Raw Intel

Americas The US has agreed to co-produce the Stryker armored fighting vehicle with India in an effort to enhance New Delhi’s deterrence against China. New Delhi recently submitted a letter of intent for the deal to Washington, Nikkei reported citing a US defense official. The US Air Force has announced that its B-21 Raider stealth bomber completed […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $21.6 million modification, which adds hours to finalize the design, integration, and to conduct test and evaluation in support of Phase Two for the Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) rapid deployment capability. Additionally, this effort provides for joint flight test to be performed which will provide additional data for MST integration of […]View the full article

Americas Boeing has revealed that deliveries of the remaining T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft to the US Air Force have been hit by fresh delays due to supply chain issues. The company said it completed delivering the first three test aircraft in 2023 but failed to transfer the fourth and fifth aircraft under contract. According to […]View the full article

Ukrainian forces have tested an unusual tactic that could significantly extend the reach of the Hornet strike drone: launching it from a tethered aerostat at high altitude rather than from a ground-based catapult, a combination that Ukrainian sources claim nearly doubles the weapon’s effective range. The test, details of which circulated through Ukrainian military channels, […]View the full article

Integris Composites has been named an official armor partner for American Rheinmetall in the U.S. Army’s XM30 Combat Vehicle program, the company announced ahead of this year’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington. The announcement places Integris at the center of a $45 billion Army modernization effort to […] The post Integris to supply armor for new U.S. Army combat vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Except for those over a 85, no one alive has ever existed at a time when the US Navy was not the premier naval power - and no one alive at all has known a world where the US Navy was not the premier naval power in the Pacific. Though on paper it could be challenged in the first third of the 20th Century by the Royal Navy, and was challenged in a very real way by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific in the early mid-century, after the 1930s no industrial power could hope to compete with the United States in production and warships ready to fight at sea in a major conflict. During the Cold War, there were a couple of decades where the Soviet Union could put a fleet to …

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $21 million contract for in-Service AEGIS combat system baseline sustainment, Baseline 10 System Integration and Fielding, and product documentation. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington DC, is the contracting activity. The US will receive a weapon next year designed to jam Chinese and Russian satellites in the early stages of a potential conflict, the US Air Force told Bloomberg. The technology — a L3Harris-developed electronic warfare system called “Meadowlands” — was originally scheduled for delivery in 2022. Meadowlands can jam transm…

The U.S. Air Force’s 500th F-35A Lightning II fighter jet arrived at the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville on July 9, 2025, marking a milestone in the service’s transition to fifth-generation airpower. The aircraft is one of the first three F-35As permanently assigned to the wing, known as “the Thunder,” and […] The post U.S. Air Force marks 500th F-35A delivery first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force is seeking new technological solutions to coordinate swarms of small unmanned aircraft in contested environments where traditional satellite navigation is compromised. A new request for information (RFI) released by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) outlines plans to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems for drone swarms operating in […] The post U.S. Air Force eyes atomic clock tech for drone swarms first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

ANZAC-ASMD (click to view full) As Asia-Pacific nations invest in submarines, serious regional players also need to invest in anti-submarine capabilities. Aircraft like the P-8A Poseidon are great, but nothing really replaces dedicated and capable ASW ships. Their opponents’ anti-ship missiles are also experiencing a jump in capability, so a secondary air defense role isn’t […]View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $1 billion order, which procures 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Update (HIIU) Grade B canister tactical missiles, four RTM-84L-4 Block II HIIU Grade B canister exercise missiles, 411 containers, four blast test vehicles, two Harpoon Weapon System (HWS) Joint Common Test Sets (JCTS), Harpoon Coastal Defense System (HCDS) spares, weapon station […]View the full article

Turkey has entered a new phase in its defense modernization as serial production of the Altay main battle tank officially began at BMC’s new facility in the capital. The launch represents what Turkish officials have described as the realization of a “100-year dream” for the nation’s defense industry. According to Anadolu Ajansı, the Altay tank […] The post Turkey begins serial production of Altay tanks first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $50 million to provide associated engineering support for Terminal High Altitude Air Defense 5.0 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile segment enhancement component development. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2025. The 71st […]View the full article

Some strong words towards China from the CNO at the end of last week that isn't quite getting the play it would in a normal years. Almost Salamandereaque: America's military must be ready to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan that could come before the end of this year, the head of the US Navy has said. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, was the latest senior US military official to indicate heightened alarm over Beijing's intentions towards the island. "So when we talk about the 2027 window in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I can't rule that out. I don't mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It'…

Remarks by Commander Salamander before the Congressional Research Service, Defense Breakfast Seminar, Wednesday, 22 March 2023 I appreciate the opportunity to discuss some of my views on current topics affecting our defense posture and the future of our country. The views I will express are my own from my perspective after 35 years as a naval officer, defense journalist, and student of history. I will not dwell on the specifics of the broad breadth of topics I’ve written on because they are available for anyone with access to a computer. I would like to share with you thoughts on the importance on one topic I’ve been writing about since 2004; the People’s Republic of Chin…

Americas Raytheon won a $287 million modification, which adds scope to provide for recertification and modernization of 166 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round Missiles (142 for the Navy and 24 for Foreign Military Sales customers) in support of enabling the missiles to be operational for up to an additional 15 years of service. Additionally, this modification […]View the full article

Americas The Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, recently completed restoring a retired Douglas A-4M Skyhawk to its former glory for static display. This project provided a special opportunity for FRCE’s artisans, many of whom had never worked on an A-4. The last A-4 Skyhawk was retired by […]View the full article

(click to view full) In March 2008, the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, TX received a $10.4 billion modification that converted the previous N00019-07-C-0001 advance acquisition contract to a fixed-price-incentive-fee, multi-year contract. The new contract rose to $10.92 billion, and was used to buy 143 MV-22 (for USMC) and 31 CV-22 (Air Force […]View the full article

December 7th is always a good moment to remember that sometimes the world pivots at its own time and place of choosing. View the full article

0 Reaper, ready… (click to view full) The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, once called “Predator B,” is somewhat similar to the famous Predator. Until you look at the tail. Or its size. Or its weapons. It’s called “Reaper” for a reason: while it packs the same surveillance gear, it’s much more of a hunter-killer design. Some […]View the full article