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I can certainly envision this happening and I don't expect that the game has any code to prevent it from happening. Definitely post up the scenario and saved game.

China is reportedly developing a new stealth cruise missile sized to fit inside the internal weapons bays of its J-20 and J-35 stealth fighters, according to technical design documents released in Weibo. The missile’s design specifications set its length at under 4 meters and diameter under 0.85 meters — dimensions that are almost certainly driven […]View the full article

China’s state news agency Xinhua published footage showing the Type 100 main battle tank, the People’s Liberation Army’s next-generation armored platform, conducting field training exercises, marking the first time the tank has been shown in an operational training environment and offering the first brief glimpse of its interior. The footage shows the Type 100 maneuvering […]View the full article

AeroVironment (AV) landed a U.S. Army prototype agreement on May 4 for its Switchblade 400 loitering munition under the Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program. The LASSO award establishes Switchblade 400 as a key component of the Army’s loitering munition architecture, covering rapid development, delivery, and testing. “This award reflects the Army’s confidence not only […]View the full article

Lithuania’s first HIMARS rocket artillery systems are coming off the production line, the Lithuanian Armed Forces announced, releasing the first images of the vehicles and confirming delivery is expected within the coming years. “The first Lithuanian HIMARS are rolling off the production line — this is what they will look like,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces […]View the full article

Indian drone manufacturer Hoverit has completed vehicle-mounted launch trials of its Divyastra Mk-2, a long-range one-way attack drone in the same class as Iran’s Shahed series. The ground trial milestone follows an earlier high-speed taxi trial, with the company confirming in its announcement that vehicle-based launch has now been completed. “After successful High Speed Taxi […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space, and Firefly Aerospace have announced a three-way strategic collaboration to develop sea-based launch capabilities for national security missions, a partnership that brings together a defense prime with decades of missile heritage, an offshore launch platform operator, and a commercial rocket company whose Alpha vehicle has been carving out a role in […]View the full article

This week, we start another chapter in the Iran conflict. Might as well start with the primary source. What does this actually operationalize into? Let’s see how CENTCOM outlines it. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin supporting Project Freedom, May 4, to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait. “Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. Last week, the U.S. Department of State announced a new initiative, in partnership with the Department of War, to enhance coordination and information sharing among international partners in support of maritime security in the strait. The Maritime Freedom Construct aims to combine diplomatic action with military coordination, which will be critical during Project Freedom. U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members. Using the UN’s numbers, there are 20,000 mariners and 2,000 ships stuck inside the Persian Gulf. In a solid summary from Sunday night in the NYT, Mr. Trump’s announcement was essentially a challenge to Iran, and a bet that it would not want to take the risk of firing the first shots — or laying mines — in a challenge to the United States. He said nothing about lifting the American blockade on all shipping in and out of Iranian ports. If the move works, it could flip the script on the current dual blockades — one run by the Iranians, the other by the United States. But it could also lead to a breach in the current cease-fire if Iran sought to try to intercept shipping or challenge the American effort. We will see what happens once we start doing this. By “we”, I mean the United States as it appears that the rest of the international community is more than happy to let Iran close the strait to international traffic. In essence, what we state we are doing is “forcing the strait” folded in with the escort of the commercial ships which are willing to make the Hormuz version of the Kessel Run with us. Off the top of my head, I’m going to make a few initial assumptions: We are confident we have a mine-free area to make the passage. We already have a list of ships willing to make the run. We are betting that the overwhelming show of force will keep the IRGC’s head down. Assumption #3…that’s the tricky bit and we’ll see during the course of the day how much Iran wants to keep the strait closed. As reported by the BBC this Monday AM, Oil prices spiked sharply in response to reports from Iranian state media that two missiles hit a US warship as it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz. The Brent crude benchmark price soared by more than $4 per barrel within minutes of the news breaking, to hit $114, more than 5% up on the day’s opening price. It fell back slightly after the US denied the strike took place. … Fars Plus, an outlet associated with Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, has published two voice notes attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In them, warnings are issued in Persian and English to vessels in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman saying the Strait “remains closed”. I’ve listened in and this is what the messages say: “This is a serious warning from the naval forces of the IRGC. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and passage through it without the permission of the Islamic Republic of Iran and outside the designated route is prohibited. “If any vessel passes without permission at longitude 56°00′ East in the Persian Gulf and latitude 25°40′ North in the Sea of Oman, it will be struck and destroyed.” … The United Arab Emirates says a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz. No one has been injured, the country’s foreign ministry says in a statement, adding: …. The UAE has called for Iran to stop the attack and “ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”. Via The Economist…this is why Hormuz and her sisters will always matter…and are worth fighting for. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Share Leave a comment View the full article

Israel’s first KC-46 tanker aircraft has completed its maiden flight in the United States, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced. The aircraft, designated “Gideon” in Hebrew, is the first of six KC-46 tankers procured by the IMOD Mission to the U.S. on behalf of the Israel Defense Forces. Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus is a multi-role aerial […]View the full article

A drone pilot operating somewhere in the Washington D.C. area recently had no idea he’d been found, until a military police vehicle with a small detection kit on its roof had already pinpointed his location, pulled his grid coordinates, and displayed them on a tablet inside the cabin. The system that did it was DZYNE […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force’s VC-25B Bridge aircraft, the interim replacement for the aging Air Force One fleet, has completed modification and flight testing and is now being painted in a new red, white and blue livery, with a public rollout scheduled for this summer. The Department of War accepted a head-of-state configured Boeing 747-8i from […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded a production contract to SURVICE Engineering for the Joint Autonomous Aerial Resupply System. A cargo drone designed to deliver supplies to troops in the field without putting additional soldiers at risk to do it. The contract came through PM UAS, the Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Project Office sitting under the […]View the full article

This does ring a bell. What game version are you using? It might be something that has been dealt with previously. If you are using the latest release then the promised saved game and test scenario will be needed I'd guess. Good to see old players coming back on board 😁

Time to catch up on what’s making a buzz on the waterfront. Join us this Sunday at 5 PM Eastern for a Midrats Podcast May Day Weekend Maritime Melee! You can join LIVE at this link. If you are reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page for the podcast links. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Share Leave a comment View the full article

Ukrainian armored vehicle maker Inguar Defence has developed a medevac variant of its Inguar-3 in a short development timeline. The medevac version keeps the Inguar-3’s proven armored shell but departs significantly from the baseline configuration inside. The new vehicle features specialized medical equipment, a redesigned floor layout, different mounting points, and a ramp for fast […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is buying a precision wind tunnel for its primary measurement standards laboratory at Redstone Arsenal, a piece of scientific equipment whose specifications reveal exactly how seriously the service takes the accuracy of its own test and measurement infrastructure. The Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal published a solicitation on May 1, 2026, […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy is upgrading the communications suite on the E-6B Mercury, an airborne nuclear relay aircraft, even as the service moves forward with the E-130J Phoenix II, the platform eventually set to replace it. Naval Air Systems Command published a presolicitation notice on May 1, 2026, announcing its intent to award a sole-source delivery […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force wants to keep the Minuteman III flying through 2050, and it’s now looking for contractors who can help figure out how to do it. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center published a special notice on May 1, 2026, soliciting information from industry on how a contractor could assist in extending the […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy just spread a contract worth up to $650 million across eight small American boatbuilders to keep its fleet of rigid hull inflatable boats stocked for the next decade. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington awarded eight separate contracts on April 30, collectively valued at $325,9 million at the base level and stretching […]View the full article

Raytheon RTX picked up a $441.6 million contract modification on April 30 to build PATRIOT GEM-T missiles, with the Department of War demanding delivery by September 30 — five months from award, no extensions mentioned. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, issued the modification bringing the deal’s total cumulative value to $441,600,000, according to […]View the full article

Turkey’s state-owned defense manufacturer MKE has unveiled the URAN, a vehicle-mounted 105mm howitzer derived from its export-proven BORAN towed artillery system, ahead of the SAHA 2026 defense exhibition. The URAN made its public debut through MKE’s official announcement, with the company billing it as a mobile fire support solution engineered for rapid ground maneuver. Where […]View the full article

Sweden launched its first military reconnaissance and surveillance satellite into orbit at 9:00 a.m. Swedish time, marking the country’s operational entry into the space domain and delivering a national capability to detect and analyze threats on a global scale. The satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in […]View the full article

The Israeli Ministerial Committee on Procurement has approved the simultaneous acquisition of two new fighter squadrons — a fourth F-35 squadron from Lockheed Martin and a second F-15IA squadron from Boeing — in deals valued at tens of billions of shekels, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced Sunday. The approval marks the opening move in […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps needs roughly 40 amphibious warfare ships to sustain its goal of keeping three Marine Expeditionary Units deployed simultaneously, and it currently has 32. That gap, laid out publicly by Marine Lt. Gen. Jay Bargeron at the Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, frames one of the most consequential […]View the full article

Pyka announced on April 27 that its DropShip autonomous aircraft completed its maiden flight, a milestone that the Alameda, California-based company said sets a new benchmark for rapid development of advanced autonomous systems. DropShip is a Group 3+ autonomous aircraft built for contested logistics and multi-mission operations. It carries a maximum takeoff weight of 1,400 […]View the full article