Raw Intel

A Ukrainian company has built a heavy electric robotic ground vehicle designed for the kind of terrain and threat environment that the war in Ukraine has made grimly familiar — and the Mamont prototype addresses the battlefield realities that off-the-shelf systems were never designed to handle. Armolab, a Ukrainian developer, has unveiled the Mamont — […]View the full article

Americas The US Air Force has awarded Conti Federal a $31.7-million deal to establish a B-21 Raider stealth bomber fuel cell hangar at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. The project will convert the installation’s existing Dock 81 to Fuel Cell Hangar B7242, comprising fuel systems maintenance supporting the precision strike aircraft. At approximately 26,000 square feet (2,415 square meters), the site will include a fuel cell bay to fit one aircraft, sustainment storage spaces, and service utility divisions. Renovations will deliver a corridor connecting the hangar to the Fuels Systems Maintenance Dock currently under construction by the company. The US Air Force has accepted th…

Via Brian McElhiney and Keishi Koja at Stars and Stripes: Japan’s coast guard and military are helping the Navy battle a blaze that broke out aboard an amphibious transport docking ship off Okinawa’s southeastern coast on Wednesday evening. “Crews are responding to a fire aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) this evening, Aug. 20, (Japan time) which is in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan,” U.S. 7th Fleet wrote in an unsigned statement emailed to Stars and Stripes. “We will provide more details as they become available.” … The fire started in the front part of the 684-foot-long vessel, a coast guard spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. “We do not know if it starte…

Gabler, a German defense company best known for its submarine technologies, has introduced concepts for two new uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) designed for torpedo tube launch. The announcement came on the opening day of the 27th DWT Naval Workshop in Dobbin-Linstow, where the company also revealed its updated corporate identity. The platforms, developed in partnership […] The post Gabler develops torpedo-tube launched uncrewed vessels first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian defense officials have showcased a new strike-capable configuration of the Orion unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with two Kh-BPLA (TKB‑1030) guided missiles. The Orion, developed by Kronstadt Group, is already in use by the Russian military for reconnaissance and limited strike missions. The latest variant was publicly displayed carrying two newly integrated Kh-BPLA munitions, which […]View the full article

India’s defense exports received a boost this month as BrahMos Aerospace signed cruise missile contracts worth ₹4,000 crore (approximately $455 million) with two foreign countries, according to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The announcement coincided with the ceremonial dispatch of the first batch of BrahMos missiles from the new BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility in […] The post India signs $455M BrahMos missile export deals first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Performance Drone Works (PDW) has received more than $15.3 million in contracts to deliver its proprietary C100 small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to the US Army. The drones will support the force’s posture across high-profile theaters, according to the Alabama-based company, with most to be distributed across the Indo-Pacific, European, and Central Command areas of responsibility. The “game-changing” capabilities are expected to provide medium-range reconnaissance and tactical air support. Raytheon has been awarded a $401.2 million full-rate production contract by the US Navy for 131 Block V Tomahawk missiles. As part of the contract, 26 missiles will be deliv…

U.S. Army soldiers attached a solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft to a high-altitude balloon at Orote Airfield on Naval Station Guam on June 24, 2026, and prepared to launch the combination into the stratosphere as part of Valiant Shield 2026, the largest U.S.-led joint exercise in the Indo-Pacific. The aircraft is the Apollo R, built by Icarus, […]View the full article

New images of the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), a Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer, have reignited scrutiny across social media over the operational condition and long-term viability of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced surface combatant. Photos taken during a recent port visit to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Japan show extensive discoloration, corrosion streaks, and visible […] The post U.S. stealth destroyer’s condition shocks social media first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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 …

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has announced the successful completion of offshore firing trials using an electromagnetic railgun. The announcement was made via ATLA’s official X account on September 10. According to the statement, the tests were conducted from June through early July aboard the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s test vessel Asuka. ATLA confirmed […] The post Japan successfully tests ship-based railgun first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

During the DFNC3 International Defense Industries Forum, Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a project agreement on joint artillery production. The announcement was confirmed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, as reported by Militarnyi. The agreement on artillery manufacturing reflects an ongoing effort to establish localized production of Western-standard systems inside Ukraine. Although the specific […] The post Ukraine, UK agree on joint artillery production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

There is no better way to stay out of the summer heat than to take an hour to join us for a Midrats Podcast melee! Mark has my list of maritime and national security issues he wants to chat about, I have mine, and while we’re live you can join us in the chat room and propose your own. The best hour in national security returns live at 5pm Eastern this Sunday. You can join us at this link. If you miss the live show, check this page later Sunday on Substack and I’ll update with the podcast audio. See you soon! Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

The United States military has moved a step closer to fielding a new short-range counter-drone capability, conducting evaluations of Anduril Industries’ Anvil interceptor and its integrated Launch Box during a recent exercise at Minot Air Force Base. Officials and company materials describe the system as an autonomous, on-demand response for small unmanned aircraft threats that […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Brave1 defense-technology initiative has expanded its “Army of Drones. Bonus” (ePoints) program, a digital incentive system that allows frontline units to exchange verified drone strikes for drones, electronics, and other urgently needed equipment. Brave1, the government-run tech accelerator responsible for fast-tracking new defense capabilities, says the program is reshaping how Ukraine’s armed forces engage […] The post Ukrainian frontline units trade drone kills for more drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China’s state broadcaster CCTV-7 has been showing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers conducting infantry exercises in rugged terrain—featuring, notably, a trooper equipped with a rudimentary unpowered exoskeleton frame. The broadcast, part of a segment highlighting a unit of the PLA’s 76th Group Army, shows troops advancing across rocky highland ground under simulated combat conditions. The […] The post China tests infantry exoskeleton during army drill first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Roshel has signed an agreement with Singapore’s ST Engineering to produce the ExtremV amphibious all-terrain vehicle in Canada. The ExtremV is a key candidate for Canada’s Domestic Arctic Mobility Enhancement program, which seeks a replacement for the aging BV206 fleet for military and emergency response teams. Roshel will lead the vehicle’s domestic production and engage Canadian-owned businesses to procure key components. MD Helicopters is pitching its five-bladed MD 530F as the US Army’s next training platform to prepare the next generation of military pilots. The aircraft, designed to replicate the operational characteristics of rotorcraft like the UH-60M Bla…

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has approved a $1.5 billion program to increase the production of armored personnel carriers and tanks over the next five years, a move aimed at reinforcing the country’s ground forces after months of intense combat. According to a statement from the ministry, the plan “will increase the armored vehicle inventory […] The post Israel approves $1.5B plan to expand Merkava tank production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas A new poll suggests Americans of all political stripes, including MAGA adherents, seek more US leadership on the international stage, not less. “The preference for American global leadership over a more isolationist approach is on the rise, up from 40 [percent] in 2022 to 64 [percent]” this year, the 2025 Reagan Institute Summer Survey showed, according to the institute. “Americans are not retreating from the world; they are rallying around a foreign policy grounded in peace through strength.” Among specific geopolitical issues rated by the poll — which was conducted before the US launched strikes against Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend — it found an overw…

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…