The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
Strike Fighter Squadron 41 employed its F/A-18F Super Hornets extensively during the war with Iran, launching hundreds of air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons. The operation offers a detailed look at the strike fighter’s weapons employment in a high-intensity combat campaign.
Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile using a hypersonic weapons system, according to state media. The drill signals Pyongyang’s stated intent to strengthen its nuclear deterrent and advance capabilities designed to complicate regional missile defense.
Strike Fighter Squadron 41 employed its F/A-18F Super Hornets extensively during the war with Iran, launching hundreds of air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons. The operation offers a detailed look at the strike fighter’s weapons employment in a high-intensity combat campaign.
Blackstone has combined two existing defense companies to form Falcata, a new business focused on increasing production of technologies used to intercept drones and missiles. The launch reflects growing investment in counter-uncrewed systems and missile-defense capabilities amid heightened demand for these technologies.
The defense research company will develop a sensing capability intended to help protect large aircraft from long-range air-to-air missiles. The contract reflects growing Chinese investment in extended-range air-to-air weapons and the resulting demand for improved survivability technologies.
A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet has been photographed carrying an inert AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile during the Gray Flag 2026 test event. The sighting follows Australia’s announcement that it will become the missile’s first operator outside the United States.
Congressional budget analysts have been briefed on the Pentagon’s classified Golden Dome architecture, six months after estimating the proposed missile-defense program could cost $1.2 trillion. The disclosure comes as lawmakers seek clarity on what threats and territory the system would actually defend.
Azerbaijan has signed agreements with Turkish defense company Aselsan covering a range of technologies, including a pact to explore local manufacturing of precision-guided munitions. The arrangements deepen defense-industrial cooperation and could expand Azerbaijan’s domestic production capabilities.
A Space Force general has disclosed limited details about the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile-defense program as its funding remains stalled in Congress ahead of the midterm elections. The impasse introduces uncertainty around the initiative’s scope, schedule and near-term execution.
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