Raw Intel

Thinking and planning are easy. Words can have flexible meaning and an artful planner can devise all sorts of trap doors, detours, and branches to allow their ideas a certain degree of flexibility. Math, however, is hard. Budgets are even harder. They are math with personality. We have reviewed the challenges of what we’ve come to call “The Terrible 20s” for over a decade. Now that we find ourselves here, what does this upcoming decade hold now that we no longer see the 20s dimly through the haze, but can see its details in sharp relief? The first step in solving a problem is to admit it. That is easy for individuals as it only takes one entity to take the step – it is…

We live in an era where in the blink of an eye we've gone from flip-phones to smart phones with the capabilities of both supercomputers a generation ago and entire movie studios in your back pocket. In that same time frame, what happened to the promised integration and operational utilization of aircraft carrier based drones - or Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or whatever we are calling them this week? This Sunday we are going to dive deep in to the topic and problem with our guests Trevor Phillips-Levine, Noah Spataro, and Andrew Tenbusch. We will use as the starting point for our conversation their recent article in War on the Rocks, "Winged Luddites: Aviators are the Bigge…

Americas Sierra Nevada won a $34 million contract modification for the MC-130J Airborne Mission Networking program low rate initial production. This order provides for the procurement of production kits, spares, interim contractor support and weapon system trainer support. Work will take place in Colorado. Estimated completion date is January 19, 2023. Boeing won a $16.3 million deal for the E-3 Replacement Studies and Analysis. This contract provides for studies and analysis for the replacement of the E-3. Work will take place in Oklahoma. Estimated completion will be by July 31, 2022. Middle East & Africa The US Army is considering acquiring the Spike FireFly tact…

Networks, local knowledge, human terrain, and even gossip. It does not matter if you are a tourist, a diplomat, or an invading army – if you come into a foreign nation you need local knowledge, a guide – someone who can not just tell you where the head is, but the important parts of the intangible nature of any culture that simply does not come from a briefing book. And it needs to be someone you trust. Likewise, as social animals, from the middle school lunchroom to the United Nations, we have our “in-group” and the “out-group.” Friendly, hostile, or aggressively neutral, out-group people are racked-n-stacked based upon their perceived threat or value. Do they have powe…

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 Detyens Shipyards Inc., located in North Charleston, South Carolina, has been awarded a $21.1 million fixed-price contract to perform maintenance and dry-docking on the Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler, USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189). The project will last 180 days, starting March 23, 2025, and ending September 18, 2025. The contract includes additional options that could increase its total value to $21.8 million. The funding for this work comes from the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was specifically set aside for small businesses, and three proposals were submitted. Military Sea…

Poland has signed an executive agreement with South Korea to deliver 180 K2 main battle tanks to the Polish Armed Forces, marking a pivotal step in the reestablishment of tank manufacturing within the country after more than a decade. According to Poland’s Ministry of National Defense, the agreement includes the first batch of tanks in […] The post Poland signs K2 tank localization deal with South Korea first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced that deployment of the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile will be accelerated, with the first ground-based units to be stationed in Kumamoto before the end of this fiscal year. The Ministry said on August 29 that both ship- and aircraft-launched variants of the improved Type 12 will now enter service […] The post Japan to field new missile systems earlier than planned first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian forces released new footage showing an operation to destroy a disabled Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA infantry fighting vehicle — a task that required seven explosive-laden FPV drones, highlighting the vehicle’s durability and battlefield survivability. According to the Voennyi Osvedomitel Telegram channel, the Bradley lost mobility following the initial attack but remained intact after its […] The post Russia uses seven FPV drones to destroy one Bradley first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

French technology company MERIO has announced the development of a new unmanned system designed to guide precision weapons using a laser beam, a capability aimed at improving strike accuracy while keeping human operators safely out of harm’s way. The system enables a drone to “illuminate” or mark targets with a laser designator, allowing heavier strike […]View the full article

EUROATLAS, the German advanced defense technologies company, has announced the launch of its new GREYSHARK family of autonomous underwater vehicles, introducing two multi-mission platforms designed for long-range underwater intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The company says the new Bravo and Foxtrot AUVs will provide militaries and critical-infrastructure operators with persistent underwater awareness at a time when […]View the full article

A Chinese naval amphibious ship group has carried out multi-subject, combat-oriented training in offshore waters, testing integrated air defense, electronic warfare, and amphibious assault operations, according to a report published by the PLA Daily. The report said multiple vessels, including the Type 075 Hubei ship, formed a task group and sailed to a designated sea […]View the full article

Japan and the United States confirmed plans to streamline Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement during a bilateral security meeting held in Tokyo on January 28, 2026, as both sides move to address long-standing delivery delays affecting Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. According to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, Director General Aoyagi held the 10th Security Cooperation […]View the full article

The United States Navy has issued a sources sought notice to identify industry partners capable of producing single-use Active Expendable Decoys (AED) designed to protect F-35 Lightning II and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft, according to a notice released by Naval Air Systems Command on Feb. 25, 2026. The effort begins market research supporting a […]View the full article

Czech company TRL Drones announced on Monday that it has launched a new Ground Control Station, or GCS, system designed to support anti-drone protection for the Czech Republic and critical infrastructure across Europe. The company said the software-and-drone solution is now ready after a year of development and is intended to provide what it described […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman announced Friday that its YFQ-48A Talon Blue autonomous combat aircraft completed its first engine run, a key developmental milestone achieved in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney and the U.S. Air Force. The announcement was brief but pointed. “YFQ-48A Talon Blue started its engine for the first time today, a significant advancement achieved with […]View the full article

Poland’s state defense group has signed agreements with two American companies to begin domestic assembly of Hydra 70mm unguided rockets, establishing a production and logistics center in Poland for a munition that its military plans to deploy across attack helicopters, air defense batteries, and fixed-wing aircraft. Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, Poland’s state-owned defense industrial conglomerate known […]View the full article

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone offensives of the war overnight into June 6, sending more than 400 unmanned aircraft deep into Russian territory and striking targets that included a naval weapons depot near Saint Petersburg, an oil refinery in Siberia, a port in Russian-occupied Mariupol, and munitions warehouses in the Leningrad region. Russia’s […]View the full article

A two-person engineering firm in a small Colorado town just picked up a $4.3 million contract to help the Air Force answer a question that still sounds like science fiction: can rockets replace cargo planes for getting supplies anywhere on Earth in under two hours? The Department of the Air Force awarded the money to […]View the full article

Robotics company Target Arm Inc. said this week that its drone launch and recovery system has been integrated with unmanned ground vehicles built by HDT Global, a manufacturer of rugged robotic platforms used in military and industrial settings. The company announced the integration on social media on July 27, 2026. The combination pairs HDT Global’s […]View the full article