Tech & Tactics(Page 2)

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

Latest in Tech & Tactics

Anthony Ramos in 'A House of Dynamite,' in military uniform standing in front of a vehicle.
Missiles

Pentagon reportedly upset over Netflix’s nuclear war movie ‘A House of Dynamite’

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 27, 2025

250730-N-IP140-1119 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (July 30, 2025) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Fighter Aircraft

Two USS Nimitz aircraft crash within an hour in separate mishaps

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 26, 2025

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, reload an M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer during a rehearsal for the 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach combat town, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oct. 17, 2025. The 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Camp Pendleton marks the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday and America’s Semiquincentennial. The live-fire event highlights the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to integrate across air, land, and sea, showcasing the Corps’ enduring role as America’s force in-readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Aaron S. Patterson)
Artillery

Marines fired artillery over freeway without warning during rehearsal

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 26, 2025

A turboprop plane rests in a field after crashing, two power poles askew in the front.
Aircraft

The Air Force’s special operations crop duster crashed in a field in Oklahoma

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Oct 25, 2025

From front to back, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Royal Moroccan Navy FREMM multipurpose frigate Mohammed VI (701), and Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6), steam in formation while transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, Oct. 1, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Alyssa Joy)
Carriers

Pentagon orders USS Gerald R. Ford into Caribbean, first carrier sent to region

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 24, 2025

Marine Maj. Tyler R. Braconi was identified as the pilot killed in the crash of a AH-1Z attack helicopter Oct. 16.
Helicopters

Marine pilot killed in California helicopter crash ‘was one of the greats,’ squadron says

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 21, 2025

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Dashawn M. Rudesill, a cannoneer with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fires an M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer during a rehearsal for the 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach combat town, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oct. 17, 2025. The 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Camp Pendleton marks the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday and America’s Semiquincentennial. The live-fire event highlights the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to integrate across air, land, and sea, showcasing the Corps’ enduring role as America’s force in-readiness. Rudesill is a native of Rushville, Illinois. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Aaron S. Patterson)
Artillery

Marine artillery shell detonates over freeway during Camp Pendleton event

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 19, 2025

A S-70UAS U-Hawk, a modified uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter.
Helicopters

This wild new Black Hawk prototype is part drone, part Transformer

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 13, 2025

Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 1st Class Anthony Huffman, from Forest Grove, Oregon, conducts maintenance on aircraft in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Pacific Ocean, July 27, 2024. Nimitz is underway conducting routine operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Lagunes)
Fighter Aircraft

Navy maintenance crews are stripping their own jets and submarines for spare parts

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 6, 2025

An MQ-9 Reaper taxis on the runway after landing in support of Freedom Flag 24-1 at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Oct. 23, 2024. Freedom Flag 24-1 is an advanced, large-scale tactical exercise between the U.S. and allied partners dedicated to the protection of regional peace and stability through the adaptation of novel and collaborative training methods, ensuring readiness against a wide range of threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Maria Umanzor Guzman)
Drones

Air Force revives WWII-era squadron in South Korea as modern drone force

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 29, 2025

Soldiers from A Company and B Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, conduct inspections on an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles at the Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in Mannheim, Germany, Sept. 5, 2025. The Fort Hood, Texas, Cavalry Soldiers were issued almost three dozen Bradleys from Army Field Support Battalion-Germany at Coleman for their upcoming rotational mission to Poland.
Vehicles

Most of the Army and Marine Corps’ vehicles are not ready for combat, watchdog finds

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 27, 2025

The MV Ocean Trader, a merchant ship outfitted for U.S. special operations, including addition of a helicopter hanger and extensive communication equipment over its bridge, in Fremantle, Australia in 2022.
Ships

The elusive ship built to carry US special operators is in the Caribbean

By Jeff Schogol, Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 25, 2025

Soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division receive instruction on the M250 automatic rifle during a New Equipment Training fielding at Camp Ripley, Minn. September 14, 2025. The M250, part of the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, replaces the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hamlin)
Guns

National Guard units are getting the new M250 machine gun

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 25, 2025

Workers at Allen Control Systems accidentally ordered parts for a Bullfrog weapon system in rose gold rather than black. The company says the military services can order it in this color if they so please.
Drones

Someone accidentally ordered this drone-killing robot in rose gold

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 23, 2025

A U.S. Marine Air Defense Integrated System, far left, a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, left, a Japan Self-Defense Force Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile, right, and Type 03 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile are displayed at a press conference during Resolute Dragon 25 at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 17, 2025. Resolute Dragon 25 is an annual bilateral exercise in Japan that strengthens the command, control, and multi-domain maneuver capabilities of U.S. Marines in III Marine Expeditionary Force and Japan Self-Defense Force personnel, with a focus on controlling and defending key maritime terrain. The NMESIS and the MADIS are 3rd Marine Division Assets. The Type 12 SSM and the Type 03 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile are Western Army assets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Evelyn Doherty)
Missiles

Marines showcase ship-killing NMESIS missile system in Japan

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 21, 2025

F-35 drug missions
Fighter Aircraft

Why does the US have F-35s flying anti-cartel missions in the Caribbean?

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Sep 19, 2025

A Typhon missile battery is displayed.
Missiles

The Army’s Typhon missile system is in Japan

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Sep 16, 2025

A B-2 bomber drops a JDAM.
Bombers

Air Force B-2 bomber tests ship-killer bomb off of Norway

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 13, 2025

MQ-9 Reaper
Drones

US deploys MQ-9 Reaper drones to the Caribbean

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 12, 2025

The USS Canberra sails in the CENTCOM area of operations.
Ships

The Navy turned its ‘little crappy ship’ into a mine hunter

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Sep 9, 2025

Rangers Test Drones
Drones

Army Rangers are testing out drones as anti-tank weapons

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Sep 8, 2025

An F-35A Lightning II performs a restricted climb over March Air Reserve Base during takeoff for a practice demonstration, April 11, 2025. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the power, precision, and lethality of the world’s most advanced multirole stealth fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Nathan Poblete)
Aircraft

US sending F-35s to Puerto Rico as military buildup in the Caribbean continues

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 5, 2025

A UH-1N Huey flies over Tokyo.
Helicopters

Hueys make their last flight at Yokota Air Base as the Air Force retires them

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 31, 2025

The US Navy warship USS Lake Erie (CG 70) docks at the Port of Balboa in Panama City on August 29, 2025. The United States sent three warships to the region amid escalating tensions with Venezuela, which deployed warships and drones to patrol the country's coastline on August 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauricio VALENZUELA / AFP) (Photo by MAURICIO VALENZUELA/AFP via Getty Images)
Ships

Navy warships amass near Venezuela

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 30, 2025

A soldier uses the KnightFigher drone jamming device during Project Flytrap, July 28, 2025.
Drone Swarms

Project Flytrap and the Army’s answer to drone warfare

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 29, 2025

A soldier fires an M240 machine gun.
Guns

The Army is replacing the M240 machine gun. Here’s what could come next

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 26, 2025

A CH-53E helicopter with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing burns on Aug. 22, 2025.
Helicopters

Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter catches fire at Twentynine Palms

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 25, 2025

A British soldier aims a rifle.
Guns

Britain’s next rifle: Inside the race to replace the SA80

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 23, 2025

1st Cavalry Division Trooper, Sgt. Nathaniel Martin, an Unmanned Aircraft System Operator, assigned to 8th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, launches a drone from his hand during Pegasus Forge, on Fort Hood, Texas, Aug. 6, 2025. Pegasus Forge allows the First Team to utilize new technology and gain experience in the field to support and progress in the Army's Transformation in Contact initiative. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. David Dumas)
Drones

Army plays ‘catch up’ on drone warfare with new operator course

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 21, 2025

Spc. Layne Alfieri, a Soldier assigned to 1st Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, dons an Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) 1.2 protype during the IVAS 1.2 Phase One User Assessment held by Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier on Fort Drum, August 22. The user assessment was designed to collect Soldier feedback on the IVAS 1.2 prototypes. (U.S. Army photo by Jason Amadi, PEO Soldier Public Affairs)
Tech & Tactics

Soldiers using IVAS headsets, Dronebusters at the US-Mexico border

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 20, 2025

Air Force Thunderbirds
Fighter Aircraft

Air Force says jets did not exceed Mach 1 in low passes over Chicago

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Aug 19, 2025

A GMARS systems fires a GMLRS at White Sands Missile Range on August 4th, 2025.
Artillery

Meet GMARS, NATO’s next big rocket artillery system

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 19, 2025

Soldiers carry a simulated casualty dummy during an EMP exercise.
Warfare

The reality about EMPs and the US military

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 15, 2025

A U.S. soldier fires an Austrian Steyr AUG bullpup rifle.
Guns

Why the US military refuses to adopt bullpup rifles

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 13, 2025

USS George Washington (CVN-73), HMS Prince of Wales (R09), JS Kaga (DDH-184), and an American amphibious assault ship sail together in the North Philippine Sea, with several aircraft overhead.
Carriers

3 aircraft carriers and ships, fighters from 6 navies train in the Pacific

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 10, 2025

A Z-137 crop duster plane with two missiles under its wings flies over the skies of Ukraine.
Drones

A missile-armed crop duster is the latest anti-drone weapon in Ukraine

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 10, 2025

The Navy, in partnership with Skydweller Aero, recently achieved continuous solar-powered unmanned flight during a nonstop three-day test from Stennis, Mississippi. Led by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the test of Skydweller UAS marks a significant advancement in both long-endurance solar-powered UAS technology and its potential to enhance maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
Drones

The Navy flew a solar-powered drone for 73 hours straight

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 5, 2025

Kyle Carpenter Ship
Destroyers

Navy destroyer named for Marine Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Aug 4, 2025

Drones
Drones

How far does the US military have to go to catch up on drones?

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Aug 4, 2025

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Maxwell Carson, 49th Security Forces Squadron response force member, fires an M18 pistol during the Special Reactions Team tryout competition at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, May 22, 2025. The timed shooting portion of the tryout adds stress while requiring strict accuracy standards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Elijah Strickland)
Guns

Air Force enacts service-wide inspections of M18 pistols

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 3, 2025

A flight of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft sit for a weapons check prior to takeoff at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, July 28, 2025. As part of the Super Squadron Test Phase II, pilots and F-16s will be temporarily relocated to Osan Air Base aiming to consolidate air power and increase combat capability on the Korean Peninsula. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Landon Gunsauls)
Fighter Aircraft

Air Force creates a second ‘super squadron’ in South Korea

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 2, 2025

Ranger transits the Pacific Ocean during Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, Sep. 15, 2023.
Ships

Robot warships are here. Now the Navy needs to figure out how to use them.

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Aug 1, 2025

210421-N-FC670-1008 PACIFIC OCEAN (April 21, 2021) A Seahawk medium displacement unmanned surface vessel participates in U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21, April 21. UxS IBP 21 integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into challenging operational scenarios to generate warfighting advantages. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)
Ships

What the US Navy could learn from Ukraine about sinking enemy ships

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jul 31, 2025

U.S. Army Sgt. Elena Killough and Sgt. Demond Blach, assigned to the Deathwatch Platoon, 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conduct maintenance on an Unmanned Aircraft System during a first person view individual qualification on Grafenwöhr Training Area, July 21, 2025. The 1st ABCT, 3rd Infantry Division, tests purpose-built, retrievable FPV drones to highlight the ability against autonomous targets to improve battlefield readiness and integration with armored units. The 1st ABCT, 3rd Infantry Division, and V Corps are part of America’s Forward Deployed Corps in Europe which works alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-ready forces, execute joint and multinational training exercises, and retain command and assigned units in the European Theater. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Josefina Garcia)
Drones

No drone war for old men? How an Army exercise highlighted a generational divide

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jul 30, 2025

The nose of a space plane.
Tech & Tactics

Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane is heading back to orbit

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 28, 2025

U.S. Army paratroopers operate and analyze a first-person view (FPV) drone in-flight April 27, 2025. Photo by Sgt. Mariah Y. Gonzalez
Artillery

‘Brutality over precision’ — What the Army is learning from Russia in Ukraine

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jul 28, 2025

A THAAD rocket battery fires, with one munition launching from the system in a plume of fire into the sky.
Missiles

The US used nearly a quarter of its most advanced missile interceptors against Iran

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 28, 2025

An M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank at Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Germany, equipped with Abrams Reactive Armor Tiles and the Trophy Active Protection System, July 10, 2020.
Tanks

What the Army is doing to keep its tanks alive against drones

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jul 24, 2025

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly in formation with two Norwegian F-35A Lightning II fighters during an air refueling over Norway, Aug. 15, 2018.
Aircraft

Why NATO is betting big on the F-35

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jul 21, 2025

The Army is rapidly advancing capabilities in the Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program by deploying cutting-edge Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (SUAS) to Trans-formation in Contact (TiC) Brigades. In April, the PEO Aviation, Project Office UAS, responded to an urgent request to deploy Tranche 2 SUAS to the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division (Fort Campbell, Kentucky) in support of their rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. Both the Skydio X10D system and Teal Drones' Black Widow system will support Army TiC Brigades in developing and refining tactics, techniques, and procedures for employing networked reconnaissance and surveillance systems against emerging battlefield threats. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo)
Drones

Expect to see more drones during training under new Pentagon rules

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jul 17, 2025

Army M240B Machine Gun
Guns

The Army wants to replace the M240 medium machine gun

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jul 17, 2025

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael tour multi-domain autonomous displays in the courtyard of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2025.
Tech & Tactics

Hypersonics, AI, drone swarms: Pentagon pours $179 billion into R&D

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jul 16, 2025

SMASH 2000L fire control system
Guns

Marines to field new smart scope to help shoot down small drones

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jul 16, 2025

Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, walk the final mile of the 12-mile ruck march during E3B on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, Sept. 21, 2024. E3B is a week-long testing event that gives Soldiers the opportunity to earn the Expert Infantryman Badge, Expert Soldier Badge, or Expert Field Medical Badge. Soldiers must pass the expert physical fitness assessment, day and night land navigation, soldier tasks including weapons, medical and patrol lanes, and a 12-mile ruck march, in order to earn their badge. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Catessa Palone)
Tech & Tactics

The Pentagon is throwing $200 million at ‘Grok for Government’ and other AI companies

By Matt White

Posted on Jul 14, 2025

Airmen from the 109th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard, tune a receiver at the start of Resolute Space 2025 on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 8, 2025. Nested under the 2025 Department of the Air Force exercise series, Resolute Space 2025 demonstrates the Space Force’s preparedness for complex, large-scale military operations by exercising our ability to operate in a contested, dynamic environment against high-end threats on short notice across the service and with joint and international partners. (U.S. Space Force photo by Lt. Col. Victoria Hight)
Tech & Tactics

Space Force is training for ‘orbital warfare’ in its largest exercise yet

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 14, 2025

A man fishes in front of the Russian Navy Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier moored off the coast of the town of Limassol, in the Meditteranean island of Cyprus on February 27, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YIANNIS KOURTOGLOU (Photo credit should read Yiannis Kourtoglou/AFP via Getty Images)
Carriers

Russia might finally be done with its perpetually broken aircraft carrier

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jul 13, 2025

The CV90 is a great vehicle, so why doesn’t the US buy it?
Vehicles

The CV90 is a great vehicle, so why doesn’t the US buy it?

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jul 12, 2025

every marine corps rifle all time
Guns

Here is every rifle Marines have used in the last 250 years

By Matt White

Posted on Jul 7, 2025

An 8th Air Force B-17 bomber flies over a bombed target in 1943.
Bombers

The Army Air Forces tried to use remote-controlled bombers as attack drones in World War II

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 7, 2025

Pentagon sets up interservice counter-drone task force
Drones

Pentagon sets up interservice counter-drone task force

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 6, 2025

A T-6A Texan II taxis on the runway at Sheppard Air Force Base in 2019.
Aircraft

Tangled straps likely caused Air Force instructor pilot’s death, report finds

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jun 29, 2025

Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA- 7) , departs Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., April 7, 2022. Tripoli completed flight deck operations with 20 F-35B Lightning II jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 211 and 225, Marine Aircraft Group 13, and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, as well as Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Lightning carrier concept demonstration. The Lightning carrier concept demonstration shows Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships are capable of operating as dedicated fixed-wing strike platforms when needed, capable of bringing fifth generation Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing aircraft wherever they are required. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz)
Amphibious Operations

Lightning Carriers: The Marines’ secret weapon in the Pacific

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jun 26, 2025

An M10 Booker undergoing testing at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds.
Tanks

The Army doesn’t want the M10 Booker. Do the Marines need it?

By Kyle Gunn

Posted on Jun 21, 2025

Five U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcons assigned to the 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron taxi within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 29, 2025. U.S. and Coalition forces are postured to rapidly establish credible, combat-ready forces within the AOR to deter adversary threats of aggression and, if necessary, respond with effective and overwhelming force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kevin Dunkleberger)
Aircraft

2 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, and multiple fighter wings gather in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jun 20, 2025