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A Romanian deep-tech company is preparing to mass-produce a lightweight interceptor drone in Bucharest capable of destroying Russian Shahed kamikaze Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, with monthly output projected to reach between 2,000 and 3,000 units by summer. The STUD drone, presented by American defense startup XDOWN and developed in partnership with Qognifly, is designed as a […]View the full article

Ukraine’s drone interceptor fleet destroyed more than 33,000 enemy unmanned aerial vehicles in March, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Wednesday — double the number taken down the previous month and the highest monthly total recorded since the program’s launch. Fedorov met with Ukrainian interceptor drone manufacturers to collect market feedback and determine next steps for […]View the full article

A giant Russian robotic system known as “Chelnok” has been spotted on the battlefield, where it appears to be supporting logistics operations in dangerous sections of the front line. The new version of a large drone was spotted on the Kharkiv direction. The sighting is notable because the Chelnok first drew public attention in 2024 […]View the full article

South Korea’s Air Force has rolled out the first production model of its indigenously developed Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The rollout ceremony was announced by the Republic of Korea Air Force on Wednesday, with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Son Seok-rak describing the aircraft as a key step toward a future manned-unmanned force […]View the full article

France’s Air and Space Force has successfully carried out its first anti-drone missile test from an MQ-9 Reaper, using a Hellfire missile to engage an aerial drone target. The test took place on April 2 at the military range on Île du Levant in southern France, the service said in a statement released Wednesday. Conducted […]View the full article

BAE Systems has successfully test-fired a laser-guided 70mm rocket from a Eurofighter Typhoon, taking a notable step toward giving the aircraft a lower-cost option for countering drones and other small aerial threats. The trial took place in March and was announced by the company on April 8. Conducted with support from the UK Ministry of […]View the full article

What was the most unexpectedly valuable ship in the U.S. Navy over the last 12 months, as measured by the delta between what Big Navy and the usual suspects said it could do, and what the real world asked it to do? Well, of course, it was our Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB). Why? It is its inherent flexibility and “white space” that future-proofs the ship and lets it function as a multi-tool for the fleet commander to modify as needed to scratch the tactical itch at the moment. Flexibility…just a more mundane way of saying, “modular, multi-mission capable eleventy”. They are not complicated. They aren’t exquisitely designed. They don’t have some extreme requirement, like ludicrous speed, that requires engineering compromises that cripple the net utility of the platform. Of course, you can’t have a Navy of ESBs, but they are a flavor to the stew that makes the whole thing be just a little extra. There are even tastier spices out there we should be adding to our stew. What am I referring to? Well, as with most industry pages from Europe, this does not tell the full story, but it gets you started. Damen Shipyards Group has launched the NRP D. João II a Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) 10720 for the Portuguese Navy. The vessel entered the water at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on April 7. … The MPV 10720 originates from a concept proposed by the Portuguese Navy to create a multi-functional naval platform capable of undertaking a wide range of duties … and is especially suited for multi-purpose activities such as oceanographic research, environmental control, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maritime surveillance and support tasks. Now, for those who have a NAVSEA doll full of pins, I want you to appreciate this timeline. Following a competitive tender process, Damen signed the contract in 2024. … Building on the Portuguese Navy’s vision, Damen worked closely with its customer and strategic co-makers and suppliers to refine the design and bring it to life. This collaboration has also led to the development of Damen’s new Multi-Purpose Support Ship (MPSS) range, spanning 7,000–9,000 tons, which integrates military-grade technology with proven standardised solutions for cost efficiency and rapid delivery. Sigh. Just look at the flexibility. Just look at the utilization of allied shipyards. Sigh. The Euros are flexing over on Wiki. I don’t blame them. 94 metre runway for unmanned aerial vehicle; Deck for landing heavy helicopter such as the Portuguese Air Force AgustaWestland AW101s; 1 hangar capable of holding a helicopter; 1 hangar/workshop for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones); Catapult for launching drones; Capacity for 18 military light utility vehicles / 18 containers or 10 speedboats; Lower hangar with cranes and rails for handling containers; Capacity to transport 4 speedboats; Side door for vehicle entry; Crane with a capacity of 30 tonnes; Ramp for disembarking boats; Side hangar for operating a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) with a cargo lift; Area to receive 100 people/military personnel with accommodations and facilities; Capacity for 42 scientists; In an emergency situation, it can accommodate a further 200 people in the lower hangar; Laboratories; A Role 2 NATO hospital; Accommodations for its garrison. Some are calling it a “drone carrier” — which I find rather limiting and a bit silly, but make no mistake…she can unquestionably do that mission, and that gets the eyeballs. Not having to rely on land bases for your drones opens all sorts of doors. However, let’s not play out a detailed vignette with that concept, but dive into what I see in this as the next evolution of the ESB concept. I don’t think I need to outline all the various ways this can be of use, especially in the Pacific. Plenty of ways to up-arm this without major SHIPALTs. The extended armed version you can see next to its smaller unarmed version is a good start. In addition to the pictured fore and aft OTO 76/62 Super Rapid, I see space for everything from NSM, SeaRAM, and even our friendly AGM-114L. Just keep the Good Idea Fairy away from her…and build them in volume. The fleet will show you what she’s good for. Get some Marines in the room. They’ll have even better ideas. The EOD, NSW, and MIW kids will get all sorts of excited. The US Navy likes to talk a big talk about innovation and experimentation…but…if we were walking the walk, wouldn’t we come up with something like this in three years from contract to launch? We make it too hard to innovate. All that being said, BZ to Damen, and BZ to the plucky Portuguese. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

American Rheinmetall has released new details about the Lynx XM30, its next-generation infantry fighting vehicle developed for the U.S. Army’s XM30 program, as the Pentagon moves to formally transition the program from research and development into full procurement with a $547 million budget request for fiscal year 2027. The Lynx XM30 is being developed by […]View the full article

Ukraine’s military intelligence said its drones struck the Russian rail ferry Slavyanin overnight on April 6, targeting what Kyiv described as the last rail ferry still being used by Russian forces to move military cargo across the Kerch Strait into occupied Crimea. The strike was carried out by drones developed by Fire Point company and […]View the full article

Turkey is in talks with Italy to acquire and co-produce European-made SAMP/T air and missile defense systems after recent missile threats linked to Iran heightened pressure on Ankara to strengthen its air defenses. The discussions focus on the SAMP/T system produced by Eurosam, the French-Italian consortium behind one of Europe’s most advanced long-range air defense […]View the full article

The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command has completed a structured research effort aimed at shaping the next version of the Army’s robotic load-carrying vehicle, gathering feedback from soldiers across all three Army components to inform requirements for the Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Increment 2. The study was led by Lt. Col. Vikram Mittal and […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground opened its range in March for a week-long demonstration of advanced airdrop and parachute systems, drawing more than 300 participants from the United States and 11 partner nations to Arizona. Hosted by the Yuma Test Center, the event put the Army’s latest air delivery technologies on display, including powered […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin an $11.4 million contract modification to develop additional software for Israel’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet, the Pentagon announced April 7, 2026. The modification adds $11,437,794 to a previously awarded contract numbered N0001921C0040. The work is fully funded through Foreign Military Sales customer funds — meaning Israel, not […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Anduril Industries a $16.8 million contract for hardware and components supporting its Ghost-X small drone systems, the Pentagon announced April 7, 2026. The contract was awarded to Anduril Industries Inc. of Costa Mesa, California, by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The total value of the action is $16,788,000. […]View the full article

A top-secret US government body called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) published a formal program announcement on April 7, 2026, launching a new research initiative called the Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication, or MATHBAC, which aims to develop the mathematical and scientific foundations needed to make networks of artificial intelligence agents collaborate more effectively […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Defense Forces carried out more than 9,000 missions with ground robotic systems in March alone, new data from the DELTA battlefield management platform show. The latest figure marks a sharp rise in the use of these systems. In November 2025, they were used in more than 2,900 missions. By January 2026, that number had […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has issued a formal request for information seeking industry solutions capable of automatically detecting explosive hazards and complex battlefield obstacles using artificial intelligence, signaling a push to reduce the burden on combat engineers during some of the most dangerous missions in modern warfare. The solicitation, published April 7, 2026, by the Army […]View the full article

General Dynamics Land Systems has secured a $450 million agreement from the United States Marine Corps for the next development phase of its Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle. The award covers the pre-production development phase, in which the company will finalize the vehicle’s design and build several examples from part of the planned ARV family for government […]View the full article

In an exclusive interview with Defence Blog, the co-founder and chief executive of Israeli defense technology company Commcrete said a new generation of miniaturized satellite communication systems is reshaping how defense organizations approach combat search and rescue, as militaries move away from legacy models that depend on establishing connectivity only when conditions allow. Itzik Daniel […]View the full article

I'd suggest the best way is to prepare some folders named for each database you intend to use (I use subfolder 'HCDBs' with further subfolders for each database eg HCDB2, HCCW, HCWW) then just download the files fresh from the downloads section of harpgamer. The thing is that the database files will generally all be named commondb.rsr as they were intially intended to be swapped in and out of the root HC folder. By having the individual folders and by using the custom 'launcher' programs (also in the downloads section) the complexity is negated. You can even give the database files unique file names. Otherwise you are continually having to move or rename the commondb files and easily loose track of which is which.

I have no idea what to do with this statement from the President of the United States earlier today. This is not what I would recommend. It can be read about six different ways, and the most charitable one would be, “Take the President of the United States seriously, but not literally.” That isn’t what I am going to focus on today. Nope. In this space, I am accountable to myself and my loyal readers. On March 2nd, I put this on the table. While I approve of what we’ve done so far, I am going to put a marker down.My support is based on what we see this beautiful March 2nd, 2026. If this degenerates into another long, drawn-out conflict where we put boots on the ground, my opinion will change. If it drags on for weeks of diminishing returns, my opinion will change.The sooner we state, “We’ve made our point. Don’t make us come back.” the better.If the Iranian people want to take this opportunity to change their government, then fine. That’s for them to make their move. We opened the door, but they have to walk through it.We need to be steadfast on this one point: we won’t wait for them.As we discussed at the end of last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reminded everyone of the four goals of Operation Epic Fury: • Destroy their weapons factories • Destroy their navy • Destroy their air force • Destroy their chances of ever having a nuclear weapon I’m tapping my marker from 02MAR2026. It is time to come home. I could do 2,000 words on this, but I don’t think it is necessary. I’ve written and spoken enough on the topic and I am already eight hours late getting this out. (hey, a citizen has to produce taxable income, cut a brother some slack) In any conflict, there will always be those who are calling for more. One more goal. Expand modest goals. Propose a new serial plan that was never part of the original OPLAN. Convince everyone that they’re “almost there” when all the agreed measures of effectiveness are green. It requires a disciplined leader to know how to bridle their enthusiasm and contain their own arrogance and that of their staff. They know what escalation traps are and how to avoid them. Any human can become overconfident and addled with victory disease—a non-zero number of people on a planning staff will most certainly be infected. It requires a disciplined leader to know their limits and to fully scope the cost/benefit of overconfidence. From the start of our forces going feet-dry, I have been worried that we were one golden BB or mechanical failure away from having aircrew, alive or dead, in possession of the Iranian government. That would limit our options. With the recovery over Easter weekend of the pilot and WSO in the F-15E, we had that great combination of being good and being lucky. We’ve had a hot run in the Venezuelan and Iranian operation. Hot runs don’t last forever. We’ve bought time before Iran goes nuclear. We may have to return. That’s OK. Go back to our goals. We’ve significantly degraded Iran’s weapons factories. Their navy and air force are, for all intents and purposes, gone. It will take years and huge amounts of money to reconstitute even a third-rate force of either. We’ve degraded their nuclear program for some length of time. Exactly how long is unknown, but it’s longer than it was a year ago. We’ve done what we started out to do. It is time to state we’ve met our goals, and we’re done. Let the diplomatic, economic, and informational second-order effects work themselves out, but it is time to say “enough” with the military while we still have that option. In the words of the great American philosopher, Kenny Rogers, You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away and know when to run Let’s smile gracefully. Push the chair back. Stand up. Tip the dealer. Wink at those we defeated, and head out the door. We’ve made our point. We control the off-ramp. Let’s take it. It is time. I’m calling my marker. UPDATE: Must credit Salamander.Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Thanks for the replies. It's somewhat clearer now. I'm still not sure how to find the HCDB2 database, as none of my .rsr files have that name. I do have some txt files by that name, apparently just a changelog.

South Korea and Indonesia have tentatively agreed to transfer one of Seoul’s six KF-21 Boramae fighter jet prototypes to Jakarta, bringing their long-running joint fighter program closer to its final stage. The agreement was reached during working-level talks in February, according to documents submitted by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration and cited Tuesday by […]View the full article

A newly identified Ukrainian sea drone fitted with a remotely operated machine-gun mount was spotted during a recent strike attempt on Russia’s naval base at Novorossiysk. Footage circulated by Russian reconnaissance channels appears to show the unmanned surface vessel moving as part of a larger wave of attack drones heading toward the port. One of […]View the full article

Ukraine’s First Separate Medical Battalion said it completed six successful casualty evacuation missions in a single day using unmanned ground vehicles. The battalion said the missions were carried out over a 24-hour period and focused on extracting wounded troops from combat positions under constant pressure from Russian first-person-view attack drones. In a statement cited by […]View the full article