Raw Intel

Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it has imposed a 2.5-month suspension on Kawasaki Heavy Industries after confirming long-term misconduct in inspections of diesel generators used on submarines. According to a statement released on December 26, the Ministry of Defense of Japan will bar Kawasaki Heavy Industries from designated government contracts from December 26 through March […]View the full article

Japan’s cabinet has approved a record-high defense budget for the next fiscal year, underscoring Tokyo’s push to expand military capabilities amid rising tensions with China and sharp criticism from Beijing over Japan’s space and missile programs. The draft defense budget, approved Friday, exceeds ¥9 trillion ($58 billion), an increase of 9.4% from the current fiscal […]View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has formally protested South Korea’s military training near the disputed Takeshima islets, following reports that South Korean forces conducted exercises in the area earlier this week. According to a statement released on December 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan responded to reports that the South Korean […]View the full article

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that manufacturing of the Challenger 3 main battle tank will not begin on a fixed timetable and will proceed only after performance trials are successfully completed, according to recent parliamentary disclosures. UK Defence Journal has reported that, in written answers to Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, defence minister Luke […]View the full article

The Israeli Air Force said it intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles that crossed into Israeli airspace from the east, according to a statement released on December 25. In a statement, the Israeli Air Force said that the Air Force’s Air Control Center identified the two drones a short time before they crossed from eastern territory […]View the full article

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A Turkish technology company developed a compact anti-jam satellite navigation system designed to operate in contested signal environments, as electronic warfare and GPS jamming become more common in modern conflicts. In a message shared with Defence Blog, Sena Yiğit, representing EDGE Microwave, said the company was established about 1.5 years ago and is focused on […]View the full article

North Korea has unveiled what it describes as the first corps of a domestically produced nuclear-powered submarine. The announcement was made by Korean Central News Agency, which reported that the submarine was presented during a visit by leader Kim Jong Un to the Pongdae Shipyard. The vessel is described as an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided […]View the full article

With this Monday’s announcement of USS Defiant (BBG-1) absorbing all the oxygen, it is easy to forget that just five days ago we found out about our next frigate. As I mentioned in my Tuesday article, I spun off this discussion just to focus on Defiant. Well, I did more than that. I deleted it all. It was just too complicated. The frigate announcement was the second, after the LST announcement, of steps we are taking after the cancellation of my poor, abused baby—he Constellation Class FFG. I guess BBG-1 would be the third, so there is a lot of news floating around the U.S. Navy information space this holiday season. In summary, we are going to do what was first proposed…

India’s Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that the Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully completed user evaluation trials of the Next Generation Akash surface-to-air missile system. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Akash-NG missile system demonstrated high accuracy against a range of aerial threats during the trials. These included high-speed targets, low-altitude […]View the full article

Tata Advanced Systems Limited has delivered the first batch of WhAP 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles to the Royal Moroccan Army. As noted by the company, the WhAP 8×8 is a wheeled armored platform jointly developed by Tata Advanced Systems Limited and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation. The vehicle is designed as a modular armored […]View the full article

American Ordnance has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract valued at nearly $15 million for new facility construction, marking another step in the U.S. Army’s effort to expand and modernize its industrial base. According to a contract announcement, American Ordnance LLC, based in Middletown, Iowa, received a $14,970,440 award for construction work tied to new facilities. […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a nearly $60 million research and development contract to advance secure semiconductor technology for digital beamforming applications, according to a U.S. government contract announcement. The cost-plus-fixed-fee award totals $59,978,362 and supports research and development for the VEYRON effort. As noted in the contract description, the work will develop, fabricate, and […]View the full article

Boeing has been awarded a $2.04 billion task order to continue development work on the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, a major step in the long-running effort to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s B-52H bomber fleet. According to the award notice, the task order covers post–Critical Design Review development under the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement […]View the full article

Belrise Industries and Plasan Sasa have announced a strategic agreement to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s military market centered on the ATEMM series of electric vehicles. As noted by the companies, the agreement brings together Belrise Industries, an Indian automotive systems manufacturer, and Plasan Sasa, an Israeli company known for armor and survivability solutions. The […]View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has been awarded a $1.7 billion foreign military sales contract to supply Spain with four Patriot air and missile defense systems. According to the company, the contract covers a complete Patriot configuration, including radars, launchers, command-and-control stations, and training equipment. The package is intended to modernize Spain’s air and missile defense […]View the full article

Hydra Drones, a British small and medium-sized enterprise that designs and builds hybrid-powered uncrewed aircraft, has opened a new £4 million ($5.4 million) investment round as it moves toward final development and industrialization of its heavy-lift HYDRA-400 platform. According to the company, the funding will be used to complete the last phase of research and […]View the full article

This was going to be a dual post about last Friday’s frigate announcement and the battleship announcement, but I decided that would be a bit too much and will split it in two. The greatest interest is in the BB news Monday afternoon, so we’ll cover that today and on Christmas Eve we’ll post on the frigate. Well, let’s start with the announcement on X. First of all, let’s put to the side the Trump branding aspect of this. Let’s put this in the “F-47A” folder and move on…but we can give a knowing wink to fans of Deep Space 9. Mike over at gCaptain got the detail sheet. Let’s look at it. BBG-1 What am I surprised the most about? The lack of nuclear power. The Ford Class CV…

The Italian Army has taken delivery of its first Skynex air defense system from Rheinmetall. According to a press release from Rheinmetall, the first Skynex battery was officially handed over on Dec. 18, 2025, at the Italian Army’s Air Defence Artillery Command in Sabaudia. The system gives Italy the ability to defend against air attacks […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has officially designated YFQ-48A as the Mission Design Series for Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon, a semi-autonomous prototype aircraft developed under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. According to an Air Force announcement, the assignment of the YFQ-48A designation represents a key step in the service’s effort to field next-generation semi-autonomous aircraft […]View the full article