Raw Intel

In what Air Force officials described as the earliest such integration in modern test history, an operational test pilot flew the B-21 Raider alongside a developmental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California, signaling that America’s next-generation nuclear bomber is transitioning from proving it can fly to proving it can fight. The flight […]View the full article

A Greek Air Force fighter pilot pulled off a landing gear failure Thursday afternoon that could have ended very differently, bringing an F-16 down on its belly at Zakynthos airport after the jet’s wheels refused to extend during a routine training flight. The Hellenic Air Force confirmed the emergency landing occurred around 1:45 p.m. local […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has put more money behind a flying bomb that can circle over a battlefield for an hour, watch its target the entire time, and abort the strike mid-flight if something looks wrong, one day after the weapon proved it could pass every test the Army threw at it. Mistral Inc. and Uvision […]View the full article

Ukraine has received its first RCH 155 wheeled howitzers, according to German Aid to Ukraine (GAU), an independent tracker of military assistance to Ukraine, which said September 5 it had confirmed the delivery through a source outside political and industry circles. The system arrives roughly four years after Germany first pledged it, in September 2022. […]View the full article

Sweden will send JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets back into NATO’s air defense mission over Poland from October, where they will help protect the hub in the country’s southeast that funnels military and civilian aid into Ukraine, Defense Minister Pål Jonson said on Sept. 30. Most of the aircraft will fly from bases in Sweden, […]View the full article

Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave weapon, which knocks out drones by frying their electronics, has been added to the Pentagon’s online counter-drone marketplace, making it easier for U.S. military units and other federal agencies to buy the system. The California-based company said Leonidas met the criteria for inclusion in the Counter-UAS Marketplace run by Joint Interagency […]View the full article

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft won a $21.2 million contract modification, which increases scope and provides aircraft maintenance in support of the CH-53K data transfer unit and defensive electronic countermeasure system replacement phase three flight test. The CH-53K will replace the CH-53E, and its job with the Marines will include moving heavy equipment and supplies from ship-to-shore in support of amphibious assault and subsequent operations ashore, as well as lifting troops. Work will take place in Maryland, Florida and Virginia. Estimated completion is in June 2022. Lockheed Martin won a $584.8, which adds scope to provide system integration engineering for the develop…

Americas Boeing won a $50 million modification, which exercises options to procure eight P-8A Increment 3 retrofit A-kits, to include associated special tooling in support of anti-submarine warfare capabilities upgrades for the Navy. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida; and St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in July 2026. Fiscal 2023 […]View the full article

Americas The US Army recently launched a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system. The live-fire test follows the Lockheed Martin system launching an SM-6 missile earlier this year, confirming its full operational capability, the US Army revealed. Lockheed delivered the first of four MRCs, also called the Typhoon Weapon System, in December […]View the full article

Americas Boeing has revealed that deliveries of the remaining T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft to the US Air Force have been hit by fresh delays due to supply chain issues. The company said it completed delivering the first three test aircraft in 2023 but failed to transfer the fourth and fifth aircraft under contract. According to […]View the full article

Americas According to Defense Post, the US Navy has awarded California-based Fuse Integration a contract to produce router systems for the service’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning and control aircraft. The $16-million deal orders the company’s proprietary CORE 4.0 devices, which will upgrade the E-2D’s external networking systems into software-based connectivity. The equipment will employ a tactical edge network targeting a contested long-range environment or TENTaCLE architecture to bolster the aircraft’s network resiliency, according to the navy. The US Army has awarded Elbit Systems a $28-million contract for additional AN/PVS-14 monocular night …

Amercias The US Army is exploring a significant acceleration in the production of 3D-printed drones capable of replicating the capabilities and behaviors of enemy systems. The push comes as the army anticipates the rollout of a program aimed at rapidly developing low-cost target drones for training exercises. According to Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, there is a critical need to simulate unmanned aerial system (UAS) threats, particularly for preparing platoons to counter drone swarms. Conti Federal has completed the modernization of an F-35 sustainment facility at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) in Fort Worth, Texas. The Maintenance Hangar…

Alas, poor American icebreakers! I knew them, Shipmate: a fellow of infinite use, of most excellent capability: he hath borne me honor, commerce, and discovery a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it! -Apologies to the Bard When you have the world’s largest navy, you soon realize you can be everywhere, all at once, because you want to. We all had fun at the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) navy and coast guard’s expense yesterday in Operation Bumper Boats, but now it is time to get back to serious things. As we discussed six months ago, the PRC is not an Arctic nation. It has, at best, a tertiary concern with the Arctic. Jus…

Alaskan Command and the Canadian Armed Forces completed a multi-day joint maritime operation in the Bering Sea earlier this month, showcasing the growing importance of bi-national coordination and air-sea integration in the defense of the Arctic region. From September 3 to 5, 2025, U.S. and Canadian forces carried out combined joint maritime operations under the […] The post U.S. and Canadian forces conduct Arctic strike exercise first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Most should know by now that today is the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the US Navy. The first few months were a rush to get a flotilla fitted out. Did you know the first ship to fly an “American flag?” It was the USS Alfred...though that is not quite right. There was no United States at the time…so more accurately, the Continental Ship Alfred would be more appropriate. …Congress on October 13 to authorize the fitting out of two American warships,[1] one of 10 guns and the other of an unspecified size, to attempt to capture these ships and divert their invaluable cargoes to the ill-equipped soldiers of Washington’s army. Congress decided, on October 30,[2] to spec…

A major reshuffle is underway at Uralvagonzavod, Russia’s largest tank manufacturer, after the company announced plans to sharply reduce staffing levels in the coming months. The facility, a core supplier of armored vehicles to the Russian military, is preparing to cut up to 10 percent of its workforce by February 2026 and suspend new hiring, […]View the full article

It has been driving me a little nuts the last couple of days, seeing all the gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes about the new National Security Strategy (NSS), not having the time to read it. I mean, come on Sal, it is only 29 pages. I promised a few people I would start the week with my thoughts on it, so after we finished our Midrats Podcast with Bryan McGrath, I decided to give it a read. Really people, take a powder. As I’ve been doing with most of the documents like this the last couple of decades here, let’s look at the word cloud: This…is actually a pretty good representation of its relative macro concerns. Before I dive in to some specifics, there are two l…

SummaryIn this episode, the host discusses the recent military operations related to Venezuela, focusing on the successful takedown of sanctioned tankers and the implications for U.S. naval strategy. The conversation also shifts to the defense budget under the Trump administration, exploring the need for increased military spending in light of national … Read more View the full article

The United States Navy said it completed the third and final planned flight test of the Harpoon Block II Update Obsolescence Update program on Jan. 16, concluding the final phase of the missile’s system-level flight test campaign. The test was conducted by the Navy’s Precision Strike Weapons program office, PMA-201, in partnership with Boeing. According […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded Raytheon a $184 million contract to provide hardware, installation, and support services for the Patriot air defense system operated by the United Arab Emirates, according to an official contract announcement. The contract comes as the United Arab Emirates faces repeated missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran, underscoring the […]View the full article