Tech & Tactics

News, explainers, and analysis about military tech and tactics.

Latest in Tech & Tactics

Image: U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Nov. 23, 2025) Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operating area, Nov. 23. The LUCAS platforms are part of a one-way attack drone squadron CENTCOM recently deployed to the Middle East to strengthen regional security and deterrence. (Courtesy Photo)

Iran strike marks first time US used new one-way attack drones in combat

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted 4 Hours Ago

U.S. Army Spc. Israel Arreguin with the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 759th Military Police Battalion, assigned to Joint Task Force - Southern Border and a Border Patrol agent conduct detection and monitoring operations from an observation post near Wellton, Ariz., April 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force – Southern Border aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity and is responsible for full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations, which will allow for more effective and efficient DoD operations. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Erica Esterly)

Military shoots down Customs and Border Protection drone with a laser

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted Yesterday

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 11: A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is displayed on the National Mall in preparations for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army on June 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Fight over military aviation safety reform stalls in Congress

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 24, 2026

Image: A Soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Division maneuvers a drone on the Hunter/Killer Lane during the U.S.Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition on Feb. 18, 2026, in Huntsville, Ala. Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers began competing for the top warfighter while showcasing their agility, adaptability, and lethality as they adapt to the evolving modern battlefield. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michelle Lessard-Terry)

The Army crowns the winners of its first drone competition

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 22, 2026

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Lauren Sweitzer, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, marshals an E-3 Sentry, assigned to the 968th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, March 6, 2022. The aircraft provides an accurate, real-time picture of the battlespace to the Joint Air Operations Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ross)

As aging Air Force AWACS heads to Middle East, where is its replacement?

Posted on Feb 20, 2026

An AH-64E Apache crew, assigned to 1-3 Attack Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, prepares to engage during aerial gunnery training at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Oct. 2, 2025. Gunnery qualifications are a cornerstone of their ability to provide a lethal and credible aviation force to U.S. Army Europe and Africa, essential for maintaining the combat readiness and lethality of 1-3 Attack Battalion. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Josefina Garcia)

Army successfully tests Apache with new ammunition meant to shred drone swarms

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 17, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departs Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 6, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

US sends Ford aircraft carrier, fresh off Venezuela operations, to the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 14, 2026

Marine AH-1Z Viper helicopter armed with Red Wolf launched effects.

Marine attack helicopters will now be able to hit targets 200 miles away with a missile

Posted on Feb 13, 2026

Caption: An A-10 Warthog flies by for close-air support while taking part in live-fire training with the USS Santa Barbara on Feb. 2, 2026. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page.

A-10 and LCS, both headed for retirement, spotted together in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 10, 2026

Image: Coast Guard members conduct personal watercraft interdiction training at Coronado Beach, California, Jan. 15, 2026. The training is part of The Office of Rapid Response and Prototyping (CG-RAPTOR) Coast Guard program, which identifies, tests and deploys new technologies, including tactical personal watercraft. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Roberto Nieves)

The Coast Guard is now using ‘tactical’ jet skis

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 9, 2026

Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing refuel and rearm an F-35 Lightning II during a Distributed Integrated Combat Turn (D-ICT) exercise, June 12, 2025, at Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Mass. The D-ICT allows for rapid refueling and rearming of fighter aircraft to increase sortie generation and mission readiness. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Jay Hewitt)

Air Force bans smart glasses for troops in uniform

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 6, 2026

Fighter Aircraft

Navy pilot to receive Medal of Honor nearly 75 years after shooting down 4 MiGs

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Feb 5, 2026

Special operators conduct training in austere conditions near Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, on May 9, 2023, in support of exercise ARCTIC EDGE 2023. ARCTIC EDGE 2023 (AE23) is a U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. military's capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andrew Adams)

A brief history of the US military’s presence in Greenland

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Feb 5, 2026

Image: U.S. Air Force loadmasters with the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron load cargo onto a C-130J Super Hercules at Manda Bay, Kenya, May 2, 2025. As U.S. Air Forces Africa’s sole airlift unit, the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron provides C-130 tactical airlift support to multiple users in East Africa, including aeromedical evacuation, logistical movements, alert aircrews, and aircraft for crisis response and humanitarian operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Kevin Ray J. Salvador)

US starts $70 million upgrade to Kenyan airfield used in Somalia operations

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 1, 2026

A U.S. Army paratrooper assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade learns to operate the Dronebuster Block 4 at Caserma Ederle, Italy, Dec. 2, 2025. The Dronebuster Block 4 is a hand-held counter-unmanned aerial system designed to detect, disrupt and defeat commercial off-the-shelf drone threats, strengthening the brigade’s ability to counter emerging aerial risks. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to U.S. European, African and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward-stationed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains with NATO allies and partners to enhance interoperability and readiness. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jennifer French)

Pentagon gives base commanders more control on countering drones

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Feb 1, 2026

The Air Force is in the middle of replacing its aging rescue helicopter fleet. But the number it plans to buy has been cut.

The big problem facing Air Force combat search and rescue

Posted on Jan 30, 2026