The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft piloted by Airmen from the 556 Test and Evaluation Squadron flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range and performs live-fire exercises with Air-to-Ground Missile-114 Hellfire missiles and Guided Bomb Unit-12 Paveway IIs, Aug. 30, 2023. The 556 TES performs all software and physical testing to improve the combat capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper. U.S. Air Force

MQ-9 Reaper Replacement Requirements Stress A Drone Cheap Enough To Risk Losing

The Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper successor will trade survivability for lower cost, broader missions, and mass production.

Latest News

The Pentagon has outlined plans to acquire at least 10,000 lower-cost cruise missiles over the next three years, as well as a similar number of relatively 'cheap' Blackbeard hypersonic missiles.
Land-Based Conventional Hypersonic Weapons

10,000 Low-Cost Cruise Missiles In Three Years Procurement Plan Laid Out By Pentagon (Updated)

The U.S. military now also plans on buying 12,000 ‘cheap’ hypersonic missiles as part of a larger push to bolster munitions inventories.

The UAE is building so-called ‘cope cages’ around oil storage tanks to protect them against Iranian attacks.
UAE

UAE Building Massive ‘Cope Cages’ To Protect Energy Facilities From Iranian Drone Attacks

The move comes after the UAE has been hit by thousands of Iranian missiles and drones that have heavily damaged parts of its oil and gas infrastructure.

It could cost nearly $1.2 trillion to develop, field, and operate a new missile defense shield like the one the Trump administration proposes to establish under its Golden Dome initiative, according to a new estimate.
War In Space

7,800 Interceptors In Space At Core Of $1.2 Trillion Golden Dome Cost Estimate

This massive undertaking in low Earth orbit would still only be able to engage 10 ICBMs simultaneously, according to the CBO.

Facing with a growing threat from Hezbollah, the IDF is building its own drone factory.
Israel

Israel Building Factory To Pump Out Its Own FPV Drones

The IDF is racing to catch up to Hezbollah’s increasing use of these weapons, which has taken a grim toll on its forces in Lebanon.

The Pentagon says it is working to amend its proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget to request new funding for the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.
U.S. Air Force

Pentagon’s Mindset On E-7 Radar Aircraft It Tried To Axe Has Completely Changed: Hegseth

E-7s to replace the Air Force’s dwindling and aging fleet of E-3s are even more sorely needed now after one of the latter was lost to an Iranian attack.

On May 12, President Putin received a report on the successful test of the Sarmat missile.
Russia

Russia Plans To Deploy Sarmat ICBM Operationally Later This Year

The news came after Moscow claimed it successfully tested Sarmat, which has been beset by technical issues and delays.

The U.S. Marine Corps is working toward adding an active protection system (APS) capability to its fleet of 8x8 wheeled Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV).
Amphibious Vehicles

Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicles To Get Missile-Swatting Active Protection Systems

Active Protection Systems will give Marine ACVs a critical new layer of defense against anti-armor threats that could also help down incoming drones.

U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and U.S. Navy Sailors prepare to land a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter during UNITAS 2025, aboard the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24), off the coast of North Carolina, Sept. 25, 2025. UNITAS, which is Latin for “unity,” was conceived in 1959 and has taken place annually since first conducted in 1960. This year marks the 66th iteration of the world’s longest running annual multinational maritime exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Orlanys Diaz Figueroa)
CH-53K

Confidence In CH-53K King Stallion Grows Ahead Of First Operational Deployment

Going to sea with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a prelude to the CH-53K hitting full-rate production, planned for FY 2029.

China is America's military equal now and in any future fight, warns a top Marine general.
China

China is America’s Military Equal Now And In Any Future Fight, Marine General Warns

Faced with the rapidly growing China threat, the U.S. has to start hardening its bases now, said Marine Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka.

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

The Coast Guard is putting all of its specialized forces under a single headquarters as demand for their services is at an all-time high.

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.
Loitering Munitions

Super-Adaptable Mayhem 10 Swarming Drone Evolved From The Switchblade

AeroVironment’s Mayhem 10 is highly-modular and can seek and destroy enemy radars, jam comms, reconnoiter, strike armor and more.

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.
FLRAA

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

A new rendering shows an MV-75 with special operations-specific features like a radar, other sensors, and in-flight refueling capability.

Gdynia, Poland 28th, July 2014 Scenes at the 43rd Polish Naval Air Base airport in Gdynia - Babie Doly. The Naval Aviation Brigade has been established in 1994 and it is the only naval aviation tactical unit in The Polish Military. The objective of Naval Aviation Brigade is to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search-and-rescue (SAR), reconnaissance, ecological and transport operations. The Navy aircraft and helicopters are stationed and operations from three airfields located in Gdynia Babie Doly, Siemirowice and Darlowo. PZL M28B Bryza aircraft sits at the airbase.
Polish Air Force

Drone-Hunting M28 Skytruck In The Works For Poland

With the Ukrainian An-28 reportedly highly effective in the role, Poland is converting its similar M28 for the counter-drone mission.

The ARRW program has not only reemerged from purgatory, with missiles being ordered for operational use, but a new variant is on the horizon.
ARRW

New Version Of Bomber-Launched ARRW Hypersonic Missile Is A Ship Killer

The USAF is moving to start work on a new ARRW variant able to hit moving targets with an eye toward future fights in the Pacific.

A Pilatus PC-12 from the 318th Special Operations Squadron practices touch-and-go maneuvers at Truth or Consequences, N.M., January 24, 2019. The 318th Squadron primarily flies with the U-28A aircraft, however they use the PC-12 as a practice aircraft. (U.S. photo by Airman 1st Class Vernon R. Walter III)
Typhoon

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Aircraft Accused Of Austrian Airspace Incursion

Austria says it scrambled Eurofighters two days in a row to intercept U.S. military aircraft, likely U-28As operated by Air Force Special Operations Command.

The IRGC Navy announced a vastly expanded zone of control in the Strait of Hormuz.
Persian Gulf

IRGC Navy Claims Vast Expansion In Its Definition Of Strait Of Hormuz (Updated)

It remains unclear how the IRGC will enforce its tenfold increase in what it considers the Strait.

The U.S. Navy says its future Trump class battleships are now set to be nuclear-powered. This is a huge development that will impact the cost and complexity of the design.
U.S. Navy

Trump Class Battleships Will Be Nuclear Powered (Updated)

Equipping the Trump class with nuclear propulsion presents benefits, but also massive challenges, and Navy officials had been pushing back against the idea.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at a ground invasion of Iran to recover highly enriched uranium.
Iran

Possibility Of Operation To Retrieve Iran’s Enriched Uranium Appears To Rise As Negotiations Sputter (Updated)

Both Trump and Netanyahu made comments in the last 24 hours that point to a possible high-risk operation to snatch Iran’s nuclear material.

More Latest News

The Project 21980 vessel is described by Russia as multi-purpose anti-saboteur boats. Primarily designed to protect ports and other naval installations, they are used by the Russian Navy as well as the Border Service. Around 30 of the vessels have been completed since 2008.
Russian Navy

Anti-Drone “Cope Cage” Appears On Russian Patrol Boat

Ukrainian drone attacks on naval targets are driving the development of new defenses, but overhead screens alone have dwindling efficacy.

The U.S. Air Force says it does not expect the last of its huge C-5M Galaxy cargo planes to be replaced by a Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) platform until Fiscal Year 2050.
C-5

C-5 Galaxies Now Slated To Keep Flying Until 2050 As Readiness Plummets To 37 Percent

Nothing in the USAF’s inventory can do what a C-5 can, but even after costly upgrades, they remain extremely temperamental.

Where Are The Carriers As Of May 11, 2026: 20 Warships Enforce Iran Blockade
Carrier Tracker

Where Are The Carriers As Of May 11, 2026: 20 Warships Enforce Iran Blockade

Meanwhile, USS Nimitz has made a stop in Rio as part of its circumnavigation of South America and repositioning cruise to Norfolk.

Iranian ship struck by super hornet firing weapon down a smokestack.
Iran

F/A-18 Super Hornet Drops Bombs Down Smokestacks Of Iranian Tankers Running Blockade (Updated)

The attack comes as the UAE claims it was struck again by Iran and hours after the U.S. and Iran exchanged blows.

Soldiers with Bravo Company, Task Force Guardian, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, secure a bunker in an enemy fortified entrenchment during the initial phase of combat operations as part of an exercise during the Joint ReadinessTraining Center (JRTC) rotation 24-09 at Fort Johnson, La., July 18, 2024. Task Force Guardian is comprised of personnel from 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry; 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry; and the 141st Brigade Support Battalion. The JRTC goal is to create realistic environments that help prepare units for complex operations. (Oregon Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Zachary Holden, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Bunker Talk

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

Concrete is the new black.

The U.S. government has released 162 declassified videos, pictures, and documents regarding so-called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), which are also still commonly referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFO).
UAP

The Newly Released Government UFO Archives Will Leave You Shrugging

The latest release of records follows years of muddled messaging and controversial claims on a topic with real national security implications.

Iranian media reports an island in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked
Iran

U.S. Just Struck Iranian Targets Around The Strait Of Hormuz (Updated)

U.S. Central Command says it carried out the strikes in retaliation to Iranian attacks on its forces.

The Air Force is now looking to conduct a formal review of its requirements to see whether the development of a successor to the B-52 might be warranted, and potentially sooner rather than later.
B-52

USAF Is Going To Explore What Will Finally Replace The B-52

The USAF plans to keep its B-52s until they are nearly a century old, but they cannot fly forever, and costs are already skyrocketing on key upgrades.

An F-14D Tomcat pulls up after performing a fly-by past the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) as the ship operates in the Atlantic Ocean on June 19, 2006.
F-14

My God… The F-14 Tomcat May Actually Fly Again Over The United States (Updated)

Long regarded as a flight of fancy, the “Maverick Act” could put an F-14 back into operation in the U.S. for the first time in 20 years.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, specially painted to mark 40 years since Operation Eldorado Canyon, the raid on Libya, has taken to the air.
F-15

Camouflaged F-15E Painted To Mark F-111’s Libya Raid Blasts Through Mach Loop On First Flight

Hauling eight inert GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, the F-15E painted for the anniversary of Operation El Dorado Canyon made a low-level flight through Wales.

U.S. Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet blasted an Iranian ship running the blockade.(
Iran

F/A-18 Super Hornet Blasts Blockade-Running Iranian Ship’s Rudder With 20mm Cannon (Updated)

The Super Hornet strafing the ship is the latest instance where the Navy used direct fire to disable Iranian ships trying to run the blockade.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer performs a functional check flight in a stripped, bare-metal configuration over Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Feb. 26, 2026. The aircraft was undergoing depot maintenance after being removed from long-term storage and is part of an effort to return the bomber to service.
B-1

B-1B “Apocalypse II” Out Of The Boneyard And Back In Service

After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service.

NSM sinks target ship in Luzon strait.
Japan

Missiles Clobber Target Ship In Highly Strategic Luzon Strait

The ex-Philippine Navy warship was sent to the bottom during high-profile Luzon Strait drills and amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions.

Iran has attacked the UAE again as fragile ceasefire continues to hold.
Iran

New Iranian Attacks On UAE As Ceasefire Holds By A Thread (Updated)

Joint Chiefs Chairman says Iran attacked U.S. forces 10 times during the ceasefire.

The compact version of the AIM-9X is being developed with a focus on increased magazine depth when carried internally by "advanced aircraft," while also offering improved range and performance.
U.S. Air Force

Smaller AIM-9X Sidewinder For Stealthy Weapons Bays Is In Development

More compact AIM-9Xs will allow aircraft to carry more at once and make them easier to fit at all inside the weapons bays of future drones.

Rearming U.S. Navy warships at sea might be a new mission for its pair of Montford Point class expeditionary transfer dock ships.
Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)

Navy’s Unwanted Sea Base Ship Will Test At-Sea Rearming Of Warships

At-sea reloading demonstrated by USNS Montford Point could be key in a future fight in the Pacific and give these ships a new lease on life.

See More

Must Read Features

The Soviet-Era Hurricane High-Speed Missile Boat Had Absolutely Gargantuan Hydrofoils
Cold War

The Soviet-Era Hurricane High-Speed Missile Boat Had Absolutely Gargantuan Hydrofoils

U.S. Navy

Navy’s Super Hornet Boss On The Jet’s Game-Changing Infrared Search And Track Sensor

Virginia Class

Check Out This Sailor Holding A Laser Rifle Aboard The Nuclear Submarine USS Minnesota

Bombers

There Is A Magical Place Called Bomber Camp Where B-17s And B-24s Still Drop Bombs

SEE MORE

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….

More About Us

The TWZ Team