Russian Telegram channels say a Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter was down by a drone, the first time that has happened. Air

Ukraine Situation Report: Russians Say Mi-8 Hip Helicopter Was Shot Down By Drone

The Russian Mi-8 loss would be the first known successful drone attack on an airborne helicopter.

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Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has shed some more light on the status of the new sixth-generation stealth combat jet under development as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. “We’re taking a pause,” Kendall said this morning, before reiterating that while fighter at the heart of the wider NGAD initiative will have a human pilot to start with, an optionally crewed version might be developed too.

Air Force Secretary “Absolutely Confident” 6th Gen Crewed Fighter Will Move Forward (Updated)

Secretary Kendall has moved to allay fears about the future of the service’s sixth-generation combat jet as the program takes a brief pause.

Nulcear Warhead inventory released by NNSA

Just How Many Nuclear Weapons Does The U.S. Actually Have?

Newly released nuclear warhead inventory numbers give us an updated idea of the status of America's strategic arsenal.

USAF aircraft flying in formation

Colonel Tasked With Testing Future Of Air Dominance Talks Candidly About Progress And Challenges

We talk in-depth with the 53rd Wing's commander about how his team is racing to turn future air warfare concepts, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft, into reality.

North Korean NLOS missile vehicle in Ukraine

North Korean Anti-Tank Missile-Toting Vehicle Appears To Be Operating In Ukraine

The Bulsae-4 would be the first known armored vehicle and short-range anti-tank missile system provided by North Korea to Russia.

Ukrainians F-16s will immediately be able to get more out of stocks Western munitions that have already been deliverd, as well as other benefits.

F-16s Will Let Ukraine Get More Out Of Western Munitions: USAF’s Top Officer In Europe

USAF Gen. James Hecker says F-16s will give Ukraine key new capabilities in the near and long terms, but that they're not a "golden bullet."

Drone Hunter T Shirt War Zone

Commemorate F-15E Strike Eagle’s Historic Drone Hunt With This Galaga-Inspired T-Shirt

Just like any ace Galaga player, F-15E crews had to manage timing, limited missiles, and agility to stop hordes of Iranian kamikaze drones.

New Russian drone in use in Ukraine.

New Russian Long-Range Drone Appears In Ukraine

Potentially capable of flying a range of missions, the Gerbera appears to be a Russian-developed complement to the Shahed-136 series.

The US Army and US Navy recently "initiated" a test of a hypersonic weapon system, but the US military won't say whether or not it was a success or failure, or even if there was an actual launch at all.

Hypersonic Weapon Just Tested In Florida, Results Unclear

Vague details about a recently "initiated" test comes after the Army scrubbed three planned hypersonic missile launches last year.

The world awaits Israel's response after a deadly Hezbollah rocket attack on a soccer field.

World Awaits Israel’s Response To Deadly Hezbollah Rocket Attack That Hit Soccer Field

A major effort is underway behind the scenes to keep Israel from launching a major ground operation into Southern Lebanon or hitting civilian infrastructure.

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A 1950s civil defense shelter

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

Talk amongst yourselves.

Russia is gaining ground in its effort to capture the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Advancing Toward Key Logistics Hub

The Donetsk Oblast city of Pokrovsk, a bulwark against a Ukrainian collapse in the region, is a main target of Russian forces.

Greece has made good on its promise to buy F-35 stealth fighters, confirming today that it will buy an initial batch of 20 of the aircraft at a cost of around $3.5 billion. The decision is an important step in the modernization of the Hellenic Air Force, which has recently inducted other new combat aircraft types, while plans to retire older jets have also been unveiled. The move also has a particular resonance in terms of Greece’s tense relations with regional rival Turkey, which was booted out of the F-35 program, after buying Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

Greece Buying F-35s Widens Qualitative Gap With Turkey

F-35s will fly alongside Rafales and F-16s in a modernized Hellenic Air Force.

F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

The F-15EX's currently empty rear cockpit needs to be taken advantage of by adding a new kind of second crewmen, an Air Mission Commanding Officer.

Chinese H-6-series aircraft have flown off the coast of Alaska for what appears to be the first time in an important show of force along with Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers.

Chinese H-6 Missile Carrier Jets Appear For The First Time Off Alaska (Updated)

The arrival of Chinese H-6s off American shores is a major, but not unexpected landmark in China's power projection evolution.

Ukraine's low-cost acoustic drone detection network is gaining increasing interest from the U.S. and allies.

Ukraine’s Acoustic Drone Detection Network Eyed By U.S. As Low-Cost Air Defense Option

Ukraine's network of nearly 10,000 acoustic sensors has been highly effective and the U.S. Army is interested in copying it.

A C-130J on the production line in Marietta

C-130 Factory: How Iconic Hercules Airlifters Are Born

Branded Content: Inside the Marietta C-130 plant, the longest-running military aircraft production line in history.

The United Kingdom is advancing the build of a new fighter demonstrator as part of its Tempest next-generation air combat program. The demonstrator, so far only known as the Flying Technology Demonstrator, is planned to fly within the next three years and its progress in an important boost for the Tempest stealth fighter — and wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) — program, the future of which has recently begun to be questioned in some quarters.

Tempest Stealth Fighter Flying Demonstrator Takes Shape

For the first time, we have gotten a look at the Flying Technology Demonstrator that will feed into the Tempest fighter program.

General Atomics has told TWZ that it’s looking at adapting its ship-based Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear, EMALS and AAG, respectively, for use from land bases. While the company first developed EMALS and AAG for the U.S. Navy’s Ford class aircraft carriers, the growing interest in expeditionary campaigns ashore is driving new thinking about how to operate aircraft without access to large traditional runways.

Ford Class Carrier’s EMALS Catapults, AAG Arrester Gear Eyed For Land Bases

The potential of the EMALS and AAG to open up new possibilities for austere land-based operations is now being explored.

Ukraine carried out two long-range drone attacks in Russia, striking a refinery and an air base.

Ukraine Situation Report: Large Two-Pronged Drone Attack Struck Russian Refinery, Airbase

Ukraine continues to step up its long-range drone campaign against critical energy infrastructure and military airfields inside Russia.

The latest concept configuration for the tri-national next-generation Tempest fighter has been unveiled, with the latest design apparently being tailored for long-range performance combined with a significant payload capacity. The appearance of the new full-scale model comes amid growing questions about the future of the program, with the U.K. government poised to launch a major defense spending review.

Latest Tempest Fighter Concept Prioritizes Range, Payload

The latest iteration of the Tempest concept arrives amid Italian and Japanese concerns over the future of the program.

First inside look at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new VIP transport aircraft

Israel’s New 767 “Air Force One” Has Flown Its First Prime Minister Transport Mission

Netanyahu's first flight aboard the Israeli Air Force-operated 767-300ER is to Washington, D.C.

The US Secret Service is looking to buy new bolt-action sniper rifles.

Secret Service Wants New Sniper Rifles

The new modular rifles will be able to quickly switch among four different cartridges and will feature a two-to-three-pound trigger pull.

Trump is proposing an Iron Dome air defense system for the US.

Trump’s Nebulous “Iron Dome” Pledge Actually Reflects Very Real Homeland Threats

Concerns have been growing at the highest levels of government about the inadequacy of domestic air defenses, especially for countering cruise missiles and drones.

Yemen Port Strike by Israeli Air Force

Details Of Israel’s Long-Range Strike That Decimated Yemeni Port Emerge

Israeli fighters used man-in-the-loop guided weapons to destroy the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah's only large overhead dock cranes.

Israel strikes fuel depot in Houthi-held Yemen territory.

Israel Fighter Jets Carry Out Long-Range Retaliation Strike On Houthi Oil Depot In Yemen (Updated)

The attack, one of Israel's longest airstrikes, comes a day after the Houthi's first lethal long-range drone attack on Israel.

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The War Zone — also known by the shorthand TWZ — has become an essential resource for the defense industry, the national security community, and the interested public at large since it was launched in 2016.

 

From its early beginnings to the present day, TWZ’s purpose remains the same.

 

The site stands at the nexus of military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. As a full-spectrum defense news and analysis website, TWZ covers the air, sea, land, space, and cyber domains of warfare, with an infusion of geopolitical context and technological analysis to offer readers deeper, yet easy-to-consume, insights than what they will find anywhere else….

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