SOF Week 2026

Latest in SOF Week 2026

The officer in charge of SOCOM's Lethality program gives us exclusive insights into the command's future machine guns and rifles.

M16/AR15/M4 Pattern

Inside SOCOM’s Search For New Machine Guns, Rifles And Ammo

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 21, 2026

Two MH-47G Chinook helicopters assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), refuel mid-air during Arctic Edge 24 over the Arctic Ocean, Mar. 9, 2024. During AE24, more than 400 joint and allied Special Operators trained in extreme cold conditions to sharpen SOF readiness across unique specialties like long range fires and movements, special reconnaissance, rapid resupply, personnel recovery, and medical care in the austere Arctic environment. AE24 is a NORAD and U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. military’s capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region.

Night Stalker MH-47 Chinooks May Get Aerial Refueling Tanker Role

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 21, 2026

Shield AI, the defense-tech company building state-of-the-art autonomy software and aircraft, today announced that the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW R&E) has selected Shield AI to integrate its Hivemind autonomy software onto the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a new class of low-cost, one-way attack drones often referred to as kamikaze drones designed to operate in large numbers.

U.S. Military’s Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Is Getting Hivemind Swarming Capability

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on May 21, 2026

Plans for a new tranche of upgrades for U.S. Army special operations MH-60M Black Hawk helicopters are heavily tied to continued progress, or lack thereof, on an improved engine.

160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

New Engines Key To Night Stalker MH-60M Black Hawk Upgrade Plans

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 21, 2026

The U.S. Navy sees a future in which uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) work together with submersibles loaded with SEALs.

Navy SEALs In Mini-Submarines Teamed With Underwater Drones In The Works

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 20, 2026

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is in the early stages of the search for a replacement for the C-146 Wolfhound cargo plane.

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

Hunt For C-146 Wolfhound Special Ops Transport Plane Replacement Underway

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 20, 2026

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to demonstrate a new, fully integrated extended-range strike capability for the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship.

AC-130J Gunship With Mini Cruise Missiles Paired With AESA Radar To Undergo Tests

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 19, 2026

DZYNE Technologies has shared new details about its recently unveiled lower-cost Blitz drone and the accompanying containerized BlitzBox launch system.

BlitzBox Packs 100 Weaponized Drones Into An Unassuming Container

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 19, 2026

An OA-1K Skyraider II comes in for a landing on a dirt path July 10 on the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida range. The new Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft continues developmental testing with the 96th Test Wing and the U.S. Special Operations Command at Eglin.

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

Plan To Test OA-1K Skyraider II’s Rapid Deployability Outlined By Air Force Special Ops Command

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 19, 2026

With new threats emerging at home and abroad, the U.S. Coast Guard has created a new Special Missions Command (SMC) to oversee its "deployable specialized forces."

U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guard Creates Its Own Special Operations Command

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 6, 2026

MAYHEM 10 is an autonomous, multi-role launched effect designed to deliver coordinated non-kinetic and kinetic effects at standoff. Employable from air, ground, and maritime platforms, it combines advanced collaborative autonomy with modular payloads to operate effectively in contested environments.

Super-Adaptable Mayhem 10 Swarming Drone Evolved From The Switchblade

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 16, 2026

The U.S. Army has given us our first glimpse at what the new MV-75A Cheyenne II tiltrotor will look like in its special operations configuration.

160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

First Look At What A Night Stalker MV-75 Cheyenne Will Look Like

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 15, 2026

FARP in Iran set up by special tactics squadron airman during WSO rescue.

How A Dusty Strip Deep In Iran Can Be Turned Into A U.S. Special Operations Base In Hours

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 6, 2026

Little birds of the 160th SOAR were destroyed in Iran after the successful rescue of a F-15E WSO

160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

Night Stalker AH-6 Little Bird Helicopters Destroyed At Forward Landing Site In Iran

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Apr 5, 2026

L3Harris has highlighted the potential benefits of pairing its Red Wolf miniature cruise missile with the U.S. Air Force's OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft.

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)

Red Wolf Cruise Missile Eyed To Give OA-1K Skyraider II Standoff Strike Capability

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 10, 2026

U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawks assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment approach Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic during a forward arming and refueling point exercise, MCOLF Atlantic, May 6, 2025. U.S. Army Soldiers and aircraft from the 160th SOAR utilized MCAS Cherry Point’s training area to conduct a FARP. This training is essential for enhancing the unit’s operational readiness and ensuring efficient support for rapid deployment, as Cherry Point provides the facilities and resources to simulate real world scenarios.

160th SOAR "Nightstalkers"

This Is What The Night Stalkers’ MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator Brought To The Venezuelan Op

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jan 5, 2026