Raw Intel

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $67.9 million modification, which adds scope to procure material and labor to establish initial depot repair capabilities for F-35 Lightning II components at various military service depot locations across the US in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky has delivered its 5,000th Hawk medium-lift helicopter to the US armed forces. The chopper is a variant of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter deployed for international military and civilian operations. “For more than 40 years the Black Hawk has remarkably supported Soldiers in every major contingency operation the Army has […]View the full article

China’s aerospace industry is laying the groundwork for a new generation of strategic transport aircraft designed to expand the People’s Liberation Army’s global reach. A recently published technical paper describes the conceptual design and performance requirements of a future heavy-lift cargo plane featuring a blended-wing-body (BWB) configuration — a radical departure from the conventional designs […] The post China develops next-generation heavy-lift cargo plane first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas The US Air Force (USAF) has chosen Electra Aero for a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award, securing up to $85 million in investment funding. This award will go towards the rapid development of a full-scale pre-production prototype of Electra’s electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. The eSTOL aircraft represents a new class of […]View the full article

Korean Air is developing KUS-FX collaborative combat aircraft, a compact unmanned system that effectively functions as a lightweight cruise missile. Designed for both air- and ground-based launch, the KUS-FX is intended to strike high-value targets at distances up to 600 kilometers, while also supporting reconnaissance and deception missions in contested airspace. The KUS-FX combines features […] The post Korean Air develops KUS-FX drone for deep strike first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas General Atomics won a $1 billion modification, which adds scope for the production, assembly, test, and management of Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) hardware with embedded software and firmware, minus Energy Storage Subsystem and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) System shipsets hardware with embedded software and firmware for the CVN 81 aircraft carrier. Additionally, this […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $1 billion contract for Group B hardware, spares, and support equipment. This contract provides for the F-22 sensor enhancements program that is designed to improve the F-22 sensor capabilities. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by May 8, 2029. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. The Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing recently hosted German armed forces joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) for a joint training exercise. This marks the second time this year that the two nations have collaborated on training. The traini…

In what has become and will remain a yearly tradition. As I saw it, that afternoon in the C5F AOR, morning in America.. Share Leave a comment This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Americas The 3rd Airlift Squadron (AS) of the 436th Airlift Wing has successfully concluded trials of a novel C-17 Globemaster III combat offload procedure dubbed “Method C,” marking a potential leap forward in cargo delivery efficiency and safety. This innovative technique eliminates the need for traditional forklifts or other ground vehicles, utilizing a system of […]View the full article

Americas The US has completed assembly of its first B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb, almost a year ahead of its scheduled production and about two years after the program was launched. Its production timeline was accelerated by more than 25 percent, “while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security, and without disrupting our other six modernization programs,” said Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs David Hoagland. General Dynamics NASSCO won a $199 million firm-fixed-price contract action for maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS America (LHA 6) Fiscal 2026 Docking Selected Restricted Availability. This contract includes options which, if …

Americas Raytheon has clinched a $323-million contract to produce tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) 2B top-attack missiles for the US Army. The weapons will reportedly be used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification, and anti-amphibious landing missions. They will be employed on various military armored platforms, including the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled, Stryker, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The Brazilian […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Trust Automation a $490 million contract to research, develop, prototype, and produce counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) technologies, the company announced on January 12, 2026. According to Trust Automation, the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract will support the rapid development and transition of unmanned and counter-unmanned aircraft capabilities. Work will take […]View the full article

A Swedish-Estonian shipbuilder has unveiled a new modular rigid inflatable boat (RIB) designed to give defense and security operators the ability to reconfigure missions in minutes. XW Production, a startup operating across Sweden and Estonia, announced the launch of its XW Modular 750, an aluminum RIB platform tested by professional divers, border guards, and naval […] The post Swedish-Estonian team unveils modular combat craft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $21.9 million modification to exercise an option for industrial post-delivery availability support for the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Beloit (LCS 29). Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by March 2025. In a landmark achievement for the F-35 Lightning II program, the final […]View the full article

F-35B: off probation (click to view full) The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. […]View the full article

For decades, while the rest of the world’s powers have distracted and tangled themselves with wars of choice and blunder, the People’s Republic of China has been watching, learning, and building. To what end? Returning to Midrats to discuss this and more will be Dean Cheng. You can listen live here, today from 5-6 pm Eastern. If you are reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page later Sunday evening for all the podcast links. Dean Cheng, Senior Advisor, United States Institute of Peace; Non-resident Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies; Non-resident Fellow, George Washington University Space Policy Institute. He recently retired after 13 years …

(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

Americas Georgia Tech Applied Research won a $7.7 million deal for sustainment support for the prototype Band 8 Reactivation hardware for the B-1B. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia; Warner Robins, Georgia; and Owego, New York, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2026. Vigor Marine won a $28 million for a 165-calendar […]View the full article

Americas Polaris Government and Defense has introduced two military snowmobile models built with enhanced capabilities for sub-zero conditions. Powered by the 850 Patriot engine, the 2026 Military 850 TITAN 155 arctic workhorse vehicle features 25 percent more torque and power than its predecessor, the 2025 Military 650 TITAN 155. Meanwhile, the lightweight 2026 Military 850 RMK 155 is optimized for deep snow and off-trail patrol and reconnaissance operations. GE Aerospace has secured a subcontract from Bell Textron to design, develop, and deliver avionics systems for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. The award follows Bell’s Milestone B a…

Mk-44 firing RAM (click to view full) The Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) MK-31 guided missile weapon system is co-developed and co-produced under a NATO cooperative program between the United States and German governments to provide a small, all-weather, low-cost self-defense system against aircraft and cruise missiles. The RIM-116 was later called RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile), […]View the full article