A new variant of the Bulsae-4 electro-optical guided long-range anti-tank missile system has entered serial production in North Korea, with state media reporting that this will provide a major boost to the anti-armour capabilities of frontline units. Deliveries of the first units are expected to begin in the first half of 2026, while production capacity is set to rise by about 2.5 times.
Author: Michael
This video describes the military situation in
When I look back at my 45 years of military service, one of the highlights of my military education was a battlefield tour I participated in during 2001 at the Somme battlefield, alongside other “high flying” students on the U.K.’s Higher Command and Staff course.The historical element of it was provided by the late Richard Holmes and we students reveled in his masterful narrative history. Holmes explained how the tank had been fielded in 1916 as a predominantly infantry protection platform to provide cover for troops as they moved across no-man’s land.
In 2025, the ongoing contest between the United States and China moved from tariff skirmishes to a confrontation over strategic choke points.Washington expanded semiconductor export controls under the Biden administration, limiting China’s access to advanced chips, design software, and lithography tools. The Trump administration tightened these rules on Sept. 29, extending them to foreign affiliates. Beijing retaliated ten days later with new licensing requirements on rare-earth oxides, metals, and magnet products.
Following the U.S. Armed Forces’ initiation of Operation Absolute Resolve against Venezuela on January 3, which saw multiple military and infrastructure targets across the capital destroyed and President Nicolas Maduro abducted by U.S. Army Delta Force operators, growing information has emerged regarding how South America’s most capable air defence network was rapidly penetrated. U.S.
Cuban government sources have confirmed that 32 Cuban Armed Forces personnel were killed in action when engaged by U.S. forces in Venezuela on January 3. This followed confirmation from Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Lopez that most of President Nicholas Maduro’s security detail was killed during the operation by U.S. Army Delta Force special forces to abduct him, although the full number of casualties was not specified. Unconfirmed reports indicate that many of the Cuban personnel killed in action were part of the president’s security detail, although U.S.
Iranian-designed Shahed 136 single use attack drones being produced under license in Russia as the Geran 2 have been modified to provide them with air-to-air capabilities, with Ukrainain Armed Forces personnel reporting that the Igla man-portable air-defence systems had been attached to the aircraft. The Shahed aircraft was fitted with a camera and a radio modem, while the missile launch is controlled by the drone’s remote operator. It remains unconfirmed whether this configuration is experimental, or has been more widely adopted.
Open Source Intel has reported a large deployment of USAF transport aircraft to RAF Fairford in England. After this deployment, SOF rotory-wing aviation assets were seen operating in the area according to reports.
An AC-130 gunship, a Navy P-8 reconnaissance aircraft, and fighter refueling tankers have also been deployed to the UK.
One theory is an airbridge being created for operations in Iran. However, the deployment of SOF aviation to the UK does not give them capability in Iran.
The Japanese Ministry of Defence reported that Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force H-6 bombers, J-16 fighters, and Y-9 intelligence aircraft transited between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island, with Air Self Defence Force fighters from the Southwest Air Defence Force scrambled to respond. This occurred less than a month after People’s Liberation Army Navy J-15 carrier based fighters operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning formed radars locks on a Japanese F-15 fighter over international waters southeast of Okinawa Island on December 6.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force personnel from the 75th Group Army have trained for rapid insertion by helicopter during a ground-aerial coordination training exercise, highlighting the rapid enhancements which have been made the service’s rotary wing airborne insertion capabilities. Personnel descended by fast rope from a Z-20 medium weight transport helicopter, a type which first entered service in 2019 and can carry an estimated 20 personnel. These were escorted by lighter Z-10 attack helicopters.