air defense Archives

U.S. Army Stryker M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicles, assigned to Lightning Platoon, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, are staged to demonstrate anti-UAS capabilities during the static display portion of Project Flytrap 4.0, at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, July 29, 2025. Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment joined the British army’s 1st Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment, July 27 to August 1, 2025, to train and test technology and tactics to defeat unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threats during Project Flytrap. Project Flytrap 4.0 is the fourth in a series of counter-UAS training events conducted by Soldiers from the U.S. and U.K. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alejandro Carrasquel)

Army moving forward with ‘sled’ concept for maneuver air defense against drones, other aircraft

Army leadership signed off on a capabilities development document for M-SHORAD Increment 4.

Oct 13, 2025 By Jon Harper

A second B-21 Raider, the nation’s sixth-generation stealth bomber, joins flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Sept. 11, 2025. (Courtesy photo)

The new airpower advantage

The U.S. Air Force cannot solve its problems by expanding today’s force or chasing game-changing technologies. It needs to return to the core of military advantage —…

Sep 29, 2025 By Bryan Clark Dan Patt

Allied fighter jets participating in NATO exercise Ramstein Flag 24 fly in formation over the west coast of Greece, Oct. 4, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Emili Koonce)

‘Better never stops’: Commanders preview NATO’s next large-scale, live-fly exercise

Two senior military officials briefed reporters on the alliance's vision and plans for Ramstein Flag 2025.

Mar 24, 2025 By Brandi Vincent

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Eglin Air Force Base flies over a high school football game in Niceville, Fla., Sept. 24, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Tristan McIntire)

Air Force envisions air-to-air combat role in Golden Dome missile defense

President Trump's Golden Dome initiative — previously known as Iron Dome for America — calls for a multi-layered shield for the U.S. homeland.

Feb 26, 2025 By Jon Harper

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the press upon his arrival at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Jan. 27, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

Hegseth highlights ‘Iron Dome for America’, other first priorities as new SecDef

Pete Hegseth briefed a small group of reporters at the Pentagon for the first time as the secretary of defense on Monday.

Jan 27, 2025 By Brandi Vincent

Army rechristens drone-killing maneuver air defense system, eyes next increments

The Army unveiled a new name for M-SHORAD increment one as it plans for future increments designed to protect troops from drones and other overhead threats on…

Jun 15, 2024 By Jon Harper

Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony L. Whitehead brief the media on National Guard priorities for 2024 in the Pentagon Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., Feb. 8, 2024. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jack Sanders)

National Guard eyes UAS, air defense among 2024 priorities

The Guard's leadership briefed reporters at the Pentagon.

Feb 8, 2024 By Brandi Vincent

Phantom system in transportation configuration within ruggedized enclosure. (Northrop Grumman photo)

US government gets new miniaturized laser weapon

Northrop Grumman has delivered a 10-kilowatt system named Phantom that the company says is about the size of a mini fridge.

Aug 24, 2023 By Jon Harper

RED SEA (May 11, 2012) Capt. Grady Banister, commanding officer of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), prepares to release a weather balloon used for retrieving upper air soundings off the fantail of the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Natasha R. Chalk/Released)

DOD takes steps to ensure its weather balloons aren’t misidentified

The launches are continuing in the wake of several recent shoot downs of unidentified “objects” flying over North America, by U.S. fighter jets launching AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.

Feb 17, 2023 By Jon Harper

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Melissa Dalton, testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense hearing “to determine what decisions went into how we dealt with the Chinese spy balloon,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Canada developing secretive ‘Crossbow’ sensor network as concerns mount over Chinese balloon fleet

A Pentagon official referenced the Crossbow system during a congressional hearing Thursday about the recent Chinese balloon incident.

Feb 9, 2023 By Brandi Vincent