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

Russia has unveiled a counter-drone interceptor, a single-use drone with an explosive warhead that’s expressly designed to bring down the kinds of Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicles that have taken a steady toll of Russian troops and equipment on the battlefield. The Vogan-9SP counter-drone interceptor was developed by Russia’s Red Line company, seemingly a new entrant in the field.
Unmanned

Russia Jumps Into Purpose-Built Drone-Hunting Drone Weapons Space

The kamikaze drone is billed as the latest Russian effort to try and counter Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicles on the battlefield.

The US Army has put out a new request for information for compact sensors for use on high-altitude balloons underscoring its broader vision for using those capabilities in the future.
Airborne Radar

Army’s High-Flying Balloon Surveillance Vision Grows With Call For New Radars, Other Sensors

The Army sees networked fleets of high-altitude balloons providing critical persistent surveillance coverage even in heavily contested areas.

Israeli AH-64 helicopter gunship pilots have provided an extensive account of their operations during the surprise attack on the country by Hamas militants last October 7. Their accounts — provided to the Israeli media — give a rare insight into the Israeli Air Force’s immediate response to the first invasion of Israeli territory since 1948.
AH-64

Israeli AH-64 Apache Commanders Describe Brutal Reality Of October 7 Missions

Taken entirely by surprise, Israeli AH-64 crews raced to respond to the attack by Hamas but with mixed results.

Russian missile strike on airfield in Ukraine.
Land-Based Ballistic Missile Defense

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Strikes Airbase In Drone-Directed Missile Attack

While both sides confirm that an attack took place at the Mirgorod Air Base in central Ukraine, the extent of the damage is in dispute.

The US Air Force is taking a second look at the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet it is developing under the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative to see where costs could be cut, even at the cost of losing certain capabilities.
Loyal Wingman

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter’s Future Increasingly Uncertain

The Air Force is reassessing what it wants out of a new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet set to cost triple the price of an F-35.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman Is going to fly a Tornado F2A.
MiG-29

Tornado F2 Set To Become Most Advanced Flying Fighter In A Private Individual’s Hands

Jared Isaacman’s remarkable private air force just got its most advanced tactical jet yet, with the addition of a Tornado F2A interceptor.

Anduril and General Atomics have shared new details about progress and challenges, including on production and autonomy issues, as part of the Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
Loyal Wingman

Construction Of First Collaborative Combat Aircraft Drone Has Begun At General Atomics

As CCA advances, a far more advanced and autonomous capability is being developed within DARPA's LongShot program.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from Royal Air Force Lakenheath's 494th Fighter Squadron returns to formation after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Fairchild Air Force Base's 92nd Aerial Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2024. The U.S. Air Force is globally postured to protect and defend freedom of coalition allies and regional partners within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to maintain peace and stability across the region.
F-15

Flying The F-15E Strike Eagle In Air-To-Air Combat, From Dogfighting To Drone Hunting

F-15E pilot describes how, despite its air-to-ground roots, the Strike Eagle developed into a powerful air-to-air fighter.

Piggyback bomber at a Nazi airfield In WWII.
Air-To-Ground

Recalling The Nazis’ Bizarre Piggyback Bombers 80 Years After They Went To War

In the last months of the war, Germany flew missions using manned fighters attached to unmanned explosive-packed bombers.

The US Air Force's Air Mobility Command has outlined a critical need to give its fleets new counter-drone defenses they can use wherever they go.
Air Force One

Built-In Counter-Drone Defenses Sought For Air Force Transports, Tankers

The USAF's Air Mobility Command says adding new drone defenses to its aircraft is critical for future combat and routine operations.

An officer of the Swiss Civil defence of the canton of Geneva closes the door of a private concrete nuclear fallout shelter located underneath a residential building in the city of Meyrin near Geneva on March 25, 2022. - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has awakened long-slumbering anxiety interest in Switzerland in concrete nuclear fallout shelters built across the country during the Cold War, with spots available for every single resident. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

Care to share?

A small group of Russian soldiers has held out in a bombed-out building in Vovchansk
Land

Ukraine Situation Report: Besieged Russian Troops Holding Out In Bombed-Out Factory

Russia's offensive has left a factory town where street battles continue rage in ruins and dozens of its troops surrounded.

M270 MLRS
Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)

Ukraine May Have Lost An M270 MLRS For The First Time

The M270s have been a bane to Russian war efforts and were reportedly involved in a recent deadly ballistic missile strike on Crimea.

The Russian Navy’s first new Project 23550 combat icebreaker has made an important step toward service entry. The Unusually for an icebreaker, the Ivan Papanin is armed, with the option to further increase its firepower in the future, a reflection of Russia’s preparations for a potential future confrontations in the increasingly strategic Arctic region.
Russia

Russian’s New Combat Icebreaker Starts Sea Trials

Armed with a gun and the capacity to carry cruise missiles, the Ivan Papanin is designed to break ice and launch kinetic attacks.

The US Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment has been testing Arctic and desert camouflage options on top of a now well-known multi-tone blue scheme.
160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

160th SOAR Night Stalkers Testing Arctic, Desert Vinyl Camo Wraps As Global Missions Evolve

In addition to a blue scheme, the 160th SOAR has been looking at other new camouflage options to support missions old and new.

A video has emerged showing a Ukrainian MiG-29 toss-bombing a munition, a critical tactic that helps limit the exposure of the launching platform to enemy defenses.
MiG-29

Watch A Ukrainian MiG-29 Toss A Bomb Across The Front Lines

Toss bombing offers a key way to conduct precise strikes behind the front lines while also increasing chances of survival.

North Korea says it has successfully tested a ballistic missile fitted with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) payload — one that contains several warheads, each capable of hitting a different target. Meanwhile, South Korea claims that the test was a failure. Whether successful or not, the emergence of MIRV technologies is another indicator of North Korea’s rapidly developing strategic arsenal, which is growing in size and capabilities despite sanctions.
North Korea

Conflicting Claims Surround North Korea’s Test Of Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle

MIRV capability doesn’t just mean more targets struck by one missile, paired with decoys, it would be harder for some interceptors to defend against it.

M10 Booker's story and its intended use.
Video

The Army’s New M10 Booker: Deploy Fast And Carry A Big Gun

The M10 Booker isn't a smaller M1 Abrams, it's meant to be used in a fundamentally different role than that of a main battle tank, which we breakdown in detail in our latest feature video.

Ukraine has used a crowd-funded satellite to attack more than 1,500 targets in Ukraine and Russia.
Russia

“People’s Satellite” Helped Ukraine Hit Over 1,000 Targets Spy Agency Says

A crowd-funded satellite has enabled Ukraine to have a much better independent view of the battlefield, as well as targets in Russia.

AI reading side numbers on carrier jets.
Artificial Intelligence

Using AI To Read Aircraft Identification Numbers On Navy Carrier Decks In Testing

The Navy’s NOCTRNAL project connects artificial intelligence to cameras around the carrier's flight deck to automate aircraft identification and tracking.