Raw Intel

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $109.3 million contract to support the integration of the Trident II (D5) Missile and reentry subsystems into the Common Missile Compartment for the US/UK Columbia/Dreadnought submarine construction programs. Work is expected to be complete by February 28, 2029. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin […]View the full article

Sweden has signed a contract to purchase the Polish-made Piorun man-portable air defense system (MANPADS), expanding its inventory of short-range air defense capabilities. The deal was announced by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in a statement on September 9. According to FMV, the agreement was finalized in July and is valued at approximately 3 […] The post Sweden buys Polish-made Piorun air defense systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine has released footage of its F-16 fighter jets in combat, marking the new demonstration of their operational use against Russian missile and drone attacks. The Ukrainian Air Force said the aircraft played a decisive role in intercepting cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles during a large-scale Russian strike on September 20. According to the […] The post Ukraine shows F-16s in combat footage first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Mid-Atlantic Technical and Executive Consulting LLC won a $10.4 million firm-fixed modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification adds scope through additional contract line-item numbers for technical evaluation, proposal evaluation, cost analysis, price analysis, and negotiation support services in support of the air vehicle production and sustainment efforts for the F-35 Joint Strike […]View the full article

A trailer linked to the U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system caught fire during transport on 15 August, sending seven soldiers to the hospital for evaluation. According to Fort Bliss, the incident occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on U.S. Highway 54 near mile marker 10. A military convoy belonging to the […] The post THAAD missile system catches fire in Texas first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has finalized the qualification trials of its new 200-horsepower heavy fuel engine (HFE 2.0) for the Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aerial system in El Mirage, California. HFE 2.0 provides a 40 percent increase in the drone’s service life, 50 percent more power to mission payloads, and longer maintenance-free, low-sustainment capability — all required to meet the user requirements in multi-domain operations. NATO member Romania inked a deal with Washington to buy 32 F-35 jets, an unprecedented expenditure for the country neighboring Ukraine. Romania is the latest to acquire the combat jets, more than two and a half yea…

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

We owe HM3 Maxton W. Soviak, USN, the thousands who died the two decades before he did, and their families the truth. The uncomfortable, blunt, clear truth. Frankness. Directness. The respect that comes with honesty, honesty to the man who was in diapers when the first US forces crossed into Afghanistan, and with 12 others wound up as one of the last to die there during our retreat. We’re still not coming to terms with our defeat. Fear, shame, and humility—these are strong gods of a superior military. With each passing year, this becomes clearer and clearer to me. As all three were drained from our military, we increasingly relied on the weak gods of false-bravery (wearin…

Americas Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed a suggestion by US counterpart Donald Trump for Russia, the United States, and China to all cut their defense budgets in half. “I think it’s a good idea. The US would cut by 50 percent and we would cut by 50 percent and then China would join if it wanted,” Putin said in a televised interview. Russia has massively ramped up military spending since launching its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, boosting economic growth but also inflation. GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney have passed the detailed design review of their offerings for the US Air Force’s Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program. The detailed …

Virginia Block I-II (click for SuperSize) “GDEB Receives $148M as Virginia Class Lead Yard” described changes to the Virginia Class submarine’s design that are expected to reach 20% of the $200 million savings goal by the time orders for the versatile sea attack/ land attack/ special forces submarines rise to 2 per year, in 2012. […]View the full article

This fall, the U.S. Army will launch a new online marketplace for purchasing unmanned systems — an “Amazon-like” platform that will allow units to select vetted solutions by price and performance, bypassing the lengthy bureaucratic acquisition process. The U.S. Army will roll out a new online platform designed to classify and purchase unmanned aerial systems […] The post U.S. Army to launch ‘Amazon-like’ drone marketplace first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas American defense firm CoAspire has test-launched its 3D-printed Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile (RAACM) from a fighter jet. The missile has the same physical dimensions as a 500-pound (227-kilogram) class MK-82 general-purpose or GBU-38 guided bomb. CoAspire explained that the RAACM is designed for compatibility with any aircraft equipped to carry a GBU-38. Company-provided images show the system configured with several platforms, including the F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-35 Lightning II. The US Army has put its precision strike capability on full display, successfully launching the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) fr…

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

The Dragon 8×8 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program, once presented as the flagship modernization effort of Spain’s Army, is now facing mounting public criticism following repeated delays, integration failures, and unresolved technical issues. In a sharply worded op-ed titled “Detengan esto, por favor” (“Stop this, please”), defense commentator Jorge Estévez-Bujez calls for the complete shutdown of […] The post Defense analyst slams Spain’s Dragon vehicle program first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Force is moving away from traditional close-quarters tank engagements, instead focusing on long-range networked warfare, according to a frontpage report by PLA Daily on Monday. The change is being driven by the deployment of the new-generation Type 100 main battle tank, described as a platform capable of linking […] The post Chinese new tank pushes warfare beyond line of sight first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

TAC Armored Vehicles LLC, a defense manufacturer based in the United Arab Emirates, has introduced a modular anti-drone protection kit for its Jedi armored personnel carrier, drawing directly from battlefield lessons emerging from the war in Ukraine. In a statement, the company said its new “Active Anti-Drone Net” is designed to counter explosive drone attacks […] The post UAE firm equips armored vehicles with anti-drone mesh 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

Dallas-based Airsight has announced the launch of AirGuard V3.18, a new software update that introduces automated visual tracking for security operators. The update integrates Axis pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with AirGuard’s electronic drone detection system, enabling faster and more reliable visual confirmation of drone threats without the need for manual camera operation. The company says the […]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