designated the XRQ-73.
Stealth

Shadowy XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Stealthy Flying Wing Drone Emerges

The XRQ-73 is a direct evolution of a ultra-quiet, high-efficiency recon drone the U.S. Intelligence Community developed with the Air Force.

On June 16, 2024 3d Multi-Domain Task Force and 1-181 Field Artillery Regiment of the Tennessee National Guard employed the U.S. Army Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (AML) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) as part of the Valiant Shield 24 Combined Joint SINKEX. The AML and PrSm engaged a maritime target alongside other joint assets during the SINKEX. The VS24 SINKEX is the first employment of both the AML and the PrSM outside of the U.S and is a significant milestone in the Army’s continuing development of long-range fires capabilities.
Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)

Army’s New PRsM Ballistic Missile Hits Moving Ship For The First Time In Pacific Test

During the Valiant Shield exercise, the missile was fired from an unmanned launcher against a ship with the help of a high-endurance balloon and drone.

Ukraine is set to be the first to use a U.S.-made 105mm "soft-recoil" howitzer in combat, which could have impacts outside of that conflict.
Cannons

Humvee-Mounted Low-Recoil 105mm Howitzer To Make Combat Debut In Ukraine

The Hawkeye howitzer offers Ukraine a new shoot-and-scoot artillery option, but this real-world combat testing could have impacts elsewhere.

Russia is now using the Sea of Azov to launch missiles act Ukraine.
Russia

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Now Launching Kalibr Cruise Missiles From The Sea Of Azov

Russia moved cruise missile-firing warships from the Black Sea into the confines of the Sea of Azov in an effort to protect them against Ukrainian attacks.

Family Fallout Survival Plan @ Levittown Shopping Center, 1960's
Bunker Talk

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

Get out of the fallout!

A mysterious array of what looks like 16 hemispherical structures has emerged in Ukraine without immediate explanation.
Land-Based Electronic Warfare

What Is This Mystery Row Of Spheres In A Ukrainian Field?

Help us solve the mystery of this curious array that could be a military system or something else entirely, like an agricultural apparatus.

Yemen has released a video showing its Tufan-1 uncrewed surface vessel (USV), or drone boat, blowing apart a target vessel during tests.
Yemen

Small, Agile Houthi Drone Boat Shown Obliterating Ship During Test

Video comes just days after the Houthis scored their first hit of the current crisis on a commercial ship with an explosive-packed uncrewed surface vessel.

Satellite imagery has offered even clearer looks at Northrop Grumman's Manta Ray submersible drone.
U.S. Homeland

Huge Manta Ray Underwater Drone Looks Like A Docked Star Wars Spaceship

We are finally getting an idea of the size of the sci-fi-looking Manta Ray drone thanks to satellite imagery.

The Ka-29 Helix-B helicopter was downed during a massive, multi-domain, Ukrainian drone attack
Helicopters

Russian Navy Ka-29 Assault Helicopter Downed Amid Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack

The helicopter was shot down as Ukraine sent scores of drones to strike Crimea and Russia's Krasnodar region on targets ranging from oil facilities to an airfield.

A claim has emerged that Russia has begun using 3,000-kilogram (6,600-pound) class FAB-3000 M54 bombs with pop-out wing kits against targets in Ukraine.
Tu-22

Is This Our First Look At Russia’s New Monster Glide Bomb Striking Ukraine?

Just what aircraft would launch such a large weapon remains unclear, but something so destructive with standoff range is a real concern.

AIM-120 being loaded into a NASAMS launcher
AIM-120 AMRAAM

U.S. Diverting Missiles From Foreign Customers To Ukraine Could Have Repercussions Beyond Air Defense

The bold move to divert missiles planned to foreign buyers is great for Ukraine, but it may not be viewed as positively by some customers.

A South Korean K1E1 tank participates in a joint river-crossing exercise in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province on March 20, 2024. Russian’s President Putin has warned South Korea that it would be making “a big mistake” if it decided to supply weapons to Ukraine. While Seoul has so far condemned Moscow for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and provided Kyiv with economic and humanitarian, it has stopped short of sending arms.
North Korea

South Korean Arms For Ukraine Would Be A Huge Deal And Putin Knows It

There are signs that South Korea might overturn its ban on weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which has prompted a dark warning from Putin.

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter has begun wearing some decidedly non-standard markings, very likely the most flamboyant we’ve seen on the Joint Strike Fighter so far. The upper fuselage and top surfaces of the wing the F-35B in question, operated by Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, “Bats,” is emblazoned with a stylized motif showing the night-flying mammal, and has recently been captured by photographers at its base, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture.
F-35B

F-35B Dons Huge Bat Insignia On Its Back

The Japan-based Joint Strike Fighter has appeared adorned with a spectacular bat motif atop its fuselage.

MH-6s belonging to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment are now flying with a multi-tone blue camouflage scheme that looks intended primarily for use in maritime operations.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

Blue Camouflage MH-6 Little Birds Point To Night Stalkers’ Pacific Pivot

Now both MH-6s and MH-60s from the 160th SOAR have been seen in the blue camouflage amid a shift in focus to high-end Pacific operations.