Tech & Tactics

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

Latest in Tech & Tactics

F-15s in Middle East

F-15 squadron that took out Iranian drones returns to the Middle East

By Jeff Schogol

Posted 3 Hours Ago

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Jan. 30, 2024) Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class James Burrous, from Richmond, Texas, assembles a toilet for replacement aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), while in-port Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Jan. 30. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Kyree Rogers)

The toilets on the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier keep failing

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 17, 2026

CV-22 Ospreys assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron (SOS) approach an MC-130J Commando II for aerial refueling over the Sea of Japan, Mar. 17th, 2023. The 21st SOS utilizes the unique capabilities of the Osprey to conduct long range infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply missions for special operation forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Trevor Gordnier)

Air Force crew reacted rapidly to sudden power failure in Osprey mishap

Posted on Jan 13, 2026

From left, Maj. Gen. Winston Brooks, Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Sartain, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Augustin, and Maj. Benjamin Page shake the hands of soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery regiment as they board a plane at the Lawton Fort Sill Regional Airport on May 2, 2024.

The Army wants soldiers to travel less for training, do more in virtual reality

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 13, 2026

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 19, 2025) A U.S. Air Force chaplain prays over an A-10 Thunderbolt II at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, 2025. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

An A-10 taking part in Syria airstrikes sports ‘Metroid’ nose art

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 12, 2026

The Navy has released a video that shows the FF(X) frigate’s proposed design.

Here’s why the Navy is planning to turn a Coast Guard cutter into a frigate

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jan 8, 2026

A photo of the prototype for the Army's M1E3.

These are the first photos of the Army’s M1E3 Abrams prototype

By Matt White, Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 7, 2026

Image: (Original Caption) The Charleston shot was part of Operation Plumbbob and was fired from a balloon on September 28, 1957. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

The military once considered using balloons as nuclear weapons systems

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 5, 2026

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, launches from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 28, 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)

More than 150 fighters, bombers and other aircraft took part in Venezuela strike

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 4, 2026

Technician from Office of Naval Research (ONR) participates in freeflight after extensive testing for the Hiller Flying Platform. The platform was first flown in public in 1955. (Photo by US Navy/Getty Images)

When the military tried to give soldiers personal flying platforms

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 1, 2026

Airman 1st Class Charles Crumlett, 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew member, prepares a weapon to be loaded during the 4th Quarter Load Crew of the Quarter competition, Jan. 26, 2018, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The purpose of the weapons load competition is to showcase the weapons crews highly developed skills with precise loading capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth Boyton)

Fighter Aircraft

Lack of supervision contributed to Alaska airman’s death, report finds

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 31, 2025

The Navy has released this rendering of the new battleships announced by President Donald Trump, which feature a railgun.

The Navy’s railgun may be back from the dead — for now

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 23, 2025

The vessels would allow the Marines to move small teams onto remote islands. Medium Landing Ship, or LSMs, can carry 200 Marines to shore.

Amphibious Operations

Marines may finally get landing ships for modern-day island hopping

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 23, 2025

A mushroom cloud rises from a nuclear weapon test during Operation TUMBLER-SNAPPER. Over two thousand Marines witnessed the event, which was conducted in 1952 at the Nevada Proving Ground.

The Army once considered a nuclear-powered tank built by Chrysler

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 16, 2025

A patch celebrating the legacy of the A-10 mission is worn by a newly appointed dedicated crew chief during the final A-10 dedicated crew chief ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Oct. 31, 2025. The 357th Fighter Generation Squadron owns the remaining A-10Cs utilized by the Air Force, and will see their final divestment in late 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ericha Parish)

Air Force A-10 patch marks an ‘end of an errrrra’

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 15, 2025

In one version of rocket cargo, capsules full or supplies would loiter in orbit for up to five years, waiting to be called down in a crisis.

Why (and how) the US military wants to resupply troops from space

Posted on Dec 15, 2025