Raw Intel

Lockheed Martin picked up a nearly $50 million contract modification to sustain the combat systems aboard the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship fleet, extending support for a program that has faced years of scrutiny but remains an active part of the American surface fleet. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded the $49,893,672 modification on April 22, […]View the full article

A German autonomous systems company has demonstrated what it claims is the world’s first fully automatic drone launch and recovery system capable of operating from a moving vessel without any human intervention, and unveiled the commercial product at the Combined Naval Event in Farnborough, United Kingdom. CiS, a European developer of autonomous aerial systems, announced […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded $400 million in construction contracts to seven Spanish companies to maintain and improve Morón Air Base, a strategically critical installation in southern Spain, even as the base sits at the center of one of the most significant diplomatic ruptures between Washington and a NATO ally in recent memory. […]View the full article

Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec announced the delivery of a new batch of Su-30SM2 Flanker-C multirole fighters and Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers to the Russian military, according to a statement from the manufacturer, framing the handover as part of an ongoing effort to modernize a combat aircraft fleet that open-source trackers say has absorbed dozens of […]View the full article

Show LinksNatalie Winters’s report on the GOFO China Trade Heritage’s report, Theater Missile Defense Inventory: Inadequate for a U.S.–China Conflict SummarySal reflects on the current state of national security, personal relationships, and geopolitical tensions, emphasizing the importance of preparedness, understanding human motivations, and the impact o… Read more View the full article

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $5 billion sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits to Saudi Arabia, notifying Congress on September 4 of a deal covering more than 10,000 guidance kits and bombs. It is one of the largest single munitions packages Washington has cleared for a foreign buyer in years, and […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded 10 companies counter-drone contracts with a combined ceiling of $4.15 billion, lining up commercial radars, cameras, jammers and weapons to detect and defeat hostile drones, the U.S. Department of War announced. Seven companies received ceilings of $500 million each: Allen Control Systems of Austin, Texas; Digital Force Technologies of San […]View the full article

The U.S. military has used HAARP, the giant research antenna field in Alaska long at the center of conspiracy theories, as the transmitter for an experimental radar that detected aircraft beyond the horizon by bouncing signals off the upper atmosphere. Military personnel, scientists and international partners carried out the live-fly test from Sept. 7 to […]View the full article

Americas The Air Force on Tuesday directed commanders to review official and unofficial unit emblems and other symbology to root out offensive language or imagery. According to the Air Force, commanders have 60 days from December 23 to conduct a comprehensive review of official and unofficial unit emblems, morale patches, mottos, nicknames, coins and “other forms of unit recognition and identity.” The directive came in the form of a memorandum from Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr. and Chief of Space Operations John W. Raymond. The Navy has awarded BAE Systems with a $4 million contract to conduct a quick-turnaroun…

In a way, we do. Not only is it our top threat, is also is the one we have full control of to fix. Details and ponderables over at USNIBlog. Come by and soak it it. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:F7zBnMyn0Lo http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/FAFV/~4/jXeT…

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $8.4 million delivery order for support of the E2-D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft program avionics flight management computers. The E-2D provides broad area coverage resulting in broader range capabilities. With the E-2D’s enhanced ability to work in the littoral and over land, the platform provides a critical capability to protect our nation’s interests. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion date is February 5, 2025. Great Eastern won a $9.1 modification to exercise and fund the second 12-month option on a firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements for the offshore support vessel Hercules. This vessel will be util…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $19 million contract modification, that adds scope to provide delivery and installation of a multispectral database and delivery of crypto ignition keys in support of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter in support of the Air Force and the government of the Republic of Korea. Work will take place in Wisconsin and. Texas. Estimated completion will be in September 2023. The US Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $15.9 million contract modification, which exercises an option to procure seven retrofit advanced radar processor systems for the E-2D aircraft. The E-2D Hawkeye features a state-of-the-art radar with a two-generation leap in capability …

There reaches a point where having a ship put to sea in peacetime, regardless of her mission short of directly saving human lives, is a net negative to its nation. Of all places, yesterday in broad daylight, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) passed through the Singapore Strait. After our national humiliation in Afghanistan roughly half a year ago, and in the face of a serious challenge from China, in a part of the world where the powerful must maintain appearances less they lose face...behold what an organization that bills itself as the world's premier superpower has showing its flag. Piet over at Maasmondmaritime.com has a whole series of high-res pics of her passage yesterda…

I wouldn't call this a "secret base" or that much of a surprise. China is secretly building a naval facility in Cambodia for the exclusive use of its military, with both countries denying that is the case and taking extraordinary measures to conceal the operation, Western officials said. The military presence will be on the northern portion of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, which is slated to be the site of a groundbreaking ceremony this week, according to the officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. The establishment of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia — only its second such overseas outp…

Anyone who has studied the left's march through the institutions and the regular examples of the O'Sullivan's Law in action, knows the drill knows what happens to previously non-political or even conservative institutions. The signs of their socio-political presence shouldn't be a shock to anyone. They are just less bloody versions of what Orwell, Huxley, Dith Pran, and others warned us about. While you were paying attention to other things, their world view is already deep in our military institutions of higher learning, specifically today the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. What already is well past the nose in the tent involves in not just narrowing the Overton …

Americas Raytheon won a $77 million modification, which adds scope to procure five APY-10 Radar System production kits, as well as provide non-recurring engineering to address obsolescence issues within the Receiver Exciter Processors and Radar Data Centers in support of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the government of Germany. Work will be performed in McKinney, […]View the full article

Breakthrough… (click to view full) The US Navy flies the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters, and has begun operating the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare & strike aircraft. Many of these buys have been managed out of common multi-year procurement (MYP) contracts, which aim to reduce overall costs by offering longer-term production commitments, so contractors can […]View the full article

Americas Vectrus Systems won a $7 million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable contract. This modification exercises an option to provide case/project, program, financial management, and engineering and technical support for the MH-60R Multi-Mission helicopter, subsystems, armament, engines, airborne weapons, spares, and support equipment for the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in September 2025. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $7,709,869 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Wa…

There is no better way to stay out of the summer heat than to take an hour to join us for a Midrats Podcast melee! Mark has my list of maritime and national security issues he wants to chat about, I have mine, and while we’re live you can join us in the chat room and propose your own. The best hour in national security returns live at 5pm Eastern this Sunday. You can join us at this link. If you miss the live show, check this page later Sunday on Substack and I’ll update with the podcast audio. See you soon! Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

I just finished with Xenophon's Anabasis on audio. Wow ... just wow. Almost 2,400 years old and its lessons on leadership are timeless. There is really nothing new under the sun. This book is a perfect example of the critical importance of a classical education. We wouldn't have to learn the hard way if we realized the truth that has been there from the dawn of history ... not to mention the lessons of 20 years ago ... move the decimal place two spots over. Here is just one bit. Rely upon this then, all you who are here assembled, now is your great opportunity. The soldiers outside have their eyes fixed upon you; if they think that you are faint-hearted, they will turn …