Raw Intel

The Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) began production of the fourth Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose corvette and laid the keel for the third vessel at its Rauma shipyard on January 14, confirming that all four ships in the Squadron 2020 program are now under construction. According to RMC, the steel-cutting ceremony officially launched production of the […]View the full article

The French Army has begun testing the next-generation Hermione unmanned ground vehicle at the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, the service confirmed this week. The trials are being conducted under the Army’s Pendragon program, which focuses on integrating artificial intelligence-enabled combat systems into future military operations. According to the French Army, the objective of the first […]View the full article

Shield AI announced on Wednesday that it has begun wind tunnel testing of its X-Bat unmanned combat aircraft, marking the first major evaluation phase for the company’s next-generation autonomous strike platform. The company said the tests are intended to accelerate design refinement and reduce developmental risk as the aircraft moves toward flight demonstrations. According to […]View the full article

The United States State Department has approved a possible $800 million Foreign Military Sale to Kuwait covering sustainment and follow-on technical support for the country’s Patriot air-and-missile defense program, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on January 14. The agency confirmed that it has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the proposed transaction. According […]View the full article

Israel has deployed additional air-defense systems across several cities as of January 14 in response to growing concerns about a possible strike from Iran, according to multiple local reports. Residents in Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Caesarea observed the movement and emplacement of new batteries that form part of Israel’s nationwide protection network against rocket and […]View the full article

When it comes to the United Nations’ various bodies, other International Organizations (IO), and the grifty universe of Non Governmental Organizations (NGO)—especially those involving “the environment”—no matter how cynical you are, you are not cynical enough. The whole scene has moved beyond farce, watching the activists across the West, from the Just Stop Oil neo-Luddite types, to the operationalized self-loathing deindustrialization and decarbonization actions throughout Europe whose advocates continue to ignore the world’s greatest polluter of the air and water—the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The reasons are multi-causal, from useful-idiot cluelessness on one en…

The Embassy of Japan in Ukraine announced that the final shipment of Japan Self-Defense Force vehicles designated for Ukraine arrived in Poland on January 12, completing Tokyo’s latest transfer of support equipment to the Ukrainian government. The delivery included 14 vehicles—1/2-ton trucks and High Mobility Vehicles—as part of an additional package approved in October 2024. […]View the full article

Epirus released video on January 13 showing its Leonidas VehicleKit high-power microwave system disabling a fiber-optic guided unmanned aerial system during a December 2025 live-fire demonstration at a U.S. government testing site. The company said the demonstration represents the first documented instance of weaponized electromagnetic interference defeating a fiber-optic controlled drone. According to Epirus, the […]View the full article

A United States Air Force MH-139 Grey Wolf executed its first operational mission on January 8 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, flying alongside convoys from the 341st Missile Security Operations Squadron. The Air Force said the event marks the new aircraft’s initial integration into day-to-day nuclear security operations supporting the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile […]View the full article

United States Air Force personnel released a photo of an MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron on January 13, showing the aircraft positioned inside a shelter at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. The Air Force said the squadron’s presence reinforces U.S. commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula and provides a […]View the full article

United States Army soldiers conducted HIMARS training with the Lithuanian Armed Forces on January 13 at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade, Lithuania, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen NATO’s long-range precision-fire capabilities along the eastern flank. The exercise involved crews from Task Force Pergale, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery […]View the full article

The United States Navy awarded Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company, a not-to-exceed $21.6 million order on January 13 to support transient engine torque test and certification work for the VH-92A Patriot fleet. The undefinitized order, issued under an existing basic ordering agreement, funds engineering and test efforts required for modifications to the aircraft now […]View the full article

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev opened the reconstructed Tartar Electromechanical Plant on January 13, during a visit in which newly developed directed-energy counter-drone systems were shown for the first time. The plant has been modernized as part of Azerbaijan’s expanding defense-industrial program overseen by the Ministry of Defense Industry. According to information provided during the […]View the full article

Destinus, a European aerospace and defense company, announced the updated versions of its modular precision-strike weapons and interceptor systems, releasing new details on the Ruta Block2 cruise missile, the Vector Vista Block2 navigation system and the Hornet Block2 quick-response interceptor. The company published technical descriptions of the upgraded systems on its website. According to Destinus, […]View the full article

United States Army soldiers from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division conducted Bradley Fighting Vehicle gunnery on Jan. 11-12 at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade, Lithuania. The training involved live-fire exercises designed to validate crew performance and maintain readiness along NATO’s eastern flank. According to the U.S. Army, the […]View the full article

China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense confirmed on Jan. 12 that the export-oriented J-10CE fighter jet achieved its first combat victory last May, stating that the aircraft downed several adversary aircraft in an aerial engagement without suffering losses. The agency described the operation as the J-10CE’s first confirmed combat result. […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman delivered its 1,500th center fuselage for the F-35 Lightning II on Jan. 12, completing the milestone at its Integrated Assembly Line in Palmdale, California. The delivery reflects the current production pace of one center fuselage every 30 hours. According to Northrop Grumman, the Palmdale facility uses advanced manufacturing processes to build center fuselages […]View the full article

United States Central Command and regional partners opened a new coordination cell for integrated air and missile defense at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Jan. 12. The Middle Eastern Air Defense – Combined Defense Operations Cell, or MEAD-CDOC, is housed inside the Qatar-based Combined Air Operations Center. According to CENTCOM, the cell brings […]View the full article

The Ukrainian Air Force’s Central Air Command confirmed on January 13 that Ukraine has fielded newly delivered U.S.-made Tempest missile-armed buggies produced by V2X, marking the first verified deployment of the mobile air-defense platform in active operations. According to a statement from Central Air Command, the Tempest system was introduced to address “modern challenges and […]View the full article

As you may have noticed, I’ve been hesitant to write anything about the latest unrest in Iran for a whole host of reasons/excuses, but part of it is simply not wanting to get too far ahead of my skis desiring something that would truly be a world-changing event. It would be a change that would alter the landscape so dramatically that I’ve become so used to, that it is hard to view the “what’s next?”. I was barely a teenager when the world and our nation were subjected to another monumental error by the Carter Administration and the West (mostly the French) — the betrayal of the Shah and the people of Iran. Of course, the Iranian people had agency here. As was the habit …