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Russia expects to reach a deal to sell Pantsir-S1 air defense systems to Azerbaijan, the head of Russia’s arms export regulator said, in a sign that military trade between Moscow and Baku is picking up again after a year-long diplomatic rupture. Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said on Russian state […]View the full article

Israel’s Defense Ministry has signed a 15-year contract with Elbit Systems worth about 600 million shekels, or roughly $192 million, to build and run a training and simulation center for the Israel Defense Forces Artillery Corps as it brings the new Roem self-propelled howitzer and Lahav rocket launcher into service. The ministry’s Directorate of Defense […]View the full article

Japan tracked four Chinese navy ships moving through the Miyako Strait between Okinawa and Miyako Island over two days, with one destroyer pair heading back into the East China Sea and another heading out into the Pacific, the Joint Staff of Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a post on Nov. 2. On Nov. 1, a […]View the full article

A photo of Russia’s new Filin cruise missile sitting on a ground launcher with a solid-fuel booster strapped under its fuselage has surfaced for the first time, Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported, showing how Russia gets the low-cost missile into the air. The booster fires first to accelerate the missile off the launcher and into […]View the full article

I've not yet time to test it, but sembles interesting. Fighter Pilot, an apparent free game inspired in Avalon Hill's Fighter Pilot, doesn't need download (I think up to 3 groups of 2 planes by side, with up ot 4 different types present, apparently also only jet fighters): https://games.forkpotato.com/fighterpilot/

When one of the world’s most advanced, high-technology militaries, that, even with a relatively low level of spending, still has one of the most capable forces on the planet, decides that it will double its spending…it gets attention. When that power is one of America’s best friends, it generates smiles. That may be too broad a description, but for those in the national security arena looking beyond the Russo-Ukrainian War and events in Southwest Asia, this is one of the most important developments of the last few years. Where is Japan going? Returning to the Midrats Podcast this Sunday from 5–6 p.m. LIVE to discuss this will be Jack McCain. You can join us LIVE at this link with access to the show chat. Jack McCain is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and the CEO of McCain Advisory, a Japan-based firm helping companies navigate Japanese politics, business, and government relations. Now based in Japan, his work focuses on strengthening U.S.–Japan ties through business partnerships, defense cooperation, and emerging technology. He brings both a security perspective and a personal commitment to understanding the country he now calls home. He is also a member of the McCain Institute Board. 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

An RAF Protector RG1 remotely piloted aircraft has flown its first operational missions in UK airspace, giving the Royal Navy more than 10 hours of surveillance over the English Channel while warships tracked the Russian frigate Neustrashimy, the UK Ministry of Defence said. The unarmed Protector flew alongside military and civilian air traffic while the […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps’ H-1 program office is using flight test data from the first two upgraded AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters to lock down the SPINE configuration, with modification of the first fleet aircraft set to begin in fiscal 2027. Naval Air Systems Command’s Light/Attack Helicopter Program Office, PMA-276, said test points flown […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s first HADES prototype, a Bombardier Global 6500 business jet modified by Sierra Nevada Corporation for long-range signals intelligence and deep sensing, made its first flight on Sept. 11, the service announced on Oct. 30, seven weeks after the event. The flight followed a flight readiness review and moves the High Accuracy Detection […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy is inviting companies to bring cargo drones to Huntsville, Alabama, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5, 2027, to compete for the U.S. Marine Corps’ second-generation Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System, or TRUAS Increment II, which must carry 100 pounds (45 kg) to a point 40 nautical miles (74 km) away and fly […]View the full article

Naval Group handed over HS Nearchos, the second of Greece’s new French-built defense and intervention frigates, to the Hellenic Navy at its shipyard in Lorient, France, on Oct. 30, ten months after Greece received the first ship of the class. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin attended the ceremony. […]View the full article

NATO linked a Maven targeting system to a national military system in a matter of hours using agentic artificial intelligence and ran a cross-border counter-drone engagement during a two-week experiment in Latvia, the alliance’s top transformation commander said on Oct. 30. Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, described the results at Ādaži Military […]View the full article

North Korea tested a cluster-bomb warhead for its tactical ballistic missiles on Oct. 31 and said it will let its military units choose from four types of cluster warheads by the end of the year, state news agency KCNA reported on Nov. 1. The Missile Administration, which runs North Korea’s missile development, said the test […]View the full article

Germany and the Netherlands have taken delivery of their first Caracal air assault vehicles, light 4x4s built on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class for paratroopers and helicopter-borne infantry, under a joint program covering more than 1,500 vehicles, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Oct. 30. The vehicles were handed over on Oct. 29 at Rheinmetall Defence Nederland’s […]View the full article

Russia’s military aviation has lost about a dozen aircraft in roughly five weeks, including at least seven Su-34 fighter-bombers destroyed on the ground by Ukrainian missiles and drones, a Tu-95MS strategic bomber and two Su-30SM fighters in crashes, and a Su-57 stealth fighter that reportedly burned out during an engine start. The Ukrainian open-source project […]View the full article

Nearly 3,000 Senator armored vehicles built by Canadian manufacturer Roshel have now gone to Ukraine, the company said on social media as it placed one of its first-generation Senator MRAPs on permanent display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The figure makes the Senator one of the most numerous Western-supplied armored vehicles in Ukrainian […]View the full article

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the 500 Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptors the United States cleared for sale to Ukraine on Oct. 30 will not help this winter, because deliveries may not begin for several years. He asked Washington to send interceptors from existing U.S. and allied stocks now and replace them later from the new production […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has ordered $114.7 million in structural and electrical upgrade hardware for the U.S. Marine Corps’ AH-1Z Viper attack and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters, exercising an option on Bell Textron’s contract for the third phase of the program. The order buys 15 A-kits, four mission kits, nine aircraft installations, long-lead components, materials, labor […]View the full article

Norwegian company UGV Defence has run its FLEX L12 heavy unmanned ground vehicle fully autonomously through a 1.7 km (1.1-mile) off-road course while carrying 5 metric tons (11,000 pounds) of cargo, in a demonstration for Nordic military officers at Camp Rødsmoen in Norway, Chief Executive Carl Ivarsson said on social media. The tracked vehicle climbed […]View the full article

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptors to Ukraine for its Patriot air defense systems, a package worth an estimated $2.1 billion that will be paid for entirely by Ukraine’s allies and partners. The department notified Congress of the decision on Oct. 30. Canada, Germany and Norway are […]View the full article

Hanwha Defense USA will build a Medium Landing Ship for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps at its Philadelphia shipyard under a $269 million subcontract from TOTE Services, the company announced, giving the South Korean-owned group its first contract to build a ship for the U.S. Navy. The award covers one vessel at Hanwha […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter in the Luhansk region with two Hornet one-way attack drones after waiting for it to land, the brigade said on social media on Oct. 30. A drone crew from the SKYFOM strike-wing platoon of the brigade’s unmanned systems battalion spotted the helicopter during a raid […]View the full article

Satellite imagery shows the wreckage of two Su-34 fighter-bombers destroyed at Russia’s Marinovka air base in the Volgograd region, confirming Ukraine’s claim that its Neptune cruise missiles knocked out the jets on Oct. 29, open-source analysts said. The open-source monitoring group CyberBoroshno said the post-strike image shows the effects of hits in two parking spaces […]View the full article

The nuclear-powered battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy, one of the best-known symbols of the Russian Navy and the flagship of its Northern Fleet, is too worn out to repair, a Russian commission has preliminarily decided, the head of a Russian naval support organization told state news agency TASS on Oct. 30. Vladimir Maltsev, who leads the All-Russian […]View the full article

A French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft spotted three Russian uncrewed surface vessels heading for a civilian container ship in the Black Sea on Oct. 28 and raised the alarm, helping Bulgarian naval forces rescue all 18 crew members after the drones struck, the French military said in a post. The Liberian-flagged container ship […]View the full article