SOFX

SOFX Join over 45,000 decision makers who rely on The SOFX Report to deliver objective, apolitical, fact-based reporting. Sign up https://www.sofx.com/subscribe-sm/

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace Friday and circled for 12 minutes with their transponders sw...
09/20/2025

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace Friday and circled for 12 minutes with their transponders switched off before Italian F-35s intercepted them, according to NATO and Estonian officials. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance responded immediately, calling the flights reckless.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described the incident as Russia’s most aggressive violation this year. EU leaders voiced support for Estonia, while NATO announced its new “Eastern Sentry” mission to reinforce defenses along the eastern flank.

Estonia lodged a formal protest with Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Tallinn. Moscow has not publicly commented.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission Friday, circling for 12 minutes over the Gulf of Finland before NATO forces intercepted them in what officials called an…

President Donald Trump said his administration is working to regain control of Bagram Airfield, which has been under Tal...
09/20/2025

President Donald Trump said his administration is working to regain control of Bagram Airfield, which has been under Taliban rule since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. He described the handover of the base as a mistake and cited its proximity to China’s nuclear facilities as a key reason to reclaim it.

Trump did not confirm whether talks with the Taliban are underway. Earlier this year, U.S. officials met Taliban representatives in Kabul, leading to the release of an American hostage and the removal of a $10 million bounty on senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani.

President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration is working to regain control of Bagram Airfield, now under Taliban rule, four years after U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan. Speaking at a…

An Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment crashed Wednesday night near Joi...
09/20/2025

An Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment crashed Wednesday night near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The aircraft went down around 9 p.m. in a rural area with four soldiers onboard.

Thurston County deputies located the crash site Thursday in the Summit Lake area. The Army says the helicopter went down in difficult terrain and the cause is under investigation.

The 160th SOAR provides aviation support for U.S. special operations and is based at Fort Campbell, Savannah, and JBLM.

An Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) crashed Wednesday night near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, military officials said. The helicopter went down…

Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Orion combat drone in Kursk Oblast on Sunday, according to the Armed Forces. The in...
09/16/2025

Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Orion combat drone in Kursk Oblast on Sunday, according to the Armed Forces. The interception was carried out by the 414th Separate Drone Systems Brigade, with open-source accounts placing the crash site east of Tetkino, just across the border.

Militarnyi reported it was the unit’s first Orion kill after downing about 1,500 other Russian drones since 2022. This was the second Orion confirmed destroyed by Ukraine in recent months.

Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Orion unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, military officials said on Sunday. The interception was carried out by the 414th Separate Drone…

U.S. forces conducted a missile strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking vessel in international waters, killin...
09/16/2025

U.S. forces conducted a missile strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking vessel in international waters, killing three men, President Trump announced Monday. He said the operation targeted violent cartels and released video showing a small boat struck in rough seas.

Trump said the strike followed an earlier operation that killed 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He warned future airstrikes could target drug routes on land.

Three days before the strike, Venezuela claimed the U.S. boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat. U.S. officials confirmed the boarding but said no drugs were found.

The U.S. military conducted a lethal strike against a suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking vessel in international waters, President Donald Trump announced Monday. “This morning, on my orders, U.S.…

The Department of the Air Force has selected Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona as the new home for the 492nd Speci...
09/15/2025

The Department of the Air Force has selected Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona as the new home for the 492nd Special Operations Wing, which is moving from Hurlburt Field, Florida. The wing will be restructured as a “Power Projection Wing” with missions in strike, mobility, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and air-ground coordination.

Pending environmental review, several units will also relocate to Davis-Monthan, including squadrons from Florida and New Mexico. The move comes as the base retires its A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet.

The Department of the Air Force has chosen Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona as the new home for the 492nd Special Operations Wing (SOW), the service announced in a […]

A U.S. Navy team from the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat on Friday during counter-nar...
09/15/2025

A U.S. Navy team from the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat on Friday during counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, Venezuela’s government said. According to the Foreign Ministry, the boarding occurred within Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone and lasted eight hours.

Venezuelan officials said 18 armed U.S. personnel occupied the vessel and were later escorted out by the Venezuelan Navy. A video shared online shows a U.S. inflatable boat approaching the fishing vessel.

Foreign Minister Yván Gil called the operation “illegal” and claimed it disrupted communications and fishing activity. A U.S. official told ABC News no drugs were found during the search.

A U.S. Navy team from the destroyer USS Jason Dunham boarded a Venezuelan-flagged tuna boat on Friday during counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, Venezuela’s government said. According to…

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian (018), transited the Taiwan Strait for the first time Thursday and is headed ...
09/13/2025

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian (018), transited the Taiwan Strait for the first time Thursday and is headed to the South China Sea for testing. The carrier departed Shanghai on Wednesday after completing its eighth sea trial in May.

Japanese forces spotted the 80,000-ton vessel 124 miles northwest of Uotsuri Island, accompanied by two destroyers and monitored by a P-3C aircraft. It was the first confirmed Japanese sighting of the carrier.

The Fujian is China’s first carrier with an electromagnetic launch system, making it only the second in the world after the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford. China’s navy said the transit was part of routine construction and training activity.

China’s newest aircraft carrier transited the Taiwan Strait for the first time Thursday as the vessel heads to the South China Sea for testing before entering service. The Fujian (018), […]

The U.S. Army has awarded $350 million to Anduril Industries and Rivet to develop modular augmented reality headsets, bo...
09/11/2025

The U.S. Army has awarded $350 million to Anduril Industries and Rivet to develop modular augmented reality headsets, body-worn computers, and software under the Soldier Borne Mission Command program. The effort replaces Microsoft’s $22 billion Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which faced complaints of nausea, discomfort, and poor performance.

Anduril received $159 million and Rivet $195 million to build prototypes, with field evaluations expected within two years. Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said the company is focused on avoiding sickness in users, while Rivet CEO Dave Marra highlighted comfort, ruggedization, and voice-command features for battlefield use.

The U.S. Army has awarded more than $350 million to Anduril Industries and Rivet to develop wearable augmented reality systems for troops, as part of the service’s Soldier Borne Mission […]

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Applied Research Associates a two-year contract to design and build prototypes of the Nex...
09/10/2025

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Applied Research Associates a two-year contract to design and build prototypes of the Next Generation Penetrator, with Boeing partnering on the project. The Albuquerque-based company announced the contract Friday.

The weapon is intended to succeed the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which was used on June 21 when 14 bombs struck Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz. Iran later confirmed its sites were badly damaged.

The Air Force is seeking a lighter version under 22,000 pounds with improved pe*******on and detonation technology. Prototype demonstrations are scheduled through fiscal 2027.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded defense company Applied Research Associates (ARA) a two-year contract to design and build prototypes of the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), a successor to the […]

U.S. Air Force special operations troops carried out a five-day drill in the Caribbean as part of Emerald Warrior 25.2, ...
09/10/2025

U.S. Air Force special operations troops carried out a five-day drill in the Caribbean as part of Emerald Warrior 25.2, which ended on August 30. Commandos parachuted into the sea and directly onto Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix to practice seizing an airfield, then cleared runways, set up air traffic control, and conducted rescue and reconnaissance operations.

Eight U.S. naval vessels with 4,500 sailors and Marines are also deployed in the region. Last week, U.S. forces struck a smuggling vessel tied to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua group, killing 11 people.

Special operations troops from the US Air Force recently carried out a five-day exercise in the Caribbean, practicing how to seize and secure an airfield under combat conditions. The training […]

A Russian airstrike killed 24 people and wounded 19 in the village of Yarova in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, according to...
09/10/2025

A Russian airstrike killed 24 people and wounded 19 in the village of Yarova in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, according to local officials. Most of those killed were elderly residents waiting to collect pensions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strike was carried out with a Russian glide bomb and called it a deliberate attack on civilians. He urged the United States, Europe, and the G-20 to take stronger action against Moscow.

Yarova lies north of Slovyansk near Russian frontline advances in Donetsk. Ukraine’s emergency service also reported three deaths from other shelling in the region the same day.

A Russian airstrike killed 24 people, most of them elderly residents waiting to collect pensions, in the village of Yarova in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, according to local officials. 24 […]

Address

Charleston, SC

Telephone

+18438602001

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when SOFX posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to SOFX:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

SOFX was formed in 2013 by Sam Havelock, a career Navy SEAL and technologist with over 21-year active duty within U.S Special Operations and the Marine Corps. Havelock commanded operational units at numerous echelons of SOF, including the battalion level. There is an advisory board and steering committee that includes a number of top ranking former Flag Officers, Senior Executive Service members, and industry leaders.