Raw Intel

Americas Swedish defense contractor Saab has made an offer for the sale of its JAS 39 Gripen light supersonic aircraft to the Republic of Colombia. The potential contract of an undisclosed number of Gripens with Bogotá was first revealed unofficially by Swedish public news agency Sveriges Radio, according to a report by Reuters. In a recent interview, Saab CEO Micael Johansson confirmed this, saying that the Stockholm-based company committed to a “full-fledged” proposal to the Latin American country. The US Army has awarded Florida-based Repkon a $435-million contract to develop and commission a TNT factory in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. TNT is used for ammunition and ex…

South Korean Hanwha Aerospace used the ADEX 2025 exhibition to unveil the K-NIFV, a next-generation infantry fighting vehicle the company says was developed to cut costs, raise domestic content and respond to new threats exposed by the war in Ukraine. Built from the firm’s Redback design, the K-NIFV is being pitched for both export and […] The post South Korea unveils next-gen K-NIFV fighting vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas General Dynamics won a $202 million deal for DDG 51 Class Planning Yard. Work will take place in Bath, Maine, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2029. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC is the contracting activity. Ottawa is supplying additional tactical equipment to Ukraine to defend its territories amidst Russia’s illegal invasion, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair announced. The donation will include 29 Nanuk weapon systems from the Canadian military’s stockpile and about 2,300 CRV7 rocket motors previously fitted in the nation’s CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. The government wrote that the Nanuk systems can be mounted on different armored vehicl…

Americas Rockwell Collin won a $46 million modification to provide expanded risk reduction non-recurring engineering efforts to further address size, weight, and power-cooling of the airborne very low frequency (VLF) design considerations for the integration of the VLF transmit system into a C-130 aircraft. Work will take place in Richardson, Texas, and is expected to be completed in September 2026. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin won a $30 million deal to procure AEGIS Linear Processing Systems in support of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (80…

Americas LIG Nex 1, a South Korean defense contractor, is ramping up efforts to secure a historic arms deal with the United States. The company aims to finalize an export contract for its Bigung 2.75-inch (70mm) infrared-guided anti-ship missile system. This potential deal would mark a significant milestone, as it would represent the first time […]View the full article

Americas The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $439-million contract to produce and deliver the Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) and Hellfire missile. Lockheed will produce the missiles for the army and Australia, the Czech Republic, France, South Korea, and Thailand. The contract offers three additional follow-on awards of up to $4.5 billion over the next four […]View the full article

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command issued a formal warning after an Australian military aircraft allegedly entered Chinese-controlled airspace without authorization over the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. According to a statement released by Senior Colonel Li Jianjian, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Air Force, the incident occurred on October […] The post China warns Australia after airspace violation first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $24.5 million modification for the procurement of components for Megatron obsolescence in support of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) production requirements. Work is expected to be completed by February 2027. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. American defense firm Kratos has reportedly completed the first flight of its “Thanatos” combat drone. Thanatos is expected to integrate advanced artificial intelligence tools designed for high-risk missions traditionally undertaken by crewed aircraft. These capabilities aim to reduce risks for human pilots in combat situations. Middle East & Africa Bahrain has purchased…

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

South Korea has begun full-scale production of domestically developed 76mm armor-piercing high-explosive (APHE) shells designed to penetrate and destroy enemy warships from within, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held a kick-off meeting on October 28 at the Pungsan Technology Research Institute in Daejeon to mark the start […]View the full article

In the first year of this blog ~18-yrs ago, we blowtorched the Navy for throwing away our riverine capability forcing the Army in Iraq to "reacquisition" fishing boats, and generally surrendering a primary logistics path - rivers - to the enemy. We covered the rise and rebuilding of riverine in our Navy, and if you followed the tag, the ahistorical stupidity of our Navy at once again throwing it away due to having the attentions span of a squirrel. Wherever there is war with any significant river systems, having a mature, well equipped riverine force is essential to controlling that logistics corridor and having the ability to defend from and project force quickly using t…

Mack Defense has received an initial order for 86 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs) from the U.S. Army as part of a new five-year contract valued at up to $221.8 million. The order marks the first delivery under the new agreement, which was awarded on June 24, 2025, and follows the successful completion of the […] The post Mack Defense secures new U.S. Army order for 86 M917A3 trucks first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

THAAD: In flight (click to view full) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation. This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC-3 …

Americas Boeing won an $11.6 million modification, which adds scope to provide continued aircraft integration and engineering manufacturing development software development in support of Engineering Change Proposal 6472, integration of Next Generation Jammer on EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (90%); Whidbey Island, Washington (8%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (2%), and […]View the full article

Super Tucano Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano trainer and light attack turboprop continues to rack up global orders, solidifying its position as the globe’s pre-eminent manned counter-insurgency aircraft. The latest order set of about $180 million expands the plane’s footprint into 3 African states: Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. They join Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican […]View the full article

Americas The US and Japan are set to begin a feasibility study to co-produce the American AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, known as AMRAAM. This follows an agreement made in late July at a “two-plus-two” meeting of foreign and defence ministers in Tokyo, where Japan and the United States agreed to explore “co-production opportunities” for both AMRAAMs and Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement. This decision, reported by Nikkei Asia, a prominent Asian business publication, stems from concerns over diminishing American stockpiles due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Anduril Industries has just raised the bar—and secured a quarter-billion dollar vote of co…

The Japanese Ministry of Defense is preparing to take disciplinary action against numerous members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), including Chief of Staff Admiral Akira Saito, over an illicit payment scheme involving submarine maintenance contracts. The decision follows revelations that Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) created slush funds through fictitious transactions and used the […] The post Japan to discipline Navy chief over bribery scandal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Boeing has been awarded a $271-million deal to produce six “remanufactured” MH-47G Block II Chinook helicopters for the US Army. Boeing said the updates to the chopper answer the US Army Special Operations Aviation Command’s need for battle-ready heavy-lift helicopters capable of adapting to increasingly complex missions. The contract brings the total number of Block […]View the full article

Americas Austal USA has conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a final assembly station in Alabama. The project supports the ongoing expansion of the company’s existing waterfront center in Mobile, which will also receive design improvements and a new ship lift system. Austal wrote that the upcoming station will include three bays for managing large steel components used to develop US Navy and Coast Guard vessels such as the Offshore Patrol Cutters and TAGOS-25 ocean surveillance systems. The US Army has turned to industry partners for a new, lightweight radar to be fitted on its high-altitude surveillance balloons. A request for information (RFI) wa…

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