When the Royal Navy describes a vessel as “more complex than the Space Shuttle,” it isn’t just marketing hyperbole. The Astute Class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) is a marvel of British engineering—a machine comprising over a million components, 100 kilometers of cabling, and a nuclear reactor that will never need refueling in its life. Replacing […]
In 2005, a small, cheap Swedish submarine, the HSwMS Gotland, slipped past the multi-billion dollar anti-submarine defenses of the US Navy. It approached the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, snapped several periscope photos of the carrier’s hull (marking a virtual torpedo hits), and slipped away undetected. The US Navy was shocked. How could a diesel
For decades, China’s nuclear submarine force was considered the “noisy neighbor” of the undersea world. American sonar operators jokingly referred to them as “underwater drum kits”—easy to find, easy to track, and easy to kill. But those jokes are no longer funny. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is nearing the completion of its next-generation
For the past thirty years, the North Atlantic was arguably a “NATO Lake.” The Soviet Union’s collapse left the Russian Navy rusting in port. But that era of complacency is over. A new predator has entered the Atlantic, one that has caused top US Navy admirals to admit they can no longer track Russian submarines
In the silent, high-pressure world of undersea warfare, dominance is defined by two factors: stealth and firepower. For decades, the United States Navy held an undisputed lead in both. However, with the emergence of Russia’s quiet Yasen-M class and China’s rapid naval expansion, that gap has narrowed. The US Navy’s response is a massive, technological
Space is the “Ultimate High Ground.” Modern militaries run on satellites. GPS guides the bombs; comms satellites carry the orders; spy satellites find the targets. Because of this dependency, Space is no longer a sanctuary. It is a warfighting domain. The primary weapon of Space Warfare is the Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile. These are “Direct Ascent”
In the pantheon of giant ICBMs and massive radar trucks, there is a small, unassuming tube that strikes more fear into the hearts of pilots than anything else. It is the Man-Portable Air-Defense System (MANPADS). Weighing roughly 15-20kg, operable by a single soldier, and costing a fraction of a fighter jet, MANPADS are the ultimate
In June 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pulled the curtain back on a sleek, black-painted missile labeled “Fattah” (The Conqueror). The banner headline was chilling: “Hypersonic.” Tehran claimed the missile could travel at Mach 15, maneuver inside and outside the atmosphere, and penetrate all existing missile defense systems, specifically naming Israel’s Iron Dome
In the dead of night on October 10, 2020, amidst a military parade in Pyongyang, a collective gasp went through the intelligence community. Rolling down Kim Il-sung Square was a vehicle so large it struggled to turn corners. Resting on its back was a missile of such gargantuan proportions that analysts initially thought it was
On the opening night of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the world watched in awe as grainy night-vision footage showed missiles cruising down the streets of Baghdad, turning at intersections like cars, before slamming into government buildings. These were Cruise Missiles. Specifically, the BGM-109 Tomahawk. Unlike their ballistic cousins which fly high into space, cruise
