Raw Intel

The United States Commerce Department has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have imposed new restrictions on Chinese-made drones, according to a government notice posted Friday. The reversal ends a months-long review process and comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Beijing this April. According to documents published on the federal website, Commerce […]View the full article

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have begun formal discussions to convert a $2 billion Saudi loan into a transaction for JF-17 fighter jets, Reuters reported. The talks center on a broader package valued at $4 billion, including an additional $2 billion allocated for related equipment. Reuters, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, reported that “the total […]View the full article

India is moving toward approving a large-scale purchase of Rafale fighter jets, as New Delhi prepares for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit next month, according to senior officials familiar with the process. Indian Air Force leaders have submitted a proposal to acquire what the service described as a “substantial” number of new aircraft under a […]View the full article

Multinational naval exercises “Will for Peace 2026” began on January 10 in South Africa’s territorial waters, the Russian Embassy in South Africa confirmed in an official statement. According to the embassy, the drills are taking place from Simon’s Town, the headquarters of the South African Navy. The statement said the exercises involve naval forces from […]View the full article

A CIA-linked LM-100J Super Hercules operated by Pallas Aviation landed in Caracas on January 10. The aircraft, using callsign WDE08 and tail number N96MG, departed shortly afterward and returned to Puerto Rico. The aircraft belongs to Pallas Aviation, described as a private company that performs “specialized work worldwide that most others refuse.” The company operates […]View the full article

France’s Dassault Aviation announced that it delivered 26 Rafale fighter jets in 2025, surpassing its annual plan of 25 aircraft. The company said the deliveries included 15 jets for export customers and 11 for the French Armed Forces. According to Dassault Aviation, the 2025 output exceeds the previous year, when 21 Rafales were delivered — […]View the full article

The United States Air Force formally received its first T-7A Red Hawk on January 9, 2026, during an arrival ceremony hosted by Air Education and Training Command (AETC), marking the start of the service’s transition to a new generation of jet trainer aircraft. The event at Joint Base San Antonio–Randolph marked the first delivery from […]View the full article

Ungoverned, an Australia-founded mobility technology company, has developed a new self-propelled tracked platform designed to move across soft ground, mine-risk areas, and degraded terrain with less pressure than a human footstep. The company disclosed the development in a technical briefing and interview with Defence Blog, outlining the system’s performance characteristics and new field data measured […]View the full article

Russia faces a growing crisis over the state of its navy after prominent military analysts publicly acknowledged that the fleet is incapable of defending Russian-linked oil tankers from foreign interception. The assessment, made by pro-Kremlin analysts and amplified by the military channel Voyennyy Osvedomitel, comes as U.S. forces continue seizing sanctioned vessels around the world. […]View the full article

The last two FbFs, we’ve looked at some of our favorite stories about auxiliary cruisers and armed merchantmen, and I almost added a third this week, but then I saw that it was just 15 months or so ago that I posted the story about the Komoran and HMAS Sydney—so that is too soon for a repeat. However, I recently heard a side story about that last battle that had missed my scan before. It may seem an unusual story for FbF, which is usually a story of incredible ships, crews, or individuals—but it still rings true. I offer for your consideration Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark, Royal Australian Navy. Every navy is full of such men. Clark was born in Brisbane on 28 January …

The United States Navy on Tuesday awarded General Electric Aerospace a $1.42 billion contract modification to supply 277 T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines for Marine Corps CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, finalizing multiple production lots through 2032. According to the Naval Air Systems Command, the agreement “definitizes Lots Nine and 10 and adds scope for Lots 11-13,” covering engine […]View the full article

The U.S. State Department has approved Denmark’s request to purchase AGM-114R Hellfire missiles and related equipment in a potential foreign military sale valued at $45 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Thursday. According to the agency, Denmark requested up to 100 AGM-114R missiles, along with three Captive Air Test Missiles, six M299 launchers, […]View the full article

Russia launched its Oreshnik Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) against Ukraine late on January 8, hitting an area near Lviv close to the European Union and NATO border. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the nationwide alert began at 11:30 p.m. after they detected ballistic launches from Russia’s Kapustin Yar range. According […]View the full article

Just look at that big, beautiful girl! We just finished a pre-record Midrats Podcast with Mike Gallagher, Head of Defense at Palantir and Matt Babin, Head of Shipbuiding and Naval Programs at Palantir that will be published this upcoming Sunday evening. (BTW, if you do not already subscribe to the Midrats Podcast, now is the time to do so to make sure you don’t miss this great interview). Towards the second half of the show, Matt mentioned, I cannot drive past the Washington Monument without thinking like that is smaller than a Columbia class sub. Like if you took one out of the water and you stood it on its end, it is taller than that monument. First thing that came to …

SummaryIn this episode, the host discusses the recent military operations related to Venezuela, focusing on the successful takedown of sanctioned tankers and the implications for U.S. naval strategy. The conversation also shifts to the defense budget under the Trump administration, exploring the need for increased military spending in light of national … Read more View the full article

United States forces used Navy EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft during the January 3 strike on Venezuela, employing high-power jamming to disable multiple layers of the country’s air-defense network. The action was first acknowledged through statements from Venezuelan military personnel who reported that radar systems “were blinded” minutes before precision weapons struck their sites. According […]View the full article

A United States Navy MQ-4C Triton long-range intelligence aircraft conducted an extended surveillance mission over the Caribbean Sea on 8 January after departing Naval Station Mayport, according to publicly available flight-tracking data. The aircraft, identified as MQ-4C Triton number 169659 and flying under the callsign BLKCAT6, operated for roughly ten hours in international airspace north […]View the full article

United States President Donald Trump announced that he has directed the federal government to raise the 2027 military budget target from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, framing the increase as necessary “for the Good of our Country” during what he described as a period of “very troubled and dangerous times.” Trump made the statement in […]View the full article

United States forces conducted a strike in Venezuela on January 3 using the AGM-154C-1 Joint Stand-Off Weapon, after local authorities released images showing debris from the precision-guided glide munition at one of the impact sites. According to photographs published by Venezuelan officials, identifiable fragments of an AGM-154C-1 were found after the January 3 attack. The […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Defense Forces have received a Latvian-made FOG unmanned surface vessel after the system was purchased and sent to Ukraine by the Latvian charity foundation Ziedot.lv. According to reporting by Militarnyi, the foundation funded the acquisition through donations from Latvian citizens and private companies. As noted by Ziedot.lv, the FOG platform was fully designed and […]View the full article