Skip to content
You can now search across every topic, entity and event.What's new
The War Zone
OrganisationUS

The War Zone

US defence and national security news outlet providing in-depth analysis of military technology, strategy, and procurement.

Last refreshed: 9 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

How did The War Zone get details on the smokestack-bombing technique before the Pentagon confirmed it?

Timeline for The War Zone

View full timeline →
Follow Iran Conflict 2026 →
Common Questions
What is The War Zone publication?
The War Zone is a US digital defence publication founded in 2016, known for breaking exclusive stories on military operations and technology through extensive defence-establishment sourcing.
Did The War Zone break the story on the Iranian tanker attacks?
Yes. The War Zone first reported the smokestack-bombing technique used by US Navy F/A-18s to disable M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda on 8 May 2026.Source: The War Zone
How does The War Zone get classified military information?
The War Zone relies on extensive sourcing within the US defence establishment, including current and former military personnel, defence contractors, and government officials.

Background

The War Zone is a US-based digital defence and national-security publication that specialises in in-depth reporting on military hardware, operations, and policy. Launched in 2016 as a section of The Drive and later becoming independent, it has built a reputation for breaking exclusive stories on US military operations, weapons systems, and classified programme details through extensive sourcing within the defence establishment.

In the Iran conflict, The War Zone became the primary outlet for reporting on the smokestack-bombing technique used by US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets to disable Iranian-flagged tankers on 8 May 2026. Its reporting first described the precision Nature of the strikes — targeting the exhaust stack to disable propulsion without sinking the vessels — and provided the technical context that other outlets then amplified.

The War Zone has previously broken major exclusives including coverage of the US Navy's UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) encounters, the deployment of B-21 Raider bombers, and technical details of advanced weapon systems. Its defence-insider sourcing model gives it consistent leads on operational and technical stories before government statements.