Tech & Tactics(Page 4)

News, explainers, and analysis about military tech and tactics.

Latest in Tech & Tactics

Marine drones
Drones

Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team’ to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Apr 4, 2025

An A-10 Thunderbolt II sits on a runway, mountains in the background.
Aircraft

More A-10 Warthogs deploy to the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Mar 30, 2025

U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Officer candidates perform an underwater exercise during an assessment and selection process at Hurlburt Field, Florida, March 5, 2025. STO selection is an arduous mental and physical process that screens candidates to become Air Force Special Tactics leaders, overseeing 14-member Special Tactics teams across the Air Force Special Operations Command enterprise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Raul Mercado)
Training

This photo of Air Force special ops pool training is chaos. There’s a reason for that.

By Matt White

Posted on Mar 26, 2025

Teams with a wagon in a black and white photo try to inflate a hot air balloon.
Aircraft

How the Union took to the skies in the Civil War

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Mar 24, 2025

A new Army manual lays out the ‘arctic determination’ at the heart of fighting in extreme cold
Survival

A new Army manual lays out the ‘arctic determination’ at the heart of fighting in extreme cold

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Mar 19, 2025

A painting showing a space plane, cargo bay open, flying to capture a satellite.
Tech & Tactics

It’s official: Space Force wants laser weapons. 

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Mar 16, 2025

M60 tank
Tanks

Why Washington state used M60 tanks to prevent avalanches

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Mar 12, 2025

Army researchers are developing a device that uses artificial intelligence to guide the delivery of pain management drugs for battlefield casualties.
Survival

Army researchers want AI to help soldiers deliver anesthetics in battle

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Mar 10, 2025

The nose of a space plane.
Tech & Tactics

Space Force’s secretive space plane lands after 434 days in orbit

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Mar 8, 2025

Capt. Jesse Guerin and Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Angulo were named the Army’s best medics of 2025 after winning a competition at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Survival

These are the Army’s best medics of 2025

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 27, 2025

A man in camouflage, goggles and smoking a cigarette holds a drone controller.
Tech & Tactics

Exploding drone operator goggles show the future of sabotage

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 22, 2025

An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024. As part of the X-37B's seventh mission, the vehicle executed a series of first-of-its-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel. (U.S. Space Force Courtesy Photo)
Aircraft

US military releases first photo from orbit from its mysterious space plane

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 21, 2025

Aircraft fly ahead of several aircraft carriers and other ships in a deep blue sea.
Ships

This is what it looks like when you have 3 aircraft carriers from 3 countries at sea

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 15, 2025

Local Marines fold flags for Lance Cpl. Joe Jackson’s family during his funeral May 4 at Tahoma Cemetery. Jackson was killed April 24 by an improvised explosive device blast in Afghanistan.
Aircraft

US Marine, 3 Pentagon contractors die in Philippines plane crash

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 6, 2025

m4 military rifle lost during trump inauguration training
Guns

A National Guardsman lost their rifle when it fell off a truck on a Delaware highway

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 27, 2025

Two sailors stand in front of a computer screen mapping out potential scenarios.
Tech & Tactics

New Navy video imagines high-tech warfare in 2043

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 26, 2025

Capt. Jordan Wiggins, 23d Fighter Group pilot, speaks into his HGU-55/P helmet prior to departure July 2, 2020, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Wiggins is flying one of the two A-10s assigned to the 23d Fighter Group that are scheduled to conduct a flyover as a part of the 2020 Salute to America in Washington, D.C., celebrating the United States of America’s 244th birthday. The flyover provides the men and women of the 23d Fighter Group the opportunity to demonstrate capabilities and join in national celebration, while obtaining necessary training hours. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Kaylin P. Hankerson)
Aircraft

Cancer rates in military pilots and other aviators could get a closer look

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 23, 2025

Pvt. Alecsander Daniel (Left) and Sgt. Kyle Angove (Right), with Alpha Troop, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, bore-sight their M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, Oct. 20, 2020. The soldiers are in Syria to support Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) mission. CJTF remains committed to working by, with and through our partners to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jensen Guillory)
Training

Army recruits hoping for cav scout or armor jobs will have to wait for boot camp

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 23, 2025

The USS Indianapolis at sea with two smaller boats in front of it.
Ships

The Navy is upgrading littoral combat ships to fight drones

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 18, 2025

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Little an electrician with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa, applies a tourniquet to a simulated casualty during a combat lifesaver course at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, August 4, 2016. During the four-day course, Marines learned to recognize injuries, perform the appropriate procedures and control the patient to prolong survivability until help arrives. U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa Command support operations, contingencies and security cooperation in the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alexander Mitchell)
Survival

This Navy SEAL doctor is a big reason US troops carry tourniquets in combat today

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 14, 2025

A soldier jumps out of a Humvee in a desert location.
Vehicles

Three Humvees stolen at Army Reserve Center in Tustin

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 11, 2025

An Army CID rewards flyer with pictures of Humvee doors and big text reading $10,000 reward.
Vehicles

Army CID offers $10,000 reward for stolen HMMWV doors that no one likes

By Joshua Skovlund, Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 4, 2025

jetpack light mobility system
Tech & Tactics

The Army once hoped jetpacks could give soldiers the edge in combat

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 1, 2025

A red coast guard icebreaker sails through water.
Ships

The Coast Guard is building up its Arctic fleet

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 26, 2024

A F/A-18F moves down the runway of an aircraft carrier.
Aircraft

Navy shoots down its own F/A-18 in Red Sea fight

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 22, 2024

A satellite jammer sits atop a shipping container.
Tactics

Space Force to deploy new jammers to yell at enemy satellites

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 21, 2024

An F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off at night, with a bright exhaust.
Aircraft

Carrier Air Wing 9 flew hundreds of combat sorties while fighting Houthis

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 16, 2024

Seven C-130 aircraft are lined up along a runway.
Aircraft

C-130s from around the world gather for an ‘elephant walk’

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 15, 2024

MAYPORT, Fla. (Apr. 14, 2024) – Master Chief Electronics Technician Ryan Magill (left), a native of Valparaiso, Ind., conducts push-ups during U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Navy Reserves physical readiness test, Apr. 14. COMUSNAVSO/4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Sippel)
Training

Sailors who ace fitness test are now exempt from Navy body fat limits

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

A Naval Strike Missile fires from a NMESIS system.
Missiles

Marines deploy NMESIS anti-ship system to the Pacific

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 30, 2024

Archaeologists use measuring tapes and underwater cameras to record and document a WWII aircraft site in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Project Recover — Project Recover is a collaborative effort to enlist 21st-century science and technology in a quest to find and repatriate World War II MIAs to bring recognition to the service member, closure for their families, and to help a grateful Nation keep its sacred promise to bring our MIAs home. As a result of Project Recover’s missions, there are 84 MIAs awaiting recovery at this time (January 2020). Since 1993, Project Recover (formerly The BentProp Project) has located 30+ downed World War II US aircraft associated with scores of MIA service members.
Aircraft

Meet the team helping recover missing U.S. troops from deep underwater

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Nov 20, 2024

The littoral combat ship USS Nantucket sails on the water, the sun setting behind it.
Ships

US Navy commissions latest littoral combat ship, the USS Nantucket

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 17, 2024

A man in uniform stands behind a four-legged robot.
Drones

That’s CHAPPIE: Why the Space Force has a nuclear material sniffing robot

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 12, 2024

The destroyer the USS John Basilone sails through the waters around New York, wit the Statue of Liberty behind it.
Destroyers

Navy destroyer commissioned in honor of legendary Marine John Basilone

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 9, 2024

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, flies alongside a KC-10 Extender after receiving fuel on Jan. 6, 2021.
Destroyers

US sending destroyers, B-52 bombers to the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 2, 2024

Army developing robotics technician field for special operations
Tech & Tactics

The Army is planning for a new robotics technician MOS

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 31, 2024

A F-16D Fighting Falcon assigned to Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., sits on an alert mission during EXERCISE BAMBOO EAGLE 24-1 Feb. 1, 2024, at March Air Reserve Base, California. Bamboo Eagle is an exercise designed to provide an expeditionary air base environment where allied forces focused on Agile Combat Employment command and control, Air Superiority, and Joint War at Sea. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kekoa Santiago)
Fighter Aircraft

How a parked F-16 suffered $30 million in damage

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 21, 2024

190401-N-HC646-0062 OAK HARBOR, Wash. (April 1, 2019) An EA-18G Growler assigned to the "Cougars" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 takes off during a Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) at an outlying landing field attached to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. FCLP is a required flight training exercise that simulates conditions encountered during carrier landing operations while on deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marc Cuenca/Released)
Aircraft

Growler crew dead at crash site, Navy says

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 20, 2024

A US Army landing craft loaded with vehicles and artillery components floats in the waters off of Fort Story.
Ships

The Army’s watercraft fleet is slipping in readiness even as the need for it grows

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 19, 2024

Army Basic Training
Drone Swarms

Army revamps basic training to simulate battlefield stalked by drone swarms

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Oct 17, 2024

A US. Air Force B-2 Spirt assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 assigned to the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard in the sky over northwest Missouri on August 29, 2018. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot
Bombers

B-2 bombers strike Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 17, 2024

lakota crew
Helicopters

New York Guard helicopter crashed in Texas after ‘unanticipated’ spin, review board finds

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 11, 2024

U.S. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth "Sully" Brakefield, 344th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, smiles for a photo in the cockpit of a KC-46A Pegasus May 28, 2024, over the midwestern United States. Capt. Brakefield experienced a reunion at 25,000 feet when she refueled her brother's U.S. Navy EA-18 Growler during an aerial refueling mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gavin Hameed)
Aircraft

Brother and sister meet in the sky during refueling mission

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 4, 2024

Members of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Search and Rescue Team work alongside Soldiers from the HHC 1-111th AVN GSAV (General Support Aviation) to conduct search and rescue operations after Hurricane Helene, Sept. 27, 2024. The Florida Army National Guard works closely with our civilian partner agencies and actively monitors all potential areas of impact. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Valeria M. Pete, 107th MPAD, FLARNG)
Helicopters

In wake of Helene, National Guard soldiers who lost their homes still reporting for duty

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 3, 2024

UH-60 crews rehearsed emergency patient movements in Germany from Feb. 22-25 in preparation for Defender Europe 21. Army photo by Maj. Robert Fellingham.
Survival

With a drop of blood, an Army device can detect traumatic brain injuries in 15 minutes

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 2, 2024

Army’s new ‘female’ medical simulators teach medics not to ‘hesitate’
Tech & Tactics

Army’s new ‘female’ medical simulators teach medics not to ‘hesitate’

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 25, 2024

A black and white photo of two U.S. Navy F-11 Tigers flying together.
Fighter Aircraft

That time a Navy fighter jet shot itself down

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 22, 2024

U.S. Army Lt. Briana Harvey, team lead for CPT 169 during CYBER FLAG 22, assists another soldier with a computer issue at the Laurel Readiness Center, Laurel, MD during CYBER FLAG 22 on Jul. 25, 2022. Cyber Flag 22 is an annual U.S. Cyber Command training event that is designed to strengthen partnerships, improve the defensive skills, and enhance the readiness and collaboration of the participating cyber operators. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Tom Lamb)
Intelligence

Army to close active information operations command as it moves those ops to smaller specialized units

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 20, 2024

Sailors assigned to USS New Jersey (SSN 796) stand by to man their ship during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey on September 14, 2024. New Jersey is the first fast attack submarine designed for a fully integrated male and female crew and is the third U.S. Navy ship named after the state of New Jersey, the most recent being the decorated battleship BB-62 which saw action during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. New Jersey and crew operate under Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 8, whose primary mission is to provide fast-attack submarines that are ready, willing, and able to meet the unique challenges of undersea combat and deployed operations in unforgiving environments across the globe. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten.
Submarines

Navy’s first fully gender-integrated submarine joins the fleet. Here’s what that means.

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 19, 2024

A M109 Paladin on a trailer that is stuck on railroad tracks bucks from a direct hit from a freight train.
Artillery

A train plowed into a M109 Paladin in transport. The Paladin mostly survived

By Joshua Skovlund, Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 15, 2024

USS Abraham Lincoln sailor wears E-FOUR Mafia patch
Carriers

Sailor proudly rocks ‘E-4 Mafia’ patch as he stands watch on USS Abraham Lincoln

By James Clark

Posted on Sep 13, 2024

The tower of power includes the special forces, ranger, and airborne tabs.
Training

A comprehensive guide to the shoulder tabs Army soldiers wear on their uniforms

By Joshua Skovlund

Posted on Sep 13, 2024

The 354th Fighter Generation Squadron poses for a group photo for the final time at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., June 24, 2024. The 354th FGS maintained A-10C aircraft to conduct close air support, forward air control, airborne, and combat search and rescue for theater commanders worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Finn V)
Fighter Aircraft

The A-10 era is over for this legendary Air Force attack squadron

By Matt White

Posted on Sep 11, 2024

Pentagon to fund study of antibiotic-resistant wounds in Ukraine to plan for future wars
Survival

Pentagon to fund study of antibiotic-resistant wounds in Ukraine to plan for future wars

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 6, 2024

Soldiers recently took part in a training event that was closely modeled off of ongoing combat operations in Ukraine. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Joyner.
Tactics

‘Trade steel for blood’ — The Army’s plan to bring soldiers into the 21st century

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 3, 2024

A photo of the gym dedication to Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee.
Ships

USS Iwo Jima dedicates ship gym to Sgt. Nicole Gee

By Joshua Skovlund

Posted on Aug 28, 2024

One of the Argus rockets sitting on the USS Norton Sound waiting to launch. (AEC/USDE, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carriers

The Navy once tried to create a nuclear death cloud

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 27, 2024

Air Force Zion National Park Rescue
Helicopters

Airmen rescue pregnant woman from flash flood during backcountry hike

By Jeff Schogol

Updated on Aug 27, 2024

An Army CH-47 Chinook chose an in-flight call sign of "FUKIRAN" for their flight.
Helicopters

Army Chinook takes flight with ‘FUKIRAN’ call sign

By Joshua Skovlund

Posted on Aug 26, 2024

Hawaii soldier earns rare triple tab: Ranger, Sapper, Jungle
Training

Hawaii soldier earns rare triple tab: Ranger, Sapper, Jungle

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 26, 2024

The USS Kingsville at its commissioning ceremony on Aug. 24, 2024. (photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas V. Huynh/U.S. Navy)
Ships

Navy commissions the USS Kingsville, one of the last new littoral combat ships

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 25, 2024

A pair of CH-47 Chinook helicopters assigned to 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Fort Wainwright, Alaska depart on a mission March 12, 2018, as part of the Joint Force Land Component Command in support of exercise Arctic Edge 18. As the JFLCC for the exercise, U.S. Army Alaska is the headquarters responsible for command and control of all ground-based forces participating in the exercise. Arctic Edge 2018 is a biennial, large-scale, joint training exercise that prepares and tests the U.S. military’s ability to operate tactically in the extreme cold-weather conditions found in Arctic environments. Under the authority of U.S. Northern Command, more than 1500 participants from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy will utilize the unique and expansive air and ground training areas in Alaska. (U.S. Air Force by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez)
Training

Army activates Arctic Aviation Command for extreme cold flying

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 20, 2024

EOD teams upend training for threats from IEDs on the ground to drones in the air
Training

EOD teams upend training for threats from IEDs on the ground to drones in the air

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 16, 2024

U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training trainees carry weapons at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on August 2, 2024. Beginning on July 29, 2024, Col. Billy Wilson Jr., 737th Training Group commander, launched a weapons handling initiative. From now on, BMT trainees will carry weapons throughout their 7.5 weeks of training to instill a profession of arms and a warrior mindset into the future Airmen. JBSA-Lackland is home to USAF BMT where enlisted civilians are transformed into capable Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ava Leone)
Training

Seeking ‘warfighter mindset,’ Air Force basic trainees now carrying rifles through boot camp

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Aug 13, 2024