Raw Intel

Japan’s government is moving to deploy early warning radar-equipped drones over the Pacific Ocean as part of a significant expansion of its surveillance and deterrence posture against China, with the MQ-9B SeaGuardian emerging as the leading candidate platform for a capability that Tokyo considers essential to closing what defense planners have described as a surveillance […]View the full article

An Estonian defense technology startup is launching a communications module designed to keep military drones and unmanned vehicles connected when adversaries are actively trying to cut those links, set to debut the product at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris from June 15 to 19 alongside a major expansion of its battlefield command platform to cover air, […]View the full article

The U.S. Space Force just handed two young rocket companies a shot at billions of dollars in Pentagon launch business, expanding the exclusive club of firms trusted to carry America’s most sensitive satellites into orbit. Impulse Space and Relativity Federal joined a $5.6 billion contract vehicle called National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 […]View the full article

A U.S. Army initiative wants ordinary infantry soldiers carrying nothing more than a backpack to be able to spot a tank down the road and simply send a drone to destroy it, and that vision just moved through another round of testing in the Arizona desert. Yuma Proving Ground is conducting risk reduction testing of […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. a $31.8 million contract to design a modification kit that would convert standard C-130J Super Hercules aircraft into ski-equipped LC-130Js, according to a Department of War contract announcement. The Colorado-based company will perform non-recurring engineering work, covering the design, development and analysis of the kit, at […]View the full article

The United States will supply the Philippine Coast Guard with three secondhand King Air 350 turboprop aircraft, two of them fitted with surveillance sensors, under a $39.6 million contract that finalizes a deal the two countries signed in February. The U.S. Department of War announced the firm-fixed-price award to Technology Service Corp., a small business […]View the full article

The United States is now sending Ukraine only 12 Patriot air defense interceptors a month, about a quarter of what Kyiv received under President Joe Biden, and is holding back some missiles Ukraine has already paid for, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg in Kyiv published on Oct. […]View the full article

So, we’ve made it – 2020 is about done. It is cliché to go over all the things that will make this year stand out more than any other, but for the navalists out there, perhaps we should take a moment to ponder the Top-5 events that come to mind. 1. Captain Crozier, USN and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71): it would be difficult to write a screenplay – and I am sure we will see one after the book – of the circumstances in the 1QCY20 as COVID-19 appeared on the scene. This will be a study in leadership for a long time. I think with time and distance that my original take, with sympathy towards Corzier, will become the standard. As more is found out about what happened up t…

Americas The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has successfully completed its third and final round of Full Ship Shock Trials. According to the Naval Sea Systems Command statement. The third explosive event was conducted Sunday off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. A research paper by a team from the US Air Force Institute of Technology describes how a tanker-centric stereo vision system can be used for automated aerial refueling (AAR). Currently, differential GPS is used so that the tanker and receiver are on a stable flight path for the transfer of fuel. The authors argued that by having a vision-based system can improve the integrity of the process…

Americas The Brazilian Air Force wants to move forward with its plan to cut its order for the Embraer KC-390 tactical transport from 28 to 15 airframes. According to Embraer, the move was done unilaterally and the aerospace firm is considering taking legal actions. The company’s shares fell by more than 8 percent on November 12. Raytheon won an $8.8 million delivery order for the repair of the turret and sensor-sight in support of the H-60 aircraft. Just recently the H-60 Multi-Mission Helicopters Program Office met its mission capable goal entirely within its own organic lifelines. The H-60 Black Hawk is a light transport helicopter used for air assault, air cavalry, an…

The greatest tragedies from war, both directly and indirectly, are those that were clearly foreseen, knowable, or otherwise clear as day to anyone who wanted to see them. They did not happen in the shadows, they were allowed to happen because people with access to levers of power did not want to expend personal, professional, or real capital to take steps to prevent something that would be too horrible to think of should they come to pass. Little pain now to avoid great pain later is a more difficult concept to accept than it seems. The world in complicated. It is a human failing to not want to expend effort NOW to prevent something that will force harder effort in the fu…

For a proud people who make their living off their credentials, their "expertise," or their position in an hierarchy - one of the hardest things to do is to say, "I was wrong." Almost as difficult are those who are friends, co-workers, or potential employees of those people who say to them, "You were wrong." Sure, there are good reasons to be wrong. Smart, well-meaning people can simply be wrong. No one can see the future, and when weighing this variable or that, someone can just have the wrong theory of how things progress. You most often see this in the "optimism bias" where someone wants the future to be an easier, safer, more controllable place. They have so much conf…

Americas Lockheed Martin and Airbus have partnered with GE Aerospace to supply engines for a strategic tanker proposal supporting the US Air Force’s KC-135 recapitalization plan. Under the collaboration, GE will provide the team with its CF6-80E1 propulsion system for the LMXT aircraft being developed by Lockheed. The LMXT is based on the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker […]View the full article

Americas Canada has awarded Bell Textron a $2.28-billion contract to deliver in-service support for its air force’s CH-146 Griffon multirole utility helicopters. The agreement will cover program management as well as technical, engineering, and design change services for the fleet. The US Army has awarded Allison Transmission an $83.3 million contract to supply upgraded and new X1100 […]View the full article

Americas Sikorsky won a $97.3 million deal for various H-60 Black Hawk configurations. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of August 21, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Oshkosh Defense has received a $1.5 billion follow-on contract to supply Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) for the US Army. The project will continue providing the service with new and recapitalized heavy tactical platforms as well as their corresponding trailers until 2031. FHTV configurations ordered include the Heavy Expanded …

Americas General Dynamics has made a new version of its Pandur 6×6 combat vehicle that can now fight against things in the air. This new version is called the Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD). It has some new features: a special turret called RIwP that can be controlled from inside the vehicle, a radar that can spot things in the sky and follow them, a big gun that can fire 30mm bullets, and eight spots to launch Stinger missiles that can shoot down aircraft. This new Pandur can now protect soldiers from threats both on the ground and in the air. Booz Allen Hamilton and Shield AI have announced a partnership aimed at enhancing US military uncrewed systems capab…

The U.S. Army has unveiled what it describes as a scalable and low-cost production effort for first-person-view (FPV) drones. On August 7, 2025, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) displayed a mass lineup of drones at Balli Army Airfield in Germany, underscoring how rapidly deployable unmanned systems are becoming integral to battlefield operations. According to the […] The post U.S. Army displays FPV drone production in Germany first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team will be restructured into a Mobile Brigade as part of the U.S. Army’s broader transformation effort, officials confirmed. The shift reflects a major doctrinal update aimed at increasing speed, agility, and operational flexibility across the force. In a statement, Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, commanding general […] The post Light vehicles to replace Strykers in Washington National Guard first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Chilean Army has expanded its fleet of South Korean-made Kia Light Tactical Vehicles (KLTVs) with the delivery of a new variant designed for communications operations. The latest transfer adds to Chile’s growing inventory of KLTVs, which have been in service with both the Army and Marine Corps since 2022. According to Chilean Army officials, […] The post Chilean army receives Korean-built KLTV vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

New satellite imagery reviewed on November 2 shows a notable concentration of U.S. military aircraft at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, suggesting an elevated operational posture in the southern Caribbean. The imagery and analysis were shared by defense observer MT Anderson, who stated that the airfield “remains the primary staging point […]View the full article