Raw Intel

The Australian Army successfully test-fired the first domestically manufactured Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System missiles at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia on April 9, 2026, a milestone that places Australia in exclusive company. Australia is now the only country outside the United States to manufacture the GMLRS missile — a distinction that carries […]View the full article

The Royal Australian Navy has formally established and named the Maritime Autonomous Systems Unit — known as MASU — a dedicated command structure built to develop, integrate, and operationally employ a new generation of uncrewed maritime platforms. The unit’s activation marks one of the most concrete organizational steps the Navy has taken toward embedding autonomous […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin Space has been awarded a $68.5 million contract modification for the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Geosynchronous program, pushing the total cumulative value of the contract to $8.2 billion. Work will be performed in Boulder, Colorado, with completion expected by August 2028. Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO-Norfolk a $183million contract to conduct maintenance, modernization, and repair work on the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) as part of the ship’s Fiscal Year 2026 Depot Modernization Period. All work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, with completion expected by April 2028. The contract includes options […]View the full article

The U.S. Army and Day & Zimmermann have inaugurated a new artillery Load, Assemble, and Pack facility in Parsons, Kansas, dedicated to the production of 155mm M795 artillery projectiles. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted by Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, marking what Army officials described as a […]View the full article

Textron Aviation Defense LLC has been awarded a five-year U.S. government contract valued at over $150 million to continue providing sustaining engineering and program management services for the T-6A, T-6B, and T-6D aircraft fleets operated by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army. The work will be performed in Wichita, Kansas, and the contract modification […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are accelerating development of the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, with the program now targeting a first flight test in 2027 and initial operational capability in the early 2030s. The Sentinel program is intended to replace the Minuteman III, the aging ground-based leg of America’s nuclear triad that […]View the full article

Certo Aerospace has demonstrated a new anti-submarine warfare capability for the Royal Navy, using its CAPSTONE vertical take-off and landing drone in a flight test at Keevil Airfield on Feb. 23. The trial, conducted under the Navy’s ATLANTIC BASTION technology demonstration program, focused on the aircraft’s ability to detect, locate, and track underwater targets using […]View the full article

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly appeared alongside what is believed to be a new Ukrainian-developed surface-to-air missile during a video message marking the professional holiday of the country’s defense industry workforce. The missile was shown in the background behind the president together with several weapons systems developed during the active […]View the full article

DFA Systems, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based startup, said Monday it will bring its Precision Flying Grenade to ISOF Range 2026, a live-fire defense event set for April 14–15 at the Nevada Test and Training Range. The showcase gives the company a chance to put its flagship system in front of a wide audience that includes […]View the full article

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has unveiled a new counter-drone combat vehicle being prepared for Ukraine, combining the Ukrainian-made Inguar-3 armored vehicle with the Norwegian company’s latest counter-UAS technology. The vehicle was presented during a visit to Norway by a Polish delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. People familiar with the […]View the full article

Time to catch up with something that, sadly, was lost in the twin storms of the recovery of the pilot and WSO shot down by Iran, and the trip to the moon and back by the crew of Artemis II. For navalists and those concerned with America’s navy and maritime industry, this is some of the best news we have heard in decades. The first to break the news on April 2nd was TradeWinds News’ Eric Priante Martin. A budget proposal by US President Donald Trump will contain what is described as the largest government ship order package since World War II. Scheduled to be released on Friday, it will contain $65.8bn in orders for the US Navy alone, with the vessel proposals spanning bot…

REGENT said Monday that its autonomous Squire Seaglider has successfully completed a ground-effect flight test, a milestone the company described as the first flight in the United States of a defense-focused wing-in-ground effect craft. The April 13 test marks a new stage in the company’s effort to bring the maritime drone into military service, with […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate conducted two successful rocket launches into space during the ongoing full-scale war with Russia, reaching altitudes of over 100 kilometers and 204 kilometers respectively, according to Fedir Venislavsky, Chairman of the Subcommittee on State Security, Defense and Defense Innovation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. Venislavsky […]View the full article

German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall and European aerospace and defense company Destinus have agreed to establish a joint venture focused on the production of advanced cruise missiles and ballistic rocket artillery, with the new company set to be operational in the second half of 2026. The venture, to be named Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems, will be […]View the full article

Turkish Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat air vehicle successfully detected a passenger airliner at a range of 110 kilometers during a performance validation test of the ASELSAN KARAT Infrared Search and Track system. The result was disclosed through ASELSAN’s monthly publication, a-Bülten, confirming that one of the KIZILELMA’s three primary sensor systems has cleared a significant […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Approximately 1,800 guests attended the event, including senior military leaders, sailors, Marines, veterans, and family members, marking the formal entry of the Arleigh Burke-class warship into active service. […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that American forces would begin enforcing a full naval blockade of all Iranian ports effective April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, acting under a presidential proclamation issued by President Donald Trump. The operation is narrowly focused on Iranian ports and coastal areas, while allowing international shipping to continue transiting the […]View the full article

The last four years’ conflicts from the Strait of Hormuz through the Red Sea to the Black Sea have presented a raft of lessons to the navies of Europe. How are they positioned to address the lessons, and what moves are already taking place? Returning to the Midrats Podcast LIVE today at 5 pm Eastern to discuss this and related topics will be Alessio Patalano. You can join the studio and the live chat at this link. If you’re reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page later Sunday for updated links to the uploaded audio. Alessio is a Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia and senior fellow at the Center for Statecraft and National Security at King’s College…

Ukrainian operators of the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system are intercepting ballistic missile targets using a single interceptor missile rather than the two to four missiles that standard engagement doctrine typically calls for, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Air Force reported by Militarny. The disclosure came from a unit commander whose formation operates Patriot […]View the full article