Author: news

More than 200 airmen training with the Air Force’s 368th Training Squadron spent Feb. 27 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, learning about unmanned aerial systems during an exercise designed to cultivate Air Force airmindedness and the warrior ethos. The training squadron, based at Fort Leonard Wood, provides initial skills and advanced level training in the areas of ground transportation, engineering, emergency management and pavements and construction equipment. According to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Moss, a specialty code instructor assigned to the training squadron, airmen at various specialty schools on base usually train separately, but this day was unique because…

Blue UAS Recognized Assessor to deliver supply chain and cybersecurity evaluations for participating UAS vendors RESTON, VA, March 3, 2026 – SpiderOak, a leader in zero-trust cybersecurity solutions and services for space, aerospace, and defense, announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the Program Office for U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PMO UAS) to perform supply chain analysis and cybersecurity assessments for multiple vendors participating in the U.S. Army’s Drone Dominance Program (DDP). SpiderOak, a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue UAS Recognized Assessor, will apply its Advanced Cyber Threat & Resilience Assessments (ACTRA) methodology to evaluate participating…

There’s never been any doubt that the Appalachian Trail is popular. But now it’s clear that this trail sees more visitors than the most popular national parks in the U.S. Thanks to creative data gathering by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and National Park Service (NPS), we now know that the trail had 16.9 million visits in 2025. That’s more than any single site within the national park system last year. It’s more than the Blue Ridge Parkway (16.5 million), the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (15.7 million), and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (11.5 million). To be fair,…

There’s a childlike joy in seeing something up close, at a distance. I felt that way when I saw a great blue heron stalking in the shallows of a lake and dialed a spotting scope into focus just in time to see it spear a fish. Spotting scopes are great for long-distance observations of waterfowl that hang out in the middle of lakes, skittish shorebirds, and eagles nesting in distant treetops. Those are all species I watched through the rich 85mm optics of the Nocs Provisions Long View Spotting Scope. In short: The Long View Spotting Scope ($600) offers great…

Compact self-defense is the name of the game with the latest blade out of TOPS Knives’s Idaho Falls workshop. The Upswarm‘s unique blade shape actually emerged from a sharpening test. TOPS is a company well-known for tapping into the knifemaking talent of its entire team, not just the folks with “designer” in their job description. Case in point, the Upswarm is the brainchild of Eric Moony, who is a grinder at TOPS. Evidently Mooney was inspired by the way paper used in cutting tests would curl after being sliced to draw up a compact trailing point blade with a significant…

Air Warrior HUDs improve aircrew situational awareness, safety, and survivability in flight FORT WORTH, TEXAS – March 16, 2026 – Elbit Systems of America (Elbit America) was recently awarded a $49.9 million Firm-Fixed-Price, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity contract from the Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama to produce Heads Up Displays (HUDs) as part of the United States Army’s Air Soldier System. Work for the contract will be done through December 2030, subject to receipt of purchase orders, and includes post-production support. The colorized HUD is part of the Army’s Air Soldier System, an assemblage of gear and equipment used in rotorcraft that…

The Grand Canyon is one of America’s most iconic natural landscapes, but it’s been struggling as of late. In 2025, its largest-ever wildfire destroyed vast portions of the park, shutting down whole sections, destroying a historic lodge, and causing visitor numbers to drop. The park faces a massive recovery effort, and a major bill to speed up reconstruction and cleanup just passed the House. It’s a big step in the recovery effort, which could take years to fully complete. The Fire In July, the Dragon Bravo Fire began when lightning struck a very dry area of the Grand Canyon. Park…

Sheepsfoot blades are both unique and wonderful. Where drop-point blades may receive more universal acclaim for their versatility, I find a sheepsfoot blade better suits my needs and adventures in the outdoors. Though I’ll be honest, I never knew about the lore behind the blade’s unmistakable shape until recently. When GiantMouse pitched the idea of having me review its new ACE Iona Sailor folding knife, it came with a tall tale. According to the brand, in the days of tall sailing ships, sailors and crew were ordered to snap the tips off their knives. It was thought that if the…

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – Army armament engineers here partnered with a pair of Pennsylvania companies, one with alloy expertise and the other with forging metals, to deliver a capable barrel for the Army’s next generation of small arms. Carpenter Technology developed the alloy and Geissele Automatics (also known as GWYNEDD) developed the production techniques for the barrels, while the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center provided the expertise in gun technology to deliver an innovation that is key to meeting the required capability. This novel barrel design, created as part of two separate CRADAs (Cooperative Research and…

Arizona is already home to three national parks, and soon, it may be getting another. Today, the bill to make Chiricahua National Monument a national park passed the House of Representatives, making it one step closer to becoming the first new national park since 2020. What Happened Any creation or expansion of a national park requires Congress to pass legislation. H.R. 6380, the Chiricahua National Park Act, comes from Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) and went before the House for a vote on March 16. The bill was passed under the “suspension of rules,” meaning that debate was limited to 40 minutes,…