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The U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Capability Battery of 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, a long-range fires battalion under Multi-Domain Command Europe, completed its first live-fire of a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile using its newly fielded Typhon missile system at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, on Sept. 28, 2026. It was the third Typhon launch within the continental United States, according to the service.

Typhon, built by Lockheed Martin, is a truck-mounted launcher that fires the Tomahawk and the SM-6, missiles originally developed for U.S. Navy warships. It fills the gap between the Army’s shorter-range rocket and missile launchers and its long-range hypersonic weapon, letting ground commanders hit targets more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles) away with Tomahawk.

Before the launch, soldiers in the battery completed a five-week training program run by the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin field service representatives to learn how to operate and maintain the system.

“We get that range for that combatant commander to give them options and capabilities where they really haven’t had it before from the land force,” said Lt. Col. Derek Bartlett, commander of 3-12 Field Artillery.

Bartlett said strikes at that range would previously have been requested from the joint force, typically from the U.S. Navy, and that “the Army now has that capability.” He added, “They’re incredibly good at what they do now. I’m very comfortable deploying them forward after these five weeks.”

The 3-12 battery is one of four Mid-Range Capability batteries the U.S. Army has created and falls under Multi-Domain Command Europe, which brings together the service’s land, air, sea, space and cyber capabilities to strike targets. According to the U.S. Army, the first battery was activated in January 2024, while the 3-12 battery was activated in November 2025.

“It requires all domains to work in unison for a kinetic strike to happen,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Hespe, the battalion’s senior enlisted advisor. “Rockets in the field artillery community are going to continue to evolve. It’s going to provide better options for commanders to choose to fire from land based emplacement in any country at any time.”

Typhon has already deployed outside the United States: a battery went to the Philippines in April 2024 for exercises, and the system was shown in Japan in 2025, moves that drew protests from China. In Europe, Washington and Berlin announced in July 2024 that the United States would begin episodic deployments of long-range fires to Germany in 2026, including Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, which puts a Europe-based Typhon unit in line with those plans.

Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News

F-35C Lightning II jets assigned to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 began aircraft compatibility testing aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) on October 13, marking the first time an F-35C has landed on or launched from a Ford-class aircraft carrier. The Navy released imagery showing at least two F-35Cs, tail numbers 401 and 403, completing arrested recoveries and catapult launches using the carrier’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG).

The testing is part of the aircraft compatibility testing (ACT) the new carrier must undergo to ensure basic functionality with embarked aircraft. The John F. Kennedy is not yet commissioned and is slated to enter service with the U.S. Navy in 2027.

The first Ford-class carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), entered service in 2017 but to date does not embark F-35Cs, instead relying on air wings equipped with F/A-18E/F and G-variants. U.S. Navy F-35Cs have been operational on older Nimitz-class carriers for six years. The F-35C first began ACT aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in November 2014, and the first Nimitz-class carrier to operationally deploy the fighter was USS Carl Vinson in 2020, after initial testing with F-35C commenced on that carrier in 2017.

The delayed induction of F-35C with Ford-class carriers stems from a Navy decision to extend various testing and integration measures on the new carrier design as a cost-saving measure, deriving from a Congress-mandated cost cap on the CVN-78 program. The Navy deferred various integration benchmarks to abide by the mandate, which resulted in marginal functionality of various systems on the notionally operational carrier, affecting aspects such as EMALS and the newly designed weapons elevators. In response, the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee in its FY2020 submission included language mandating that the Navy must not accept CVN-79 without the ability to embark the F-35C.

In August 2026, President Donald Trump mandated a 60-day review into whether additional new carriers, commencing with USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), should be modified for integration with the older steam-based catapult and arrestor system in use on Nimitz-class carriers. Despite the top-level initiative, the chances of such a change appear very marginal, as such a drastic design change would likely impose significant cost-increases and delays on further carrier construction. The Navy continues to order long lead items for support and future integration of EMALS equipment.

The testing aboard John F. Kennedy comes as the Chinese Navy’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian (18), the first Chinese carrier equipped with catapults, was commissioned in November 2025. The Fujian conducted flight testing involving recovery and launch of several aircraft, including the next-generation J-35, an operational analogue to the F-35C, using its own electromagnetic launch gear as early as March 2025. Naval News reported that the Fujian’s activities, combined with another presumed nuclear-powered Chinese carrier taking shape at the Dalian shipyard, underscore a new dynamic for the U.S. Navy, which now faces increased scrutiny bringing its newest aircraft carriers and fighter jets into routine operation against a notional adversary with similar capability.

Sources: USNI News · Naval News

The U.S. military is reportedly considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon — known as the “mother of all bombs” — against Iran, according to a report published Oct. 15 by Military.com. The report did not specify how many weapons might be used, what targets are under consideration, or when a decision could be made.

A White House official told Military.com that the administration does not “comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist.” The report did not name the official.

The MOAB is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided bomb that produces a large blast radius and is designed to destroy hardened surface targets and tunnel complexes. It was first used in combat in April 2017 against an Islamic State tunnel network in Afghanistan.

The reported consideration comes amid an ongoing war with Iran. Neither source provided details on the current scope of that conflict, U.S. force posture in the region, or any timeline for potential MOAB use.

Military.com’s report did not cite any additional administration, Pentagon, or military officials beyond the White House statement. The report also did not describe any internal debate, legal review, or operational planning process related to the possible use of the weapon.

According to the sources, the White House has not publicly confirmed or denied the report, and no decision has been announced. The next concrete step, per the sources, is any official confirmation or denial from the administration regarding the reported consideration.

Sources: Breaking Defense · Military.com

An F-35 completed a ripple release of eight Small Diameter Bombs on Oct. 15, 2026, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The test, conducted at an undisclosed location, demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to release multiple precision-guided bombs in rapid succession.

The ripple release involved the F-35 dropping eight Small Diameter Bombs in quick succession. The test marks a significant step in validating the F-35’s ability to engage multiple targets in a single pass, a capability that enhances its combat effectiveness.

The Small Diameter Bomb is a precision-guided, 250-pound-class weapon designed to minimize collateral damage while providing accurate strikes against a variety of targets.

The test was part of ongoing efforts to integrate and validate new weapons on the F-35 platform, according to the report. The successful ripple release demonstrates the aircraft’s maturity and its ability to employ a wider range of munitions in combat scenarios.

This milestone follows other recent Marine Corps modernization efforts, including the re-designation of 1st Battalion, 10th Marines as the service’s first medium missile battalion on Oct. 9, 2026, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. That unit now operates the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a ground-based anti-ship missile capability, as part of the Marine Corps Force Design 2030 plan.

The ability to deliver multiple bombs in quick succession allows pilots to engage multiple targets efficiently, reducing the time and exposure required to complete strike missions.

Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that the U.S. has stopped sharing some forms of key intelligence with Kyiv, including warnings of incoming ballistic missiles, and that SpaceX had restricted its Starshield military satellite service without notice. The disclosures mark a public escalation in tensions between the two allies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv the previous day came with no warning from partners. He said Ukraine held fire on Russian energy targets for three days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire on Sunday, but that Russia continued striking Ukrainian power plants.

“Unfortunately, there was a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv yesterday, and there was no warning from our partners regarding this attack. Usually, such a warning is provided, and it is a crucial factor that aids our defense,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “Intelligence data on the launch of Russian ballistic missiles helps save people’s lives.”

Kyiv residents heard at least five powerful explosions Sunday night before air-raid sirens sounded. Reports then emerged that strike drones, interceptors and frontline vehicles were losing connection above roughly 100 mph (160 km/h), units across the country reported. By Wednesday, multiple officials confirmed that SpaceX had restricted Starshield, the military version of Starlink, without notice.

“This complicates UAV missions, particularly those involving interceptors and mid-range strike drones, and hampers capabilities for frontline logistics, reconnaissance, and signal relay,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday.

Trump has denied any interruption in Starlink connectivity or incoming missile warnings. He reportedly threatened to cut off intelligence and weapons sales to Kyiv if it kept striking Russia’s oil infrastructure, according to CNN, days after telling allies the U.S. would ease sanctions on Russian diesel during peace talks in Miami.

Zelenskyy ended the pause on hitting Russian energy facilities Wednesday, telling the Financial Times, “We’re done.”

The U.S. intelligence relationship has been indispensable for Ukraine’s defensive and offensive operations, according to Ukrainian officials, who said curtailing it could cost civilian lives and undermine the stalemate along the frontline.

Sources: Defense News

The U.S. Air Force flight-tested an unarmed Mk21A reentry vehicle aboard a Northrop Grumman Minotaur I rocket on Oct. 9, 2026, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) announced. The test was described as an in-flight environmental test supporting development of the reentry vehicle, which is designed for the future LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile.

The launch was overseen by the U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program. AFNWC said Minotaur launch vehicles support testing and demonstration of new payload technologies in operationally realistic environments. The Mk21A is under contract with Lockheed Martin for its engineering and manufacturing development phase.

Maj. Gen. William Rogers, the Air Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for ICBMs and AFNWC director of ICBM systems, said the Mk21A is “crucial to modernizing our ICBMs in response to the rapidly changing global threat picture posed by our adversaries.” He added that the reentry vehicle’s development “will ensure a safe, secure and effective deterrent for generations to come.”

Brig. Gen. Amanda Okeson, program manager at AFNWC’s ICBM Systems Directorate, said “investment in modernization of the ICBM mission remains a top priority for the Air Force.”

This was not the first Mk21A test aboard a Minotaur I. A previous trial took place from Vandenberg SFB on June 17, 2024. The latest press release did not include an image of the Oct. 9 test, instead sharing a picture from the 2024 launch.

The Mk21A is being developed to accommodate the W87-1 nuclear warhead for the Sentinel program. AFNWC awarded Lockheed Martin a $996 million contract for the Mk21A in October 2023, followed by a $453 million contract modification in November 2025. A Pentagon acquisition report released in September said the modification was part of a new baseline intended to “decouple [the Mk21A’s] schedule from external programs and continue development with an updated, more resilient plan.”

The test follows the vertical stacking of the first Sentinel ICBM at Vandenberg SFB in September 2026, in anticipation of its first test launch next year. A Critical Design Review for the entire Sentinel system is scheduled by March 2027.

Sources: Air & Space Forces Magazine · The Aviationist

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the Pentagon is requesting roughly $50 billion in reconciliation funding to scale its stockpile of autonomous weapons from thousands of units to the millions, speaking at the Project Agincourt panel at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington.

The one-time investment, separate from the fiscal 2027 budget request, is intended to accelerate development and production of autonomous and robotic systems, Hegseth said. The fiscal 2027 request includes $53.6 billion for the Drone Dominance initiative, covering $16.9 billion for unmanned-system procurement, $14.4 billion for counter-unmanned systems, $13.5 billion for contested logistics, $4.5 billion for collaborative autonomy, and $4.3 billion for institutional systems and personnel. The budget request does not establish that the reconciliation funding is the same money or dedicated entirely to drone purchases.

“Ultimately we will be dealing with hundreds of thousands of one-way attack systems this year and into the millions in years to come at a pace that this department’s never ever seen before,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth said the Pentagon must make it easier for new companies to compete in a defense market long dominated by established contractors and costly platforms. Traditional defense firms remain important, he said, but the department also needs lower-cost systems that can be manufactured at scale.

The Army’s Drone Dominance program offers a concrete measure of that ambition. In a December 2025 announcement, the Army said a $1 billion initiative would fund approximately 340,000 small unmanned aircraft systems for combat units over two years. The service said it expected to deliver tens of thousands of drones in 2026 and hundreds of thousands by 2027.

Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle said the service is broadening access to its programs for companies outside the traditional defense industrial base, making room for new entrants while continuing to work with established suppliers. Telle described plans to coordinate the Army’s autonomous-systems efforts, incorporating drones, autonomous ground systems, autonomous fires and autonomous lift into future combat operations. He also mentioned an Army MOS, 390A, for warrant officers to maintain robotics skills and teach soldiers.

Expanding access to Army test ranges is another part of the effort, Telle said, giving developers more opportunities to test systems and receive feedback from military users. He also described efforts to share lessons across the force.

Hegseth said the department must remove bureaucratic barriers that slow adoption of new technology, telling the panel, “I want you to tell me which rules can be signed away.” He urged officials to identify rules and directives that could be changed without new legislation.

Hegseth characterized the funding as a one-time investment rather than a recurring annual allocation, intended to accelerate the development and production of autonomous and robotic systems.

Sources: Defense News · Army Times

An F-35C Lightning II made an arrested landing on the pre-commissioning unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) on Oct. 13, 2026, marking the first time the carrier-variant stealth fighter has landed on a Ford-class aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy said.

The landing took place in the Western Atlantic during Aircraft Compatibility Testing (ACT), which assesses the operational capabilities of the ship’s aircraft launch and recovery equipment with U.S. Navy aircraft. The Kennedy uses the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) for launch and recovery.

Two F-35C test pilots assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23), part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), flew to the carrier. A team from the Patuxent River-based F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) is conducting the evaluation using a specially instrumented example of the fighter. Imagery released by the Navy shows two jets, with the second carrying inert GBU-38 JDAM bombs as external stores.

The Kennedy achieved preliminary acceptance by the Navy on Sept. 29, following successful acceptance trials in August. The carrier is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in March 2027. The ship set sail for the first time under its own power from the HII facility in Newport News on Jan. 28, 2026, after being laid down in 2015.

The Kennedy incorporates design changes compared to the lead ship of the class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), including the AN/SPY-6(V)3 radar. The Ford completed its ACT in January 2020 after 16 days at sea and the launch and recovery of 211 aircraft. The F-35C was the only aircraft type not included in the Ford’s ACT.

The Navy has not yet released details about the Kennedy’s ACT campaign. The C-2 Greyhound, which was recently retired, will be the only aircraft tested on the Ford that will not be tested on the Kennedy.

According to the Navy, CVN 79 is 1,092 feet in length, displaces 100,000 tons, and incorporates more than 23 new technologies. The service says these innovations will support a 33% higher sortie generation rate at significant cost savings compared to Nimitz-class carriers. The Navy said the total ownership cost for a Nimitz-class ship is $32.1 billion in FY 04 constant year dollars, while the expected total ownership cost for a Ford-class carrier is $26.8 billion.

After entering service, the Kennedy is due to be homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in Washington state, making it the first Ford-class carrier based on the U.S. West Coast.

Sources: The Aviationist · The War Zone

General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall are competing for the US Army’s multi-billion-dollar XM30 programme, an effort to replace Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, with a major procurement decision approaching. The XM30 is described as an ambitious multi-billion-dollar effort to replace the Army’s Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

General Dynamics Land Systems is offering the Wolf.

The AUSA meeting and exposition, held every October, brings together tens of thousands of attendees from more than 100 countries over three days. The event serves as a professional development forum for the military and defense industry.

Separately at the same AUSA gathering, US Army Reserve leaders highlighted how the reserve is adapting to meet Army and joint force demands. Lt. Gen. Robert D. Harter, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Betty, Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, each led panels on the reserve’s contributions.

The Army Reserve recently met its annual recruiting goal for the first time in a decade. This occurred during a major command and structural realignment.

Harter said the reserve is focused on ensuring soldiers are ready, referring to the one weekend a month of battle assembly drill and two weeks of annual collective training that most Army Reserve soldiers receive.

“We are making sure our Soldiers are ready to go,” Harter said. “That’s the most important part, ensuring those units of action are trained and ready.”

Maj. Gen. Frederick Crist, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, said the Army Reserve is the foundation for the active component Army to create a campaign-level effect forward.

In a separate exercise, US Army Europe and Africa and NATO Allies concluded Avenger Triad 26 on Oct. 15, a distributed command post exercise conducted from Oct. 6 to 15. The exercise brought together approximately 2,000 US service members and 2,000 multinational personnel operating from command posts across France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. It was synchronized with NATO’s command post exercise Steadfast Duel 26, which linked decision-makers across all 32 Allied nations.

The exercise tested simulated large-scale, multi-domain combat operations across Europe, operating primarily from the Combined Operations and Intelligence Center at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. Participating Allied corps included the US Army’s V Corps, the 2nd Polish Corps, the 1st French Corps and the 1st German-Netherlands Corps.

Lt. Gen. Jez Bennett, acting LANDCOM commander, said the exercises demonstrated that collective defense is an active, trained reality. The operational insights and digital workflows refined during Avenger Triad 26 will inform planning for upcoming theater maneuvers, including NATO’s large-scale field exercise Steadfast Defender 2027.

Sources: DVIDS News · Shephard Media

Toronto police have charged three Canadian Armed Forces members in connection with a kidnapping investigation that also led to the recovery of military ammunition, police said Wednesday.

The charges stem from an incident reported on October 14, 2026, according to a Global News report. Police did not specify the exact location of the alleged kidnapping or the identities of the accused, but confirmed that all three are soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces.

During the investigation, officers recovered military ammunition, though the quantity and type were not disclosed. The ammunition was found in connection with the probe, police said.

The three soldiers have been charged in connection with a kidnapping investigation, according to the report. Police did not provide further details on the charges or the circumstances of the alleged crime.

The Canadian Armed Forces has been notified of the charges, police said. It is unclear whether the soldiers remain on active duty or have been suspended pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.

Sources: Global News Canada