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TWZ. Where the cutting-edge of military technology, tactics, strategy, and geopolitics collide.

In a decisive moment for U.S. military testing and evaluation capabilities, Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) successfully supported a full-scale, live-fire hypersonic warhead test out of a cannon base test system, establishing a critical testing capability for modern national security initiatives. U.S. Army

Army Revives Giant Cannon to Advance Hypersonic Testing

The Army is transforming its canceled long-range supergun into a test platform that could speed hypersonic development while reducing reliance on costly flight tests.

Latest News

President Donald Trump ordered a redo of the White House helipad construction project.
VH-92

Trump Orders White House Helipad Construction Redo: Report

The helipad was initially expected to be finished by the time Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in September

Iran is seeking to cement its hold on the Strait of Hormuz as a shaky ceasefire enters a sixth day.
Iran

Iran And Oman Working To Control Strait Of Hormuz, Shaky Ceasefire Still Holding

The U.S. and Iran aren’t exchanging blows as Trump says he’s given his final chance at a deal, and the strait remains the most urgent sticking point.

The U.S. Air Force's X-62A test jet was able to use its artificial intelligence (AI) driven 'brain' to autonomously spot and track other aircraft in flight, and then move to intercept them, in recent testing.
U.S. Air Force

X-62A Toting Infrared Search And Track Pod Used Its AI ‘Brain’ To Autonomously Intercept An ‘Enemy’ T-38

Being able to autonomously use onboard sensor data to engage aerial threats is exactly what the USAF wants from its future CCA drones.

TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG).
Carrier Tracker

Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: August 3, 2026

USS George Washington visits Vietnam, the first time a U.S. carrier has done so since 2023, meanwhile two carriers hold the blockade line in the Arabian Sea.

Future subvariants of the U.S. Navy Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) fitted with Virginia Payload Modules (VPM) will now be categorized as guided missile types (SSGN) instead.
Virginia Class

Stretched Virginia Class Recategorized As Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)

The Navy will no longer categorize enlarged Virginia Block V and VI types as attack submarines ahead of Ohio class guided missile boats’ retirements.

A Russian navy submarine is seen in the Bay of Sevastopol on March 9, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Western leaders that the government of Crimea, which wants to hold a referendum on breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia, is a legitimate body, the Kremlin said.
Russian Navy

This Soviet Sub’s Bizarre ‘Double-Barrel’ Bow Was Built To Test Exotic Weapons

The strange looking testbed helped develop Soviet submarine-launched missile-torpedoes during the Cold War.

Lockheed Martin has unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE), a lower-cost interceptor for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. By leveraging the existing PAC-3 fire-control architecture and Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), the company says the new interceptor will cost less than half as much as the in-production PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) while providing a rapidly fielded, high-volume option for defeating aircraft, cruise missiles, and shorter-range ballistic missile threats.
U.S. Army

PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector Is Lockheed’s New Low-Cost Patriot Interceptor

PAC-3 ACE is around half the price of a current PAC-3 MSE and still has the ability to engage short-range ballistic missiles.

Ukraine, short on Patriot interceptors, can't down Russian ballistic missiles.
Russia

Pentagon’s Ability To Supply Ukraine With More Patriot Interceptors Questioned By Congress (Updated)

The Senate action comes amid deep concerns about how the U.S. can provide enough Patriot interceptors for itself and allies.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX a $4.16B deal to help accelerate work on what could be a game-changing space-based air moving-target indicator (AMTI) sensor network.
U.S. Space Force

Pentagon’s Plans To Track Aircraft From Orbit Accelerated With New $4B SpaceX Deal

A satellite network to track aircraft could offer unprecedented ability to surveil the skies globally and make AEW&C aircraft redundant.

Lockheed Martin’s Master Plan For Accelerating Munitions Production

Lockheed Martin’s Master Plan For Accelerating Munitions Production

Branded Content: A holistic approach to ramping production of missiles aims to meet exploding demand and the Pentagon’s new way of doing business.

BARB is a robot that helps build Pratt & Whitney engines.
Air

Meet BARB, The Robot That’s A Glimpse At Future Jet Engine Assembly

There’s a new laborer on Pratt & Whitney’s jet engine production line, and it doesn’t need lunch breaks or vacation days.

Raytheon has called attention to a new domestic order for PAC-2-series interceptors for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. This is the first time the U.S. military has not bought any new PAC-2s in more than 30 years, according to the company.
U.S. Army

U.S. Army Is Buying Older PAC-2 Patriot Missiles For The First Time In Decades

PAC-2 GEM-T missiles are not generally as capable as their PAC-3 counterparts, but the Army needs all the Patriots it can get.

F-35 crashed at MCAS miramar.
F-35B

F-35B Crashes And Burns At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (Updated)

The F-35B crashed near the end of the runway at the sprawling Marine Corps base at around 10AM local time.

Turkish Aerospace has released new footage showing the second airworthy prototype of its next-generation KAAN fighter successfully conducting powered taxi tests, marking the latest milestone in the aircraft’s flight-test campaign and signaling that another maiden flight is now approaching.
Turkish Air Force

Turkey’s Latest Kaan Fighter Prototype Begins Taxi Tests

The P1 aircraft begins powered taxi testing as Turkish Aerospace pushes toward multiple flying prototypes.

The U.S. Air Force Reserve's 442nd Fighter Wing is now set to transition to the F-15E Strike Eagle after retiring the last of its A-10 Warthog ground attack jets.
U.S. Air Force

F-15Es Replacing A-10s At Whiteman AFB Signals Bigger Realignment Of Eagle Fleet

A surprise plan to transfer Strike Eagles to the Reserves could be a preview of how a much larger F-15EX fleet will be assigned.

A new AN/SPY-6(V)4 radar is now installed at the U.S. Navy's land-based test site at Wallops Island in Virginia.
U.S. Navy

New Radar Delivery Pushes Arleigh Burke Destroyer Modernization Work Toward Next Phase

The USS Pinckney is first in line to get the new AN/SPY‑6(V)4 radar, a key part of a larger upgrade package.

Rheinmetall has unveiled the GMF 140, a new 140-meter guided missile frigate aimed at NATO and allied navies seeking a next-generation surface combatant with integrated air and missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and long-range strike capabilities.
NATO

German Defense Giant Rheinmetall Enters The Frigate Market

The warship design appears tailored to sit between the capabilities of a lower-end frigate and a guided-missile destroyer, with an eye on the North American market.

The number of ships requesting escorts from Operation Aspides in the Red Sea has spiked, the head of the task force tells us.
Red Sea

Red Sea Maritime Security Task Force Commander Talks Major Jump In Escort Requests (Updated)

The danger to Red Sea shipping has increased once again after the Houthis began attacking Saudi tankers.

More Latest News

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Garret Burgess, 490th Missile Squadron nuclear and missile operations officer, pulls a blast door inside a launch control center at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, April 11, 2026. The blast door secures access to the underground Launch Control Center, where missileers maintain continuous command and control of assigned intercontinental ballistic missile forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Teniya Caldwell)
Bunker Talk

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

Do you have a metallic taste in your mouth too?

The U.S. Navy has shared new details about its vision for a new family of modular surface-to-air missiles that is expected to include a version that will arm future variants of the Virginia class submarine.
Virginia Class

U.S. Navy Is Seeking A Submarine Launched Anti-Air Missile

The Navy has a plan for a revolutionary modular surface-to-air missile arsenal, and submarines are intended to be added as launch platforms.

A pair of previously unseen missiles slung beneath the wings of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Mitsubishi F-2 fighter underscores the progress Tokyo is making on expanding its long-range strike arsenal. While the weapon has not been officially identified, its size, configuration, and timing strongly suggest it could be the air-launched version of Japan’s new Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Missile (25SSM).
Japan Air Self Defense Force

Japanese F-2 Fighter Appears With New Large Stealth Cruise Missile Under Its Wings

The previously unseen missile could be the air-launched Type 25, dramatically expanding the F-2’s standoff strike reach.

Japan fires a Tlam for the first time.
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force

Japan Has Officially Joined The Tomahawk Cruise Missile Club

Japan has fired its first Tomahawk from one of its destroyers, ushering in a new era of long-range cruise missile capability.

A view of the Chinese Type 052D guided missile destroyer from the Seasats Lightfish uncrewed surface vessel.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

Chinese Destroyer’s Encounter With U.S. Drone Boat Highlights Future Rules Of Engagement Issues

As small uncrewed surface vessels proliferate, the threat they potentially pose will grow, and rules of engagement will have to adapt.

Evidence has emerged indicating that China’s feared YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile is now also being fielded aboard the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Type 052D class destroyers. These warships are far more numerous than the Type 055 ‘super destroyers,’ on which the missile was previously integrated, suggesting that the PLAN intends to distribute the weapon across a much broader portion of its surface fleet rather than reserving it exclusively for its largest combatants.
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

China Fires YJ-20 Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile From Smaller Destroyer

Putting YJ-20s on Type 052D destroyers, not just the giant Type 055, distributes the capability across many more hulls and potentially a much larger area.

The U.S. Air Force says a prototype jet engine developed under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program could be ready for integration onto an actual aircraft in 2030.
F-47

Will The F-47 Have To Fly Initially With Inferior Engines?

The timelines for a next-gen fighter engine and the F-47 appear out of sync, which could lead to a stop-gap engine, something with historical precedent.

A Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA assigned to the Royal Saudi Air Force, Weapons School, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, takes off for a Red Flag-Nellis 22-2 mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 14, 2022. During Red Flag 2022 the aggressor nation refines threat replication, applies advanced threats and jamming capabilities, and increases threat capabilities to maximize training in non-permissive environments (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Iran

Trump Vows Revenge For Iranian Missile Attack, U.S. And Saudis Join Forces To Strike Iraq (Updated)

Meanwhile, the Houthis mull tolling the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and a new report underlines America’s interceptor stockpile woes.

Rolls-Royce delivering critical propulsion milestones and utilising lessons learnt through the Orpheus demonstrator to progress the design of the GCAP engine demonstrator.
Fighters

Singapore Reportedly Looking Toward 6th Gen Fighter Future With Interest In GCAP Program

Singapore is yet to receive its first F-35s, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that the strategically located city-state has an eye on what comes next.

After more than 42 years of service as one of America’s most potent power-projection platforms, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia has returned home from operations for the final time ahead of its retirement.
Ohio Class (SSGN variant)

Prized Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine USS Georgia Heading Into Retirement (Updated)

The Navy’s Ohio guided missile submarines are heavily in demand, but all are set to be gone from active service within the next three years.

The U.S. Marine Corps just received the last of its 359 MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
MV-22

USMC Just Took Delivery Of Its Last MV-22 Osprey

The MV-22s, which were first operational in 2007, are expected to keep flying until 2055.

Boeing has taken a fresh $280 million loss on work to deliver two newly converted and fully equipped VC-25B Air Force One presidential aircraft to the U.S. Air Force.
Air Force One

Boeing Has Now Eaten $3B In Air Force One Cost Overruns

Boeing says it is once again paying out of pocket to ensure the first fully-equipped VC-25B jet is finally delivered in 2028, many years late.

Fleet tracker for the week of July 28th 2026.
Carrier Tracker

Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: July 28, 2026

The U.S. may have paused its strike campaign against Iran, for now, but the revived naval blockade remains in full effect.

Just days after the U.S. military publicly acknowledged using kamikaze drone boats in combat for the first time, the Navy has confirmed that its GARC uncrewed surface vessel (USV) took part in its first live-fire strike. The kamikaze drone boat was employed during RIMPAC 2026, attacking the former USS Peleliu in the exercise’s high-profile SINKEX.
U.S. Navy

Navy’s GARC Kamikaze Drone Boat Blew A Hole In Ex-USS Peleliu During Sinking Exercise

Just days after the Navy’s first combat use of a kamikaze USV, RIMPAC saw one take center stage during the sinking of an amphibious assault ship.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division enter a cave to conduct Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) operations during Rotation 25-11 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Sep. 16, 2025. Rotations at the National Training Center ensure Army Brigade Combat Teams remain versatile, responsive, and consistently available for current and future contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jeffrey Garland, Operations Group, National Training Center)
Bunker Talk

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

Is the sky still red out there?

03 September 2025, China, Peking: Unmanned underwater drones ride along on military transporters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: Johannes Neudecker/dpa (Photo by Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images)
People's Liberation Army Navy (China)

U.S. Coast Guard Seeking Technology To Hunt And Kill Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles

The risk of attacks on ships in port and harbor infrastructure from UUVs is growing and the USCG wants defensive solutions.

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TWZ — previously known as The War Zone — 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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