Raw Intel

Americas According to Defense Post, L3Harris has failed to overturn the US Army’s decision to award Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a $991-million contract to produce the HADES next-generation spy plane. This after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled in favor of SNC to proceed with production despite a protest filed in October. The GAO’s decision confirms that the winning vendor met all operational and regulatory requirements and that the contract award was made in full compliance with the law. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) demonstrated the first at-sea refueling of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. A pair of unmanne…

Russia has introduced a new tactic in its drone campaign against Ukraine, using modified Shahed kamikaze drones equipped with cameras to attack a moving train. According to footage released by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, several Shahed drones were launched at a train in motion. The first struck the locomotive, immobilizing the entire convoy, after which […] The post Shahed drones with cameras target moving train in Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s defense industry has introduced a new 4×4 tactical armored vehicle designed for frontline operations. According to the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, the newly developed DESNA armored vehicle has been created by the private company UkrArmoTech as a direct response to battlefield requirements. DESNA was built to meet the military’s need for a multi-purpose, high-mobility […]View the full article

Germany’s Bundestag Budget Committee has approved a multi-project defense package to equip the Bundeswehr’s Special Forces with new air-transportable light combat vehicles, mid-range operational boats, and high-frequency radios. The acquisitions aim to strengthen the mobility, communication, and maritime capability of Germany’s elite units, according to hartpunkt. Both the Budget Committee and the Defense Committee endorsed […] The post Germany approves new FTS/IAI ZD vehicles for Special Forces first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas AAR Government Services won a $1.2 billion deal, which provides P-8A Poseidon aircraft depot scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, fulfillment of depot in-service repair/planner and estimator requirements, technical directive incorporation, airframe modifications, and in-field maintenance support for the Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales customers. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; three offers were received. Naval Air System Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Sikorsky Aircraft won an $18 million delivery order for the procurement of 40 blade rotary rudd…

Americas Boeing won a $22.5 million deal for CH-47 long lead items by the US Army. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2024. The CH-47F is an advanced multi-mission helicopter for the US Army and international […]View the full article

Americas The US Navy has taken delivery of the second John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler, the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), from General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. The handover follows the completion of acceptance trials to assess the vessel’s readiness and overall capability. The Brazilian Air Force 1st Air Defense Group (1st GDA) […]View the full article

Americas The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) seeks a high-speed, runway-independent next-generation aircraft demonstrator. DARPA is working with the US Special Operations Command on the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program to validate scalable concepts and technologies for different size military aircraft. The SPRINT project intends to develop an air platform […]View the full article

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has awarded Lockheed Martin a $407 million contract modification to continue engineering and development work on the Aegis Guam System, pushing the total value of the underlying Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon Systems contract past $1.9 billion. The modification covers work running through December 2029. Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown, New Jersey […]View the full article

U.S. Army and Marine Corps units carried out joint beach landing drills at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on August 26. According to the Marines, the exercise involved a Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), from the 7th Transportation Brigade, which was used for onloading and offloading drills with Marines of the 3d Littoral Logistics Battalion, […] The post U.S. Army, Marines test joint beach landings in Hawaii first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

For the first time, South Korea’s most secretive military intelligence unit, the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC), has gone public with a call for new recruits. On August 25, 2025, the Korea Forces Network (KFN), South Korea’s official defense media outlet, released a recruitment video announcing that KDIC is accepting applications for non-commissioned officers. The […] The post South Korea’s secretive spy force goes public first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

For those who’ve watched for a long time, especially over the last decade, our service academies and war colleges have drifted further toward academic leftist orthodoxy and away from their core competence as serious military organizations. The last eight months have been a whirlwind of change, as efforts are finally underway to refocus these institutions on their core competency. The two most high-profile Navy centers of higher education (with the Naval Postgraduate School a close 3rd, sorry fellas) are the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, MD and the Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, RI. We have covered the need for a depolarization and re-militarization at both …

Americas BAE Systems won a $23.5 million deal for logistics engineering and integration support services for Trident II Strategic Weapon System and the Submarine Submersible Guided Missile Attack Weapon System. This contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia; Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Rockville, Maryland; […]View the full article

Russia’s state-owned defense giant Almaz-Antey says it has sharply increased production of its advanced air defense systems, including the S-400 “Triumf” and S-350 “Vityaz,” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. In a statement released by the company’s press service, Almaz-Antey said, “The commissioning of new production facilities allowed the company not only to deliver some […] The post Russia ramps up production of S-400 and S-350 systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

NATO last month, to absolutely no fanfare, published a revision to the Alliance Maritime Strategy. Don’t feel bad if you’re finding out about it first here—you’re not alone. You can search NATO’s website, but you can’t find it—at least I couldn’t. Head over to my friends at NATO’s Maritime Command in Northwood, nothing there either. If it weren’t for the friendly hippies at Human Rights at Sea, we wouldn’t have the copy you can download here. I’m not sure who is responsible for action in para 2, but Shipmate…it’s been a month. This is a solid, compact briefing document that we should be handing out like pamphlets at the church door on Sunday. Someone needs a closed door c…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $79 million contract. This contract procures diminishing manufacturing sources parts required for the production and sustainment in of the F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is […]View the full article

Americas Bell Boeing won a $12.3 million deal for CMV-22B Osprey deployment support. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year base contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas and Pennsylvania, with a November 30, 2024, performance […]View the full article

The Pentagon announced that Maryland-based defense contractor Mistral Inc. has been awarded a $982 million contract to supply lethal unmanned systems to the U.S. Army. According to the Department of War, Mistral Inc., headquartered in Bethesda, was awarded the hybrid cost-no-fee and firm-fixed-price contract to “provide Lethal Unmanned Systems.” Work locations and funding will be […] The post U.S. Army buys kamikaze drones in nearly $1 billion contract first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

US Army HH-60Ms (click to view full) In July 2012, the US military signed another huge contract with Sikorsky. With production of the Army’s HH/UH-60M, and the Navy’s MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters, all in full swing, there’s no question about the need for future orders. In that environment, multi-year contracts allow efficiencies in purchasing, and […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $26.4 million modification to exercise options for Machinery Control System production shipsets in support of both the DDG 51 modernization program and DDG 51 new construction. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by November 2026. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in […]View the full article