The Ukrainian defence ministry has officially adopted the Droid TW 12.7, a new robotic combat system designed to enhance battlefield effectiveness. Equipped with a .50 calibre Browning machine gun, the unmanned platform provides lethal firepower while keeping friendly forces out of harm’s way. WATCH as British forces examine the new …
Read More »Cold War Navy SEAL James Hawes Talks About Che Guevara, War in the Congo, and More
Sometime in 1965, Navy SEAL James Hawes landed in the Congo with cash stuffed in his socks, morphine in his bag, and a basic understanding of his mission. He would recruit a mercenary navy and suppress the Soviet and Chinese-backed rebels engaged in guerrilla movements against a pro-Western government. …
Read More »Did Allied Pilots Punk the Germans by Dropping Fake Bombs on Fake Airfields in WWII?
Did Allied forces really drop a fake wooden bomb as a joke on German forces in World War II? A story that is often retold by fans of military history has it that German forces built decoy fake wooden airfields to deceive enemy pilots – and that Allied forces, on …
Read More »Mystery Drones Buzz the Kremlin: A Retrospective
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in SOF on June 2, 2023. We are republishing it here for context in light of drones being reported over New Jersey in December 2024. All references are from 2023. The illustrations for this story are AI, but the events are real. ~SKK by …
Read More »Drug Mules Shifted Their Smuggling Routes on the US-Mexico Border – Here’s Why
Over the last year, U.S. officials have seized more illicit fentanyl at Arizona’s ports of entry than anywhere else on the US-Mexico border, suggesting a possible shift in synthetic drug trafficking routes. “We’re seeing shipments of all kinds coming in fast through new routes into Arizona,” one Border Patrol agent …
Read More »Shooting Canada’s Version of the SVD Dragunov, the Type 81 Sporting Rifle – With Russian Scope
By Royce de Melo Our correspondent has high hopes for his new sniper rifle, but finds that the knockoff Soviet-style Dragunov has a few surprises. As soon as we finished the club’s Saturday morning orientation for new members, I went out the main building’s door and headed to the 300-yard …
Read More »The Flying Legend, ‘Black Sheep’ Col. Pappy Boyington
by Katie Lange Editor’s note: SOF publisher Susan Katz Keating knew Col. Pappy Boyington in the 1980’s when he frequented the Nut Tree airport in Vacaville, California. Here is a story of his life in uniform. Colonel Gregory “Pappy” Boyington was one of the service’s greatest and most legendary pilots. …
Read More »Slugfest in Syria: US Special Forces V Russian Wagner Group Mercs
by Kevin Maurer, The War Horse Editor’s note: As the situation in Syria heats up, here’s a look at a rare event from 2018, when U.S. and Russian forces clashed. The fight occurred in Syria. ~SKK Explosions flashed in the fog hanging over the Euphrates River like a coming summer …
Read More »Green Berets, Montagnard Tribesmen Formed Lasting Alliance in Vietnam
The Montagnards were skilled fighters, often engaging in guerrilla tactics, conducting reconnaissance, and staging ambushes against enemy forces. During the Vietnam War, one of the most remarkable military alliances was between the U.S. Green Berets and the Montagnard tribespeople, indigenous groups who inhabited the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Montagnards, …
Read More »Finland’s RK 62 M1 Rifle Was Inspired by Iconic AK-47
One of Nato’s newest members has been showing off the AK-47-inspired RK 62 M1 assault rifle that is in current service with its armed forces. The Finnish Defence Force’s standard-issue rifle is based on a Polish variant of the AK-47 – the model that launched the iconic Soviet-made AK family. WATCH …
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