Modern Day Marine 2025

Modern Day Marine 2025

Continued Coverage

An MQ-28A Ghost Bat loaded with an AIM-120 during Trial Kareela at RAAF Base Woomera, South Australia.
MQ-28

Boeing Details New MQ-28 Ghost Bat Features, Eyes Indo-Pacific Sales

Bigger wings, longer range, and internal weapons are all planned for the next iteration of the Ghost Bat.

As U.S.-Iran talks are set to take place in Oman tomorrow, the region prepares for war.
Iran

Middle East Preparing For War Ahead Of U.S.-Iran Negotiations

The talks in Oman tomorrow are seen as a last-ditch diplomatic effort to prevent another conflict in the tumultuous Middle East.

A key nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia has expired today, creating the potential for significant changes in U.S. force posture.
Russia

What The Sunset Of Key U.S.-Russia Nuclear Deal Could Mean For America’s Stockpile

The landmark New START treaty’s end, which occurs today, opens the door to the possibility of major nuclear posture changes.

New footage has emerged showing how Ukraine is using adapted Antonov An-28 Cash twin-turboprop utility aircraft as part of its anti-drone inventory. While images of the aircraft, replete with multiple drone kill marks, had previously been published, we now get to see the aircraft’s armament — a six-barrel M134 Minigun — in action, too.
Ukraine

Watch Ukraine’s Minigun-Firing, Drone-Hunting Turboprop In Action

Blessed with short takeoff and landing capability, the rugged An-28 Cash utility transport is the latest addition to Ukraine’s anti-drone force.

The U.S. Navy has shown no signs of reversing course on major changes to its pipeline for new Naval Aviators in its latest draft requirements for a replacement for its T-45 Goshawk jet trainers.
T-45

Navy’s T-45 Replacement Will Not Be Capable Of Making Carrier Landing Touch And Goes

The Navy has already axed carrier qualifications for new pilots, but now even practicing carrier touchdowns on land will be off limits with its new jet.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Meteor was one of the weapons under discussion for the next Swedish security aid package for Ukraine. Also on the agenda were the Gripen E and undisclosed air defense systems, Saab radars, electronic warfare systems, and drones, including long-range one-way attack drones. The announcement came after talks between the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov and his Swedish counterpart, Paul Jonsson.
Meteor

Meteor Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile In The Works For Ukraine, But There’s A Catch

The ramjet-powered missile would allow Ukraine to challenge Russian fighters within their own long-range missiles’ engagement zones.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has started making official trips using a new Gulfstream 700 (G700) VIP jet.
U.S. Homeland

Department Of Homeland Security’s New Gulfstream Jet Now In Service (Updated)

Two new Gulfstream 700s are joining the Coast Guard’s older GV and G550 aircraft in the Long Range Command and Control Aircraft role.

Video has emerged that is said to show a Russian-made Mi-28NE Havoc attack helicopter flying over the Iranian capital Tehran.
Iran

Evidence Of Mi-28 Havoc Attack Helicopters Delivered To Iran Grows

After years of reports of a deal for the helicopters, Iran looks to have started receiving Mi-28s from Russia.

F-16s arrive in Mogadishu.
Turkish Air Force

Turkish F-16 Vipers Seen Operating Out Of Mogadishu’s International Airport

The Turkish F-16s arrived in Somalia as fighting with al-Shabaab extremists heats up.

A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II flies over the Gulf of America, September 16, 2025. The F-15EX, from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is one of the first F-15EXs in the Air Force, and is going through developmental and operational test series at Eglin to prepare the platform to be delivered to the warfighter.
F-15

F-15EX Buy Dropped By Indonesia

With Rafale deliveries underway, Indonesia has stepped away from its previous plan to buy up to 24 F-15EX Eagle IIs.

A U.S. Navy F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flying from the supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln has shot down an Iranian drone said to have “aggressively approached” the ship.
F-35C

F-35 From USS Abraham Lincoln Shoots Down Iranian Drone (Updated)

The F-35C acted to defend the supercarrier from the drone after it approached the ship while operating far out to sea.

KC-46 mishap closes moron
U.S. Air Force

KC-46 Mishap Closes Key European Logistical Hub For U.S. For Days (Updated)

The KC-46 mishap at Moron Air Base in Spain comes as the U.S. is flowing military resources to the Middle East ahead of a potential attack on or from Iran.

The U.S. Marine Corps says it is planning to award a sole-source contract for a new AGM-114 Hellfire missile-armed mobile counter-drone system to defense contractor V2X.
AGM-114 Hellfire

Company Behind Drone-Killing Hellfire Missile-Armed Buggy Set To Get Marine Corps Contract

The Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire system offers Marines a new highly mobile way to defend against drones and potentially other aerial threats.

F-16s are having a second coming in Europe with the Block 70 and V variant becoming popular, as well as Ukraine using them in combat.

A New-Generation Of F-16 Operations In Europe

Branded Content: A new training center, F-16 Viper (F-16V) upgrades, and new-build Block 70/72 variants hail the second-coming of the Fighting Falcon in Europe.

Jordan, where U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles are base, says the U.S. cannot launch an attack from its country.
Iran

Washington-Tehran Talks Planned As U.S. Military Buildup Continues

Iran’s nuclear ambitions are at the heart of what could be a last-ditch negotiation effort to avert a war.

The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble used its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to down four drones in a demonstration last year, Lockheed Martin has shared.
U.S. Navy

USS Preble Used HELIOS Laser To Zap Four Drones In Expanding Testing

The Navy sees HELIOS and other directed energy weapons as critical capabilities, but has faced persistent challenges in expanding their use.

KestrelX KX-2s flew to simulate drone threats at Sentry Savannah exercise.
Air Combat Exercises

These Planes Are Mimicking Enemy Shahed-136 Drones In U.S. Military War Games

We were on the scene to get an exclusive look at KestrelX’s new KX-2, which is helping the U.S. military confront the ever-evolving drone threat.

The U.S. Air Force has released details of a live-fire test of the Rusty Dagger, one of two new Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) being developed under a crash program. The milestone suggest that Ukraine is a step closer to getting its hands on thousands of air-launched ERAMs that will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability. The event is also significant in terms of the Pentagon’s focus on rapidly developing and bringing into operational service new weapons that can be built at scale.
Ukraine

Rusty Dagger Low-Cost Cruise Missile Hits Its Target

Rusty Daggers are headed for Ukraine, but the effort to field low-cost cruise missiles could have big implications for the U.S. military.

New Pentagon guidance for defending critical infrastructure against drone attacks calls for the increased use of netting, cables, and other kinds of passive physical defenses.
U.S. Homeland

Hardened Structures, Nets For Drone Defense Front And Center In New Pentagon Guidance

The Pentagon openly advocating for hardening facilities against drone attacks stands in contrast to pushback from officials in recent years.

The Launch Control Center, with blast door at left, underground at the Oscar-1 Minuteman Missile Alert Facility on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 18, 2020. The Oscar-01 MAF was constructed in 1963 and determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by Missouri SHPO in 1998. The facility consists of a one-story surface structure, assembled as a Launch Control Support Building (LCSB), and two sub-surface, re-enforced concrete encapsulated steel pods- a Launch Control Center (LCC) and Launch Control Equipment Building (LCEB). These two sub-surface wings are connected by a Tunnel Junction and accessed by an elevator. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)
Bunker Talk

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

It’s like Fraggle Rock.

Finland is pushing back on claims that its forces went soft on U.S. troops during an Arctic training exercise.
Northern Europe

Finland Denies Being Asked To “Go Easy” On U.S. Troops In Arctic Exercise

While the claim is disputed, the U.S. military does have major work to do in getting prepared to operate in the Arctic at scale.

The initial production representative MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone for the U.S. Navy has completed its first low-speed taxi test.
MQ-25

MQ-25 Stingray Has Begun Taxi Tests (Updated)

Despite a push to get to first flight in 2025, the Navy is now hoping to see its MQ-25 aerial refueling drone fly in the coming months.

The Israeli Iron Fist active protection system has demonstrated its ability to down incoming drones.
Tanks

Iron Fist Active Protection System For Armor Can Shoot Down Drones

Iron Fist’s ability to defeat drones reflects surging global demand for more ways to shield armored vehicles from uncrewed aerial attacks.

As both sides in the war in Ukraine continue their campaigns of long-range drone attacks, the Ukrainian government’s internal security agency has released a compilation of strikes directed against Russian airbases.
Ukraine

Ukrainian Drone Strikes On Parked Russian Aircraft Seen In “Greatest Hits” Video

The Security Service of Ukraine claims that its drones struck at least 15 Russian aircraft on airfields last year.

F-35s land in the Azores.
Iran

USAF F-35s Redeploy Across Atlantic From Puerto Rico, Final Destination Unknown

The F-35As are on the move after assisting in the Maduro capture and could end up in the Middle East.

The recent declassification of the United States’ Jumpseat spy satellite provides details on what was previously a highly secretive system, one that monitored critical Soviet military installations during some of the tensest years of the Cold War.
Spy Satellites

Top Secret Spy Satellite Declassified By National Reconnaissance Office

After spying on the electronic signals of adversaries for decades, the NRO’s enigmatic Jumpseat spy satellite has emerged from the darkness.

Lockheed Martin has offered a very rare confirmation of the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone's operational exploits, in this case, in support of the recent mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
South America

Lockheed Confirms RQ-170 Sentinel Spy Drones Took Part In Maduro Capture Mission

RQ-170s have been flying for decades, but official confirmation of any details about their activities is very rare.

The future USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford class aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy, has begun its initial sea trials.
U.S. Navy

Future USS John F. Kennedy, Second Ford Class Carrier, Has Set Sail For The First Time

The Navy hopes to take delivery of the future USS John F. Kennedy next year after repeated delays.

The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black and an Air Force spy plane joined a growing for in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran.
Iran

Destroyer, Electronic Surveillance Jet Joins U.S. Forces Massing In Middle East

Amid the ongoing military buildup, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that no one knows who would lead Iran next should the Khamenei regime fall.

F/A-XX is critical as the Navy's "ability to fly with impunity" using non-stealthy types like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, even against smaller nation-state adversaries like Iran and non-state actors, is now "fleeting."
F/A-XX

F/A-XX Naval Fighter Needed For Adversaries Like Iran, Not Just China and Russia: Navy Boss

Global proliferation of more capable air defenses means the era of the Navy ‘flying with impunity’ is increasingly at an end.