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Military

Lockheed A-12 Oxcart

A Secret CIA Spy Plane Crashed Near Area 51. It Was Hidden for Decades—Then One Explorer Found It.

For 42 years, the legend grew—but no one could pinpoint the exact spot where the high-speed A-12 Oxcart came down.

By Kyle Mizokami
May 5, 2026
TTS audio available1 min
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Military Research

Archaeologists Found One Elephant Bone at an Ancient Battlefield. It May Belong to Hannibal’s Army.

By Michael Natale
Feb 3, 2026
TTS audio available5 min
collage design of lou and other drawings

The Truth Is Out There. So Is Lue Elizondo.

David Howard
Dec 3, 2025
TTS audio available46 min
future drone technology and issues

Is the U.S. Ready to Fight a New Kind of War?

By Matt Berman
Feb 28, 2025
TTS audio available9 min
ufo videos

Navy UFO Witnesses Reveal Nimitz Encounter Details

By Tim McMillan
Feb 13, 2025
TTS audio available25 min
abstract seamless pattern with scribbles and text

The CIA’s Secret Consciousness Research Unveiled

By Darren Orf
Dec 11, 2024
TTS audio available5 min

Badass Planes

f 35 badass planes
Pop Mech Pro Pop Mech Pro

Why the F-35 Fighter Jet Is Such a Badass Plane

By Alex Hollings
Mar 13, 2026
TTS audio available17 min
aerial demonstration of us air force northrop b 2 stealth bomber at an airshow.

Everything to Know About the B-2 Bomber

By Jeff Bolton
Mar 4, 2026
TTS audio available18 min
f 105 thunderchief

Why the F-105 Thunderchief Is Such a Badass Plane

By Eric Tegler
Nov 28, 2023
TTS audio available15 min
B-52 Badass Plane
Pop Mech Pro Pop Mech Pro

Why the B-52 Is Such a Badass Plane

By Alex Hollings
Oct 16, 2023
TTS audio available15 min
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Military Aviation

Details

They Called It ‘Hitler’s Headache’

Apr 30, 2026
Pahoehoe Flow

Why Did the U.S. Army Bomb a Volcano in 1935?

By Kyle Mizokami
Apr 19, 2026
TTS audio available6 min
F-117A Stealth Fighter

Stealth Fighters Tried to Sneak Across Austria

By Kyle Mizokami
Apr 17, 2026
Intrepid Observer

The Civil War Balloonist Who Invented Aerial Recon

By Matt Blitz
Apr 7, 2026
TTS audio available9 min

Naval Vessels

RMS Titanic Expedition

The Titanic Discovery Was a Navy Cover-Up

By Sam Blum
Apr 20, 2026
million dollar point wwii dump site vanuatu

World War Shipwrecks Are Environmental Time Bombs

By Darren Orf
Mar 23, 2026
TTS audio available6 min
war ship on the horizon with sun set in background. drone flying in sky.

Is This Drone Carrier a Threat to America?

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Feb 27, 2026
TTS audio available7 min
a new type 094a jin class nuclear submarine long march 10 of the chinese people's liberation army pla navy participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of china's pla navy in the sea near qingdao, in eastern china's shandong province on april 23, 2019 china celebrated the 70th anniversary of its navy by showing off its growing fleet in a sea parade featuring a brand new guidedmissile destroyer photo by mark schiefelbein pool afp photo by mark schiefelbeinpoolafp via getty images

China Is Surpassing American Submarine Production

By Manasee Wagh
Feb 27, 2026
TTS audio available6 min

Weapons

Submarine under construction, surrounded by scaffolding.

The Deadly Crash of the USS San Francisco

By Eric Adams
May 4, 2026
TTS audio available18 min
Red Laser Beam and Reflections

This Laser Weapon Can Decimate Drone Swarms

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
May 1, 2026
TTS audio available8 min
101010 data lines ripple with us flag

U.S. Airmen Accidentally Leak Top-Secret Nuke Info

By Kyle Mizokami
Apr 21, 2026
TTS audio available5 min
Biochemical weapons testing site revisited on Renaissance Island, in Aral Sea.

The Deadly Mystery of the Soviet ‘Anthrax Island’

By Darren Orf
Apr 21, 2026
TTS audio available5 min

Member Exclusives

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American digital eye

‘Cyborg Insects’ Could Be the Future of Spying

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Apr 21, 2026
TTS audio available11 min
Different types of military unmanned aerial vehicles at sunset

AI Is Becoming the Backbone of Drone Warfare

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Apr 17, 2026
TTS audio available9 min
Shahed Drone Soaring Over Desert Dunes at Sunset with Mountain View

Iran’s Drones Will Get ‘Significantly Deadlier.’

By David Hambling
Apr 16, 2026
TTS audio available8 min
Rocket in flight above Earth with engine ignition visible.

HAVOC Missiles May Change the Hypersonic Arms Race

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Mar 27, 2026
TTS audio available9 min
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Badass Tanks

leopard 2 tank

Why the Leopard 2 Is Such a Badass Tank

By Kyle Mizokami
Jan 16, 2024
TTS audio available19 min
france police security fair eurosatory

Is the AMX-10RC a Tank or ... Something Else?

By Kyle Mizokami
Jan 10, 2023
2jc4e9c k2 black panther south korean basic tankhyundai rotem concern has offered the polish army a k2 model adapted to its needs along with full technolog

Can the M1 Abrams Tank Still Outgun Russia’s Best?

Oct 26, 2022
TTS audio available28 min
kf51 panther rheinmetall

Germany’s Badass New Tank Will Outmatch All Others

By Kyle Mizokami
Jun 14, 2022
TTS audio available9 min
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More Military

A ship leaning dramatically while navigating rough seas.

A Ship Split in Half—Daring Action Saved the Crew

By Elizabeth Rayne
Apr 22, 2026
TTS audio available7 min
dr j allen hynek holding pipe and ufo report, flying saucers

J Allen Hynek: The Man Who Made Us Watch the Skies

By Michael Natale
Apr 12, 2026
TTS audio available17 min
Remnants of war

A Legendary Ship Reappeared 77 Years After Sinking

By Kyle Mizokami
Apr 7, 2026
TTS audio available6 min
Anti-aircraft missile system are directed upwards against the background of thunderstorm

America’s New Missile May Win the Hypersonics Race

By Emma Frederickson
Mar 25, 2026
TTS audio available5 min
Nuclear bomb casing on a transport cart.

The Air Force Still Can’t Find a Missing Bomb

By Shawn Gorman
Mar 24, 2026
poison mask

The Gas That Kicked Off Modern Chemical Warfare

By Popular Mechanics Editors
Mar 23, 2026
Missile launching

China’s New Missile Could Reach U.S. Shores

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Mar 20, 2026
TTS audio available7 min
LUCAS Drones

America Reverse-Engineered Iran’s Strike Drones

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Mar 13, 2026
TTS audio available6 min
anti air missile shoots down drone in evening sky, missile launch trail, 3d rendering. concept: war in ukraine, russian drone attack, anti aircraft defense by military complexes.

Iranian Drones Can’t Survive This Key U.S. Missile

By David Hambling
Mar 4, 2026
TTS audio available8 min
missiles in sky with sunset in background

Could This New Missile End the Hypersonics Race?

By Emma Frederickson
Feb 27, 2026
TTS audio available6 min
soviet ufo sightings, conceptual illustration

The Secret Soviet Space Weapon Mistaken for a UFO

By Kyle Mizokami
Feb 24, 2026
TTS audio available5 min
uss portland laser shooting at a target

Chinese Hypersonics Could Wipe Out U.S. Carriers

By Courtney Linder
Feb 20, 2026
TTS audio available7 min
very close view of a u.s. navy ea 18g growler in a high g maneuver, with afterburners on and condensation streaks at the wings

Why the EA-18G Growler Is Such a Badass Plane

By David Hambling
Feb 13, 2026
TTS audio available11 min
china hainan sanya shandong aircraft carrier

Every Single Aircraft Carrier in the World

By Kyle Mizokami
Feb 13, 2026
TTS audio available17 min
military missile with jet trail captured by optical targeting system

Will America’s New Missile Create a ‘Drone Dome?’

By Emma Frederickson
Feb 12, 2026
TTS audio available5 min
Military unmanned drones at sunset

Russia’s New Deadly Attack Drone Is Made of Trash

By David Hambling
Feb 11, 2026
TTS audio available10 min
aerial view of a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles soaring high in the sky. this 3d rendering showcases the advanced technology and capabilities of these drones to fly in perfect formation. red sky

How Do We Defend Against Kamikaze Drones?

By Sébastien Roblin
Jan 27, 2026
TTS audio available11 min
view of the glomar explorer

Inside the CIA’s Most Daring Underwater Heist

By Tim Newcomb
Jan 5, 2026
TTS audio available9 min
statue of liberty toppled by waves

Russia's New Weapon Could Decimate Costal Cities

By Emma Frederickson
Dec 22, 2025
TTS audio available6 min
military tanks displayed during a parade

China’s New Tank Is Among the World’s Most Advanced

By Sébastien Roblin
Nov 24, 2025
TTS audio available11 min