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A Congressional Research Service report updated Oct. 5 lists 81 U.S. military aircraft lost or damaged since U.S. and Is...
10/09/2026

A Congressional Research Service report updated Oct. 5 lists 81 U.S. military aircraft lost or damaged since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28. The tally includes 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, 12 F-15E Strike Eagles, seven KC-135 refueling aircraft and other aircraft, including helicopters and surveillance platforms.
The report includes aircraft damaged in attacks on regional bases and losses during combat and rescue operations. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that replacing equipment lost through Aug. 1 could cost between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, covering all equipment, not just aircraft.

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado

The Ukrainian Navy released video showing a Sargan-3000 uncrewed surface vessel firing its remotely operated 12.7 mm mac...
10/09/2026

The Ukrainian Navy released video showing a Sargan-3000 uncrewed surface vessel firing its remotely operated 12.7 mm machine gun at a Russian Shahed attack drone. The drone is seen falling into the sea and exploding, although the Navy did not disclose where the interception took place.

Ukraine adopted the Sargan-3000 in April 2026, and the vessel was also used in September to destroy a Russian uncrewed surface vessel in the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian Navy.

Photo: Ukrainian Navy

The Pentagon announced that former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 othe...
10/09/2026

The Pentagon announced that former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ex*****on will take place at Fort Hood at 1 p.m., the same time the attack occurred, and a War Department official confirmed it will be livestreamed.

Hasan’s ex*****on would be the first U.S. military ex*****on since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945. Legal experts have raised questions about the public broadcast, including concerns about the defendant’s dignity and the government’s reasons for making the ex*****on viewable.

Photo: Twin Oaks / Shutterstock

OpenAI released 722 manuscripts on Tuesday covering 372 groups of mathematical results generated by an unreleased AI mod...
10/08/2026

OpenAI released 722 manuscripts on Tuesday covering 372 groups of mathematical results generated by an unreleased AI model. The company said the results include solutions to hundreds of open questions, including the four-dimensional Kakeya conjecture and progress toward the Riemann hypothesis.

Mathematicians have called for independent verification of the findings, noting that the model remains unavailable for researchers to reproduce the results. OpenAI said it has formed an independent advisory group and plans to improve future releases with better citations, explanations, and presentation of AI-generated results.

Photo: Immersion Imagery / Shutterstock

The U.S. Army will begin fielding Sig Sauer’s M8 carbine in December, with some of the first weapons expected to reach u...
10/08/2026

The U.S. Army will begin fielding Sig Sauer’s M8 carbine in December, with some of the first weapons expected to reach units at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The M8, formerly designated the XM8, is more than a pound lighter than the M7 and incorporates changes based on soldier feedback.

The Army’s fiscal year 2027 acquisition request includes 14,944 M8 carbines and 2,795 M250 automatic ri**es. Both weapons use the 6.8×51 mm Common Cartridge as part of the Next Generation Squad Weapon program.

Photo: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kiana Tyson

Drone attacks struck two cargo ships about 80 miles (128 kilometers) off Bulgaria’s coast Tuesday. The Togo-flagged Alfa...
10/08/2026

Drone attacks struck two cargo ships about 80 miles (128 kilometers) off Bulgaria’s coast Tuesday. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank with all 12 crew members missing, while the Palau-flagged Able caught fire and was evacuated, with two sailors seriously injured.

The attacks followed Monday’s strike on the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, where two crew members were killed. Bulgarian and European officials condemned the attacks, while Russia’s embassy denied Russian involvement and called for an investigation into the drones’ origin.

Photo: FotoNova Shop / Shutterstock

The U.S. military has moved a small number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador as the Trump admini...
10/07/2026

The U.S. military has moved a small number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador as the Trump administration expands operations against drug trafficking groups in Latin America. Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said two Reapers were already operating in Ecuador, while Colombia agreed to receive three aircraft.

The MQ-9 can conduct surveillance and precision strikes and carry missiles and bombs. The redeployment comes as U.S. forces have increased operations against suspected drug trafficking networks, including recent ground raids in Ecuador involving U.S. service members and law enforcement personnel.

Former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009, is set to be execute...
10/07/2026

Former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009, is set to be executed by firing squad. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the method, and President Donald Trump approved it, according to the Defense Department.

If carried out, the ex*****on would be the U.S. military’s first firing squad ex*****on since Pvt. Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion in 1945. The Army has not yet set a date or location, and the case must undergo appellate review before the ex*****on can proceed.

Photo: U.S. Army

The U.S. government and Anduril Industries announced plans Tuesday to build a $6.6 billion, 2 million-square-foot shipya...
10/07/2026

The U.S. government and Anduril Industries announced plans Tuesday to build a $6.6 billion, 2 million-square-foot shipyard in Sparrows Point, Maryland, to expand production of Virginia-class submarine components. The Navy awarded Anduril up to $2.9 billion for the project, while the company plans to invest $3.7 billion.

The facility is expected to begin initial operations in 2030 and produce components including torpedo tubes and doors for final assembly by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding. The project is expected to create more than 13,000 direct and indirect jobs and increase submarine production capacity.

Photo: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Air Force moved at least 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England back to their home stations in the United ...
10/06/2026

The U.S. Air Force moved at least 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England back to their home stations in the United States over the weekend following reports of a possible Iranian drone threat. The Pentagon confirmed the redeployment but did not provide a specific reason.

The move followed a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September and arrests linked to an alleged terrorist plot near the base. The Pentagon said B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers remain ready to conduct global strike missions from the continental United States.

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colin Hollowell

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