The military’s aggressive drone crusade over the last year has produced flashy images of experimental systems spinning tiny rotors toward distant targets, urgent requests for cheap unmanned platforms built by the hundreds of thousands, and numerous organizational changes that are pushing the tech into fundamental parts of the force.
Any one of those efforts alone might signal just how institutional small drones are becoming to the U.S. military.
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A political battle over legislation that safety advocates say would have prevented a deadly crash between a civilian passenger jet and an Army helicopter last year appears to have stalled in Congress.
A Senate bill that would’ve mandated military aircraft be equipped with specific signaling technology failed to pass the House Tuesday afternoon. The vote came a day after the Pentagon signaled its opposition with the legislation over “budgetary burdens” and alleged national security risks.
The Air Force has cleared another milestone in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program by successfully integrating munitions onto Anduril’s prototype during live flight tests.
The service recently initiated captive carry tests by strapping an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) onto Anduril’s CCA platform, known as the YFQ-44A or “Fury.
Summary and Key Points: Steve Balestrieri, former US Army Special Forces Warrant Officer, examines China’s “White Emperor” (Baidi), a purported sixth-generation “space-air” fighter unveiled at the 2024 Zhuhai Air Show.
-Developed under AVIC’s “Nantianmen Project,” this tailless, diamond-wing mock-up boasts hypersonic speeds and orbital capabilities.
White Emperor 6th Generation Fighter China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
In what is perhaps the greatest example of “fake it ’til you make it,” a third-generation Navy veteran decided to put America’s cybersecurity infrastructure to the test. The results were hilarious. Unless you care about maintaining the United States’ information security. Using just a porn photo and charisma, his test engineered violations of OPSEC and PERSEC procedures to someone who didn’t exist, in less than a month.
Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.
The Olympics have a long history of countries and participants using the games as a platform to build soft power, promote propaganda, advance diplomacy, and highlight political causes. These efforts can take hopeful forms, such as the 2016 creation of the Refugee Olympic Team and the role of the 2018 Olympics in boosting diplomacy between North Korea and South Korea. Sometimes, these events can be very dark, such as Nazi Germany’s shrewd use of propaganda while hosting the 1936 games and the 1972 terrorist attack on the Israeli Olympic team.
Summary and Key Points: China’s expanding aircraft carrier fleet is a major step in Beijing’s push for a true blue-water navy, with the Fujian marking its most advanced carrier yet.
-The ship signals real progress, especially with EMALS-style catapults, but major limits remain, including conventional propulsion and deck-layout constraints that could reduce sortie efficiency.
China Aircraft Carrier on the High Seas. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The broader takeaway is clear: China’s carriers may not yet match U.S. Navy supercarriers, but they can still pressure U.S.
Public Domain
Washington, D.C. – In the dark skies above Yemen on March 27, 2025, two U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots came within seconds of catastrophe when Houthi rebels launched a deadly surface-to-air missile ambush. Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks and Maj. Michael “Danger” Blea, flying “Wild Weasel” jets specialized in suppressing enemy air defenses, survived a harrowing 15-minute ordeal that earned them the Silver Star—the military’s third-highest valor award.
Rheinmetall has introduced a new combat helmet and body armour system during the Enforce Tac 2026 trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany.