The United States’ largest defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin has unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE), a new interceptor for the MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence system designed to dramatically reduce the cost of ballistic missile defence. The new missile is expected to cost approximately $2.5 million per interceptor, roughly half the estimated $5 million price of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) variant currently in production.
Author: Michael
Recent images of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Zumwalt have revealed a dramatically altered appearance after more than three years in dry dock, reflecting its transformation from a stealth-focused land attack destroyer into the Navy’s first dedicated surface combatant designed to deploy ballistic missiles. The destroyer is scheduled to officially return to service in September 2026, although the modernisation program, which began in 2023, is currently around ten months behind schedule.
Newly released satellite imagery has indicated that Iran’s ballistic missile strike against Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base in Jordan caused substantially greater damage than was initially reported, with multiple additional aircraft shelters, drone facilities, and military infrastructure confirmed destroyed. The imagery, published and analysed by the open-source intelligence group EGYOSINT, suggests that the attack was both larger in scale and significantly more precise than early post-strike assessments indicated, raising further questions regarding the vulnerability of forward-deployed U.
The Ukrainian defence sector has revealed that the newly developed FP-7 anti-ballistic missile is intended to form the core of a new European-Ukrainian ballistic missile defence system designated Freya. The program represents one of the most ambitious missile defence initiatives undertaken in Europe since the end of the Cold War, and follows the announcement at a meeting of European “Coalition of the Willing” nations in Paris of the establishment of a new Anti-Ballistic Coalition.
The war in the Middle East rages on. With quality satellite footage now available, the damage from Iranian attacks on U.S. bases can now be seen clearly, and it is worse than some expected it to be. According to official statements, at least three soldiers have been killed during missile attacks on military bases, with an unknown number injured. More cynical analysts, however, suspect that the real number may be much higher.
Ukraine Is Striking Logistics – Here’s Why: Ukraine launched one of its largest long-range drone operations of the war overnight into Monday, July 20. The strikes saw more than 400 drones launched at Moscow and surrounding regions, once again targeting industrial facilities and sites. Reports also described how an oil depot south of the Russian capital was targeted.
The massive strike came less than a day after Russia responded to Ukraine’s ongoing long-range strike campaign with one of the largest ballistic missile attacks against Kyiv so far.
Will Russia Go Further? Russia continues to escalate its missile strike campaign against Ukraine, killing at least 10 people in attacks overnight into Monday, July 20. This time, the strikes centered on the Black Sea port of Odesa and included a deadly strike on a civilian cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain. The attacks came a day after Russia carried out one of its largest ballistic missile barrages of the war against Kyiv.
A Marine Corps regiment experimented with a new Group 3 unmanned aerial system during a recent training exercise in what officials said marked the first time a drone of that size had been tested by one of the service’s conventional units. However, its troops relied on the system’s vendor to employ the technology because the regiment lacked operators.
For troops and civilian Pentagon employees hoping that changing marijuana laws mean they might be able to partake, that dream has now gone up in smoke. The Department of Defense confirmed this month that weed is still off limits.
The department clarified its policy in response to efforts elsewhere in the federal government to reclassify marijuana, including state-licensed medical marijuana. In a July 9 memo, Undersecretary of Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata noted that “this change would not decriminalize marijuana under Federal law.
Recently, Moscow launched a deadly missile strike against a cargo ship near Odesa that killed ten people.
Not to be outdone, Ukraine has retaliated with its largest drone attack against Russia (involving 400 drones).
2S7 Malka Creative Commons Photo
Artillery from Ukraine War Creative Commons Image
The war is intensifying on both sides in what is clearly a race to destroy the other side’s economy, the true support strut for the war.
The Battlefield Expands Beyond the Frontlines
Indeed, both sides in the conflict are widening the list of targets they consider legitimate.