The War Zone

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By Joseph Trevithick Feb 18, 2020

Proposed Facility Would Drastically Cut Down Time Required To Arm Bombers On Guam

The badly needed improvements would trim the time it takes to load weapons into a bomber's bomb bay from 11 hours to two and a half hours.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 17, 2020

DARPA Wants Millions To Design An Unmanned 'Flying Gun' Under Its New Gunslinger Program

Budget documents describe a gun-armed "missile" that would be able to engage multiple targets, either on the ground or in the air.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 17, 2020

747s Carrying Americans Exposed To Coronavirus Used New Quarantine Box For Infected Flyers

Late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen helped develop the modular system for use in worst-case scenarios after the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 17, 2020

Stripped F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jet Listed On Government Surplus Website

Even though it is still flying, the F-117's days are finally numbered, but at least some have been set aside for potential display in museums.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 16, 2020

Check Out All The Airpower On Guam For Exercise Cope North In This Exclusive Satellite Image

One of the biggest air combat exercises is underway at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam and it even looks impressive from space.

By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick Feb 15, 2020

B-52 Bomber Spotted Flying Low Just Off Somali Coast (Updated)

B-52s have a reconnaissance capability and their presence can act as a deterrent, as well as a training opportunity for U.S. and local forces.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 14, 2020

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

We can talk about youthful retiree Littoral Combat Ships, the B-1B's twilight years, geopolitics, wacky eVTOL drones—you know, no big whoop.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 14, 2020

This Is How The Air Force Gets Its New Survival Rifle To Fit Under An Ejection Seat

The Air Force has fielded 2,700 of the guns, which give fighter jet and bomber pilots extra firepower if they have to bail out over hostile territory.

By Stephen Walker Feb 14, 2020

B-1B Bombers Can No Longer Fly At Low-Level And Their Annual Flight Hours Have Been Restricted

The B-1 was never designed for perpetual combat operations and it hasn't aged gracefully. Now major limits are being put on how and when they fly.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 13, 2020

America's Elite Special Operators Want A Huge Mock Enemy Bunker Complex To Train In

The Pentagon says there's no other "feasible option" to ensure Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 can adequately train to raid these kinds of hardened sites.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 13, 2020

China's Y-20 Airlifters Make Crisis Debut Bringing Medics And Cargo To Virus Plagued Wuhan

Other aircraft took part in the operation, as well, which makes a notable surge in the Chinese military's involvement in the response to the epidemic.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 12, 2020

This Big Crazy Vertical Takeoff And Landing Drone Belongs To Toyota And May Run On Hydrogen

The exotic and somewhat mysterious unmanned aircraft was spotted undergoing testing at Mojave Air And Space Port in California.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 12, 2020

Watch This U-2 Spy Plane Make A Crazy Landing Without Its Flaps Or Speed Brakes

U-2s are notoriously challenging to land under the best conditions. A loss of key mechanical systems would make doing so even more complicated.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 12, 2020

The Claim That A New Cambodian Airfield Is Actually A Chinese Base Is Dubious At Best

A widely circulated report concludes that a new airfield near a luxury resort is a Chinese outpost, but the evidence is far from conclusive.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 12, 2020

Jets Fly Show Of Force During Gunfight Between US And Syrian Troops At Checkpoint (Updated)

Russian troops were also present at the time, underscoring just how complex things are for American forces in the country.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 11, 2020

The Navy Wants Money To Get Started On Its Future SSN(X) Attack Submarine

The Navy's goal is to design a submarine that is better-optimized for attacking other ships and subs than its existing Virginia class boats.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 11, 2020

Air Force Bails On Tri-Service Hypersonic Weapon Project As Army, Navy Ask For More Money

The Air Force will focus on a different hypersonic weapon, using a more complex boost-glide vehicle for its warhead, for its B-52 bombers.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 10, 2020

The Navy Now Wants To Retire The First Four Of Its Troublesome Littoral Combat Ships

These are exceptionally young ships to be pulled from service, underlining just how problematic and useless they truly are.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 10, 2020

Here Are The Pentagon's "Tough Choice" Cuts To Airpower As Part Of Its 2021 Budget

The Pentagon wants to reduce the aircraft fleets it already has to enhance the readiness of the remaining planes and to invest in what comes next.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 10, 2020

New Pentagon Map Shows Huge Scale Of Worrisome Russian and Chinese Naval Operations

This is our first good look at the kind of activity, especially off the East Coast of the United States, that the US military has been warning about.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 10, 2020

Iran Touts Big Ballistic Missile And Lightweight Solid Fuel Rocket Motor Leaps

The technology could lead to new and improved ballistic missile designs with greater reliability, flexibility, and added range.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 10, 2020

Help Us Decipher This Terrifying Video Of A Suicide Drone Flying Up An Armored Vehicle's Ramp (Updated)

The dramatic video may serve as yet another warning of America's glaring short-range air defense gap and the threat that low-end enemy drones pose.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 8, 2020

Gutsy Guatemalan Air Force Pilot Deserves A Raise For Flying Out This Stranded Narco Jet

The crazy departure is just part of the story. This is the third time the bogus registration N818LD has been found on Hawker 125 narco-jets.

By Tyler Rogoway Feb 7, 2020

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

We can talk about automatic doomsday machines, retiring the B-1B, geopolitics, WWI-era weapons still on the modern battlefield—you know, no big whoop.

By Joseph Trevithick Feb 7, 2020

No, The United States Doesn't Have An Automatic "Dead Hand" Trigger For Its ICBMs

If personnel in a missile alert facility are incapacitated for some reason during a crisis, it doesn't mean that the missiles launch automatically.

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