Military
Articles under the Military category.
The hidden bottleneck in Sentinel’s new-silo pivot
By opting for all‑new silos in May 2025, the Air Force shifted Sentinel from a missile program to a civil‑works megaproject. Concrete, fiber, power and EMP hardening now drive cost, schedule and risk, with GAO warning Minuteman III may have to serve into the 2050s if execution slips.
With Two B‑21s Flying, Weapons Integration Kicks Off
A second B-21 Raider has joined the Edwards AFB test team, shifting the program from basic flight trials to mission systems and weapons integration. Here is what that unlocks for sensors, datalinks, EW, LRSO, conventional loadouts, sustainment, and basing.
Ammo Factories Go to War: The 155mm Surge’s New Chokepoints
Spring to summer 2025 delivered new U.S. LAP lines and a greenlit Iowa complex, plus fresh European spend. Yet chemistry and small energetics now cap the rate. We map the real chokepoints, why six figures a month slips to mid 2026, and what sustained mass fires mean for doctrine and the Pacific.
From Ghost Shark to Swarms: How XL-AUVs Scale to War
Australia just locked in a Ghost Shark fleet, signaling that extra‑large autonomous subs are moving from prototypes to massed systems. The shift will reshape anti‑submarine warfare, seabed security, and coalition kill chains across AUKUS.
Typhon Comes Ashore: Japan Debut Rewrites the First Island Chain
On September 15 the U.S. Army brought its Typhon mid range missile system to MCAS Iwakuni for Resolute Dragon, putting land based SM 6 and Tomahawk options back inside the First Island Chain. The short stay signals a durable shift in Indo Pacific deterrence rather than a one off showcase.
USAF’s first uncrewed fighters cross into combat reality
YFQ-42A’s first flight and official fighter-series designations mark the moment CCAs left the slide deck and entered combat reality. Here is how autonomy, jamming resilience, modular payloads, and budgets will reshape air dominance.
Golden Dome shifts from slogan to system: the real tradeoffs
Washington just turned Golden Dome from talking point into a program with dates, orbits, and dollars. We map the physics, constellation math, budget risks, and what is actually realistic by 2029.
EA-37B’s first sortie and export signal a new EW era
On May 2, 2025 the EA-37B flew its first mission-training sortie at Davis-Monthan AFB. By July 21, Italy had inked a deal for two aircraft. Together these moves signal electronic attack shifting to smaller, faster, longer-range jets built for stand-off jamming.
Defiant hits sea trials, heralding a crewless warship era
Christened on August 11, 2025, DARPA's USX-1 Defiant is now at sea proving what a purpose-built, crewless surface ship can do for cost, reliability, and scale. If trials deliver, the Navy's MUSV plan, autonomous refueling, and Tier-III yard production could accelerate within a year.
Dark Eagle lands in NT, reshaping Indo‑Pacific deterrence
For the first time outside the continental United States, the U.S. Army deployed its Dark Eagle hypersonic battery to Australia's Northern Territory during Talisman Sabre 2025. Inside the true operational employment, the SM-6 land-to-sea shot, and how a layered land strike network changes deterrence.
SDA’s Tranche 1 Goes Live, the Pentagon’s LEO Mesh
On September 10, 2025, the Space Development Agency launched 21 Tranche 1 Transport satellites, kicking off a launch‑per‑month sprint. Here is what this proliferated LEO mesh means for hypersonic tracking, sensor‑to‑shooter links, and air defense in 2026.
Laser Air Defense Hits a Tipping Point: China, Israel, NATO
September 2025 delivered a string of firsts. China paraded operational lasers and microwaves, Israel said its 100 kW Iron Beam would enter service by year’s end, NATO scrambled after Russian drones crossed into Poland, and the Pentagon began deploying domestic flyaway kits. Directed energy just moved from demo to duty.
Replicator Leaves Hype as Pentagon Fields Attritable Drones
Replicator is leaving the podium and hitting the pallet. The Pentagon’s first tranche is delivering Switchblade 600 and other all‑domain attritable systems now, accelerating buys, widening the vendor base, and reshaping Indo‑Pacific deterrence. Here is what tranche 1 really changes and what comes next.
Iron Beam Goes Operational: Lasers Flip Air-Defense Math
Israel says the Iron Beam laser will enter service later this year, turning photons into a practical shield for rockets, mortars, and drones. Here is how it could bend the economics and reshape layered air defense.
Iron Beam goes operational, and air defense economics flip
Israel says its Iron Beam laser will enter IDF service by the end of 2025, the first high‑power combat laser to reach operational maturity. Near‑zero cost per shot and deep magazines could reshape drone and rocket defense worldwide.
Iron Beam Goes Live: Lasers Rewrite Air-Defense Economics
Israel says Iron Beam will enter service in 2025 after completing operational testing on September 17, 2025. Here is how lasers reshape costs, doctrine, and countermeasures in a layered shield with Iron Dome.
USAF’s autonomous wingmen fly, now the hard part begins
The Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft are moving from hangars to the sky. Here is how first flights reshape tactics and force design, what industry must scale, and which tests and policies unlock FY26 production.
Typhon in Japan and the Return of Land-Based Deep Strike
The U.S. Army’s Typhon launchers just appeared in Japan, putting Tomahawk and SM-6 back on land along the First Island Chain. Here is how the system’s loadout, kill-chain integration, mobility, and escalation risks reshape Indo-Pacific deterrence—and why Europe is next.