The War Zone
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The Shkval question: how an old Soviet torpedo entered the Hormuz war debate
One of the more unusual weapons to re-emerge in discussion of the current Gulf crisis is the Soviet-designed VA-111 Shkval, a supercavitating torpedo whose speed once made it a subject of intense Western interest. Its Iranian counterpart, widely identified as…
US burns through years of key missile stocks in Iran war, raising pressure on Pentagon and Congress
The United States has depleted what officials described as “years” of stockpiled critical munitions during less than two weeks of war with Iran, according to a Financial Times report that has sharpened concern in Washington over the cost, sustainability and…
Drones reshape the Gulf battlefield as Ukraine’s anti-Shahed expertise draws interest
Iran’s use of Shahed-type one-way attack drones has become one of the defining features of the present Gulf crisis, not least because the weapon combines relatively low cost with the ability to threaten energy infrastructure, shipping and military facilities across…
Strike on KuibyshevAzot highlights vulnerability of Russia’s defence-industrial rear
A fire at the KuibyshevAzot chemical plant in Tolyatti following an overnight drone strike on 11 March has drawn attention not simply because another Russian industrial site was hit, but because of what the target represents inside Russia’s wider defence-supporting…
Strike on Bryansk defence plant may disrupt Russian missile component supply
The Ukrainian strike on Bryansk on 10 March appears to have been one of the most significant attacks on the city since the start of the war, both in terms of reported casualties and the importance of the target. Russian…
The Cyprus Warning: Turkey’s military signalling may be probing Britain’s weakened posture in the region.
When reports emerged that Turkey had deployed additional General Dynamics F‑16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to the territory it occupies in Northern Cyprus, the development might at first glance appear routine: another incremental military adjustment in one of Europe’s most frozen…
A Tale of Two Navies: France sends a Flotilla to Hormuz while Britain struggles to deploy a single warship.
When the government of France announced that it would dispatch a naval task force to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the move carried a familiar echo of Gaullist strategic instinct: protect trade routes, demonstrate resolve, and signal that…
NATO intercepts second Iranian ballistic missile in Turkish airspace
Turkey said on Monday, 9 March, that NATO air and missile defence systems intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile after it entered Turkish airspace, in the latest sign that the widening regional conflict is beginning to test the security of…
Ukraine deploys drone specialists to assist protection of US bases in Jordan
Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and a team of drone specialists to Jordan to help protect American military bases, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The move points to a new dimension in Kyiv’s wartime diplomacy, as Ukraine seeks to apply…
Drone used in attack on RAF Akrotiri contained Russian-made parts, report says
A drone that struck the British air base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on 1 March contained a Russian-made Kometa-B navigation system, according to reporting by The Times, a finding likely to sharpen scrutiny of military links between Moscow and…