Raw Intel

Americas Bell Textron has selected Integris Composites to supply armor systems for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. Integris highlighted that its contribution will focus on enhancing the upcoming rotorcraft’s durability, speed, range, and payload capabilities. The new aircraft will contribute to “our nation’s warfighters have the decisive edge in any theater where they are operating,” Integris Composites President Andrew Bonham. The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to expand production capacity for the Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile to 650 units annually. Lockheed emphasized that this initiative is a crucial …

It has been six weeks since we started striking drug boats, and as we hit more, so are the objections rising to the surface. That is good. A free people should discuss and argue the point. Let’s pick up from the post linked to above. Before we start, I think we need to bring an item to the center of the conversation. It is the background to all that follows and a touchstone to all arguments. This, of course, does not include the deaths caused in the drug trade, the murder, torture, kidnapping, random violence and associated companion criminal enterprises both inside and outside the USA by those who feed the demand for drugs. So far this century, over 1 million Americans …

BlackSky, a U.S.-based space intelligence company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, released a detailed satellite image on November 19 showing the United Arab Emirates’ Al Fursan aerobatic team flying their newly acquired Chinese-built L-15 aircraft during the 2025 Dubai Airshow. The image, captured by one of BlackSky’s real-time Earth observation satellites, shows multiple L-15 trainers in […]View the full article

China is preparing to unveil three new high-power microwave weapon systems during its upcoming military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025. The huge truck-mounted platforms, designed to counter drones with directed energy, were observed during recent parade rehearsals and are expected to draw international attention when they roll across Tiananmen Square. According to open-source […] The post China to unveil microwave guns at parade first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has begun production of the second tranche of its Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Unmanned Aircraft Systems, pushing forward efforts to modernize battlefield intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities. The Army announced that Teal Drones and its Black Widow system are among the vendors selected to manufacture the SRR platform, which will equip the service’s […] The post U.S. Army expands production of short range recon drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft won three contracts by the US Navy in support of the CH-53K. The first deal is worth $175.7 million for the procurement of 22 main modules in support of the CH-53K aircraft. The second contract is worth $132.9 million for the procurement of 128 main rotor blade assemblies, the third one involved $11.6 million for the procurement of eight helicopter rotor hub assemblies. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots have begun intensive training with the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. This collaboration marks a crucial phase in the RCAF’s transition to the advanced platform, replacing the aging CP-140 Aurora fleet. …

South Korea and Malaysia have signed a new defense cooperation agreement aimed at expanding their collaboration in arms development, procurement, and joint production, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Monday in Kuala Lumpur by DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun and Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled […] The post South Korea, Malaysia expand military industry cooperation first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Saab Inc. has been awarded a $46 million contract to deliver its Giraffe 1X radar systems to the U.S. Army. According to a Pentagon announcement, the contract was awarded to Saab Inc., based in East Syracuse, New York, for the procurement and delivery of Giraffe 1X radars. Bids were solicited online, with one received. Work […] The post U.S. Army buys lightweight surveillance radars from Saab first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that it scrambled fighter jets after detecting a Russian military aircraft flying over the Sea of Japan on October 25. The flight, carried out by an IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft, prompted a rapid response from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force amid ongoing monitoring of foreign military activity near Japanese waters. According […]View the full article

Epirus and Digital Force Technologies (DFT) have partnered to deliver a fully integrated counter-unmanned aerial system (counter-UAS) capability that combines advanced detection, tracking, and non-kinetic drone defeat technologies, the companies announced. The agreement integrates DFT’s Seraphim command-and-control software with Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave platform to create a unified detect-to-defeat kill chain for critical point defense […]View the full article

Russian forces have begun deploying cavalry units in assault operations against Ukrainian positions, reviving tactics long thought obsolete and raising outrage over the use of animals in combat. Ukrainian troops say at least one such unit has already been engaged and destroyed by a drone strike during a recent offensive. According to footage released by […] The post Ukrainian drone strike destroys Russian cavalry unit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A new leak by the hacker group Black Mirror has exposed internal Russian documents detailing persistent technical problems with the Zhuk-ME radar system installed on the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB carrier-based fighter jets. The document — titled “Report on the Reliability and Performance of the Zhuk-ME Radar in MiG-29K/KUB Aircraft of the Indian Navy” […] The post Leak exposes radar failures in India’s MiG-29K fighters first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States Navy on March 2, 2026, awarded Northrop Grumman a $225,1 million contract modification to support the E-130J aircraft under the Take Charge and Move Out recapitalization program. The award exercises options for the design, development, and delivery of all E-130J weapons systems training materials and courseware. The modification (P00011) is issued under […]View the full article

Though there are aspects of this that are more Mel Brooks than Tom Clancy, this should cause people in positions of responsibility for our strategic defense to pause and ponder. We don’t hire enough imaginative thinkers, and the clock watchers and pension counters who seem to do most of the domestic risk mitigation work have never met with a functional Red Team. You can only go so far with physical security outside the base fence because we live, thankfully, in a very free country relative to other places in the world, and there are few open spaces left around. Risk will always be there, or if you squint hard enough, it seems to be there. The below is just amazing when yo…

Americas Raytheon won a $2.6 million modification to procure test equipment and spares, and to exercise options for Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block 2 Guided Missile Assemblies. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls won a $60 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-25-C-2127 for advance planning and long-lead-time material procurement to prepare and make ready for the accomplishment of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) inactivation and defueling. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy)…

A new photograph circulating on Chinese social media shows what appears to be a next-generation 155mm self-propelled howitzer—believed to be the PLZ-051B—covered in camouflage netting and being transported on a flatbed trailer. The image, reportedly taken in China and posted on Weibo, offers a rare glimpse at one of the People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced […] The post New Chinese self-propelled gun caught on camera first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Raytheon Co., Woburn, Massachusetts, a $15,165,090 firm-fixed-price contract to deliver a major software enhancement for Taiwan’s early warning radar system, strengthening the island’s ability to track and display launch objects amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The new software build will upgrade Taiwan’s ground-based radar network, which serves as […] The post Raytheon wins deal to strengthen Taiwan’s missile detection first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $333.2 million contract for Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) full rate production requirements, spares, and round design agent. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $908,144,803. Work will will continue through September 2030. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. General Dynamics won a $188 million modification for Construction Spares associated with the Virginia Class …

Russia’s defense industry has been rocked by another corruption scandal, with federal security agents detaining a former senior manager at the country’s primary infantry fighting vehicle manufacturer, AO “Kurganmashzavod.” According to the Federal Security Service (FSB) branch in the Kurgan region, the former head of the plant’s metals department is suspected of abuse of official […] The post Russian defense industry hit by new corruption arrests first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian analysts and pro-military commentators are openly criticizing the country’s latest Zapad 2025 military exercises, accusing the country’s Ministry of Defense of staging unrealistic maneuvers that ignore hard-learned lessons from the war in Ukraine. Influential Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel, known for its ties to military insiders and OSINT groups, condemned the exercises as out of […] The post Russian large-scale exercises draw skepticism from analysts first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article