The War Zone

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Aggressors: Fights on!
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By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick Sep 14, 2020

Mysterious Drone Incursions Have Occurred Over U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery In Guam

It's yet another reminder of just how vulnerable highly strategic assets, even air defense systems, are to low-end drones.
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 12, 2020

Bunker Talk: Let's Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn't Cover This Week

We can talk about robot K-9s, Chinese spaceplanes, geopolitics, commoditized F-16s—you know, no big whoop.
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 11, 2020

The Little Model Shop That Played A Big Role In Killing Osama Bin Laden

Get a rare glimpse inside the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's 3-D Model Shop that makes big history with small models.
By Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick Sep 11, 2020

Two Russian MiG-29s Have Crashed In Libya According To Top American Intel Official

US Africa Command official provides dates of two MiG-29 losses and reiterates the jets’ connections to Wagner Group.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 11, 2020

U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs Are About To Go Aboard A British Carrier And They Might Be There To Stay

An Anglo-American F-35B force will be the centerpiece of the United Kingdom’s biggest carrier air group in 40 years.
By Joseph Trevithick Sep 11, 2020

MQ-9 Reaper, Howitzer, Rocket Toting F-16 All Shoot Down Mock Cruise Missiles In Huge Test

The Air Force demonstrated the non-traditional forms of cruise missile defense while testing its new super command and control network.
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 10, 2020

How This F-117 Ended Up Nesting With An F-15 Alert Jet At Portland Air Guard Base

We looked into the story behind how an F-117 ended up shoulder-to-shoulder with an F-15 in the NORAD alert facility at Portland International Airport.
By Brett Tingley Sep 10, 2020

NASA Is Hiring Private Contractors To Retrieve Moon Dust

The Moon could quickly become a site of intense competition as space-faring nations explore new possibilities in lunar mining and militarization.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 10, 2020

This Is The Royal Air Force’s First Aggressor Eurofighter Typhoon

The black jet will take on a high-end adversary role, acting as the enemy to face off against frontline Typhoon aircrews and others. 
By Joseph Trevithick Sep 10, 2020

New F-16s Will All Be Sold In A Single Base Model Configuration With A Standardized Price

Lockheed Martin says the new sales concept will save time and money, both in the contracting process and when it comes to actually producing the jets.
By Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick Sep 10, 2020

Major New Fire Is Burning In Beirut's Devastated Port

The blaze triggered panic among residents in the Lebanese capital still reeling from a massive explosion caused extreme damage to the port last month.
By Joseph Trevithick Sep 9, 2020

Check Out These Rare Infrared Images Of A Minuteman III ICBM Blasting Off

The Air Force released the images a day after it formally hired Northrop Grumman to build its next ICBMs.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 9, 2020

Iran Air Is Selling Off Part Of Its Fleet Of Vintage Western Airliners

A dozen aging Airbus and Boeing types are up for auction, although sanctions against Tehran make any potential deal difficult.
By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway Sep 9, 2020

Trump Discloses Supposed Existence Of A Secret New Nuclear Weapon System To Bob Woodward

Other sources reportedly confirmed that the weapon system does exist, but declined to get into specifics.
By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway Sep 8, 2020

China's Secret Spacecraft Looks To Have Landed At This Remote Base With A Massive Runway

The craft, which is thought to be a spaceplane designed to land on a traditional runway, also appears to have launched a small payload into orbit.
By Thomas Newdick and Joseph Trevithick Sep 8, 2020

Video Reportedly Shows Russian Pilot On The Ground In Libya After Ejecting

An Mi-24 Hind helicopter, which is supposedly coming to rescue them, is also seen in the footage.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 7, 2020

India Claims To Have Successfully Tested A Hypersonic Scramjet Powered Vehicle

Details surrounding the test remain limited, but if it was successful as claimed, it formally marks India's entrance into the hypersonic weapons race.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 7, 2020

Austria Wants To Offload Its Unwanted Eurofighter Typhoons On Indonesia

Transferring the Typhoons could provide Indonesia with a useful stopgap fighter, but threatens to leave Austrian airspace unprotected.
By Brett Tingley and Tyler Rogoway Sep 7, 2020

The Air Force Just Tested "Robot Dogs" For Use In Base Security

The quadrupedal robots secured the perimeter of a base during a recent test of the USAF's Advanced Battle Management System. 
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 6, 2020

The Army Is Working To Field A Ground-Launched Strike Version Of The Navy's SM-6 Missile

The missile already has latent land and ship attack capabilities that could be swiftly adapted for the Army's post-INF treaty needs. 
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 6, 2020

This Video Of F/A-18s Refueling From A KC-130 Near A Lightning Storm Is Sinister As Hell

The video has one of the most dramatic backdrops we have ever seen and a very relevant soundtrack, as well.
By Tyler Rogoway Sep 5, 2020

Bunker Talk: Let's Chat About All The Stories We Did And Didn't Cover This Week

We can talk about jetpack-equipped bandits, China's expanding missile arsenal, geopolitics, near misses with Russian Flankers—you know, no big whoop.
By Joseph Trevithick Sep 4, 2020

MQ-9 Reaper Flies With AI Pod That Sifts Through Huge Sums Of Data To Pick Out Targets

The system is designed to help parse through mountains of intelligence data quickly so that operators only get data-linked objects of interest.
By Thomas Newdick Sep 4, 2020

U.S. Confirms China Has Launched What Could Be Its Version Of The X-37B Spaceplane

The reusable experimental spacecraft was launched into space on a secret mission from Inner Mongolia earlier today.
By Joseph Trevithick Sep 4, 2020

B-52 Bombers Fly Unprecedented Patrol Along Edge Of Russian-Controlled Territory In Ukraine (Updated)

American and British spy planes lurked in the Black Sea during the B-52's highly unique visit to Ukrainian airspace.
Must Read Features
Setting The Record Straight On Why Fighter Jets Can't All Simply Fly Away To Escape Storms
Oct 13, 2018 5:57 PM
The Mysterious Case Of The F-117 Nighthawk's Flip-Down Radar Locators
Apr 21, 2017 3:58 PM
Navy Presents Revealing F-35 Helmet Display Videos And Flight Test Dangers 
Jul 10, 2017 8:03 AM
Meet Israel’s 'Suicide Squad' of Self-Sacrificing Drones
Aug 8, 2016 8:28 PM
What U.S. Submariners Actually Say About Detection Of So-Called Unidentified Submerged Objects
Jan 3, 2019 9:34 PM
King Tut’s Mysterious Black Dagger Was Truly out of This World
Jun 3, 2016 4:20 PM
Airwolf Pretty Much Shaped My Life And It Turns 35 Years Old Today
Jan 22, 2019 8:49 PM
Israel Is Testing An Air-To-Air Variant Of Its Dolphin-Nosed Stunner Missile
Jun 2, 2017 4:58 PM
The Pentagon Has Slowly Fallen In Love With H&K's Take On The AR-15
Feb 24, 2017 4:54 PM
This A-10 Warthog Ground Trainer Still Has A 'Tickler' Muzzle Device On Its Cannon (Updated)
Nov 27, 2018 9:16 PM
Reagan Invited Thatcher To Join The Top Secret F-117 Program
Jan 3, 2017 10:10 PM
Air Force Aggressor Squadron Has A Surprising Secondary Mission
Jun 12, 2017 5:00 PM
The U.S. Coast Guard May Be Flying a Unique Stealthy Spy Plane
Jul 6, 2017 2:44 PM
This Haunting WWII Photo Sums Up Our Veterans' Perseverance And Sacrifice
Nov 11, 2019 7:50 PM
Now the Head Of the USAF Is Jumping On the F-22 Production Re-Start Bandwagon
May 26, 2016 7:00 PM
Pocket Force Of Stealthy Avenger Drones May Have Made Returning F-117s To Service Unnecessary
Mar 5, 2019 7:22 PM
The Time When A Burning B-52 Nearly Caused A Nuclear Catastrophe "Worse than Chernobyl"
Sep 20, 2019 2:56 PM
Leaving Nuclear Weapons In Turkey Is Just Poor Strategy
Aug 16, 2016 8:15 PM
US Navy Destroyers And Royal Navy Ships Use These Big Blow-Up Anti-Ship Missile Decoys
Mar 12, 2019 12:16 PM
News
Tesla Battery Day: Musk Promises Double the Range from New Design and a $25,000 EV
Sep 22, 2020 7:42 PM
Tesla Model S Plaid Promises Over 520 Miles of Range to One-Up The Lucid Air By Three Miles
Sep 22, 2020 9:31 PM
The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line Shows Off Its Faster Look
Sep 22, 2020 7:30 PM
The 2021 BMW M3 and M4 Better Be Amazing to Drive Because Damn
Sep 22, 2020 6:01 PM
There's a Jeep Wrangler Dangling Off a Cliff in California After Some Fool Drove Up a Bike Trail
Sep 22, 2020 4:02 PM
It’s Always a Great Day When There’s a New 1,973-HP Electric Lotus Evija Testing Video
Sep 22, 2020 3:00 PM
Leave Civilization in This Massive Semi-Submersible Boat for Just $750
Sep 22, 2020 2:30 PM
BMW Sold a Real Version of James Bond's E38 7 Series, and We've Got the Owner's Manual
Sep 22, 2020 2:01 PM
The 2021 Kia Sorento Is a Three-Row SUV That Delivers Up to 37 MPG
Sep 22, 2020 2:00 PM
2021 Acura RDX PMC Edition Looks Like McLaren Built an Orange Crossover
Sep 22, 2020 1:00 PM
See All