Raw Intel

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

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $14.4 million modification, which exercises an option to provide additional lab support labor and material to continue lab support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter laboratory facilities at Edwards Air Force Base, California; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; and Fort Worth, Texas, in support of the Air Force, Navy, and F-35 cooperative program partners. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The F-15EX made its debut public appearance at the Oregon International Air Show (OIA). The advanced fighter jet, operated by the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, wowed the crowds with flyovers…

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

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

A fast-growing global interest in modular cargo drones is reshaping how militaries and emergency-response agencies think about moving supplies in contested or remote areas. Several countries are now experimenting with medium-class unmanned logistics aircraft, and the war in Ukraine has shown how difficult it is to sustain dispersed units when traditional transport routes are under […]View the full article

Boxer MRAV (click to view full) Wheeled armored vehicles have become much more common, but the Dutch-German Boxer stands out from the crowd. Its English acronym is “Multi Role Armoured Vehicle” (MRAV), but rather than being a family of different vehicles, the Boxer will use a single chassis, with snap-in modules for different purposes from infantry carrier to command, cargo, ambulance, etc. The base vehicle has a maximum road speed of 100 km/h (60 mp/h) and an operational range of 1,000 km (600 miles). In its troop carrying configuration, it has a crew of 2 and can carry 10 fully equipped troops. The MRAV is fighting for space in a crowded market, but its principal countr…

AeroVironment, Inc. announced on October 22, 2025, that it has been selected to deliver the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation C-UAS Missile (NGCM). According to a company press release, AeroVironment (AV) was also awarded a $95.9 million contract for the U.S. Army’s Long-Range Kinetic Interceptor (LRKI) program. This contract was awarded through the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities […] The post U.S. Army taps AV for new drone interceptor missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas The United States Marine Corps is undergoing a significant transformation of its aviation assets, as detailed in the recently released 2025 Marine Aviation Plan. The plan aims to maintain a lethal and responsive Aviation Combat Element (ACE) by transitioning to an all-5th generation tactical aircraft fleet and modernising all other aspects of the ACE. The plan encompasses a wide range of updates across fixed-wing, tiltrotor, rotary-wing, unmanned, and support aircraft, each playing a crucial role in the Corps’ future warfighting capabilities. L3Harris has successfully tested its new Viper Shield system on an F-16 fighter jet for the first time. This test took pla…

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

The Russian military has ordered two battalions of the new Sarma mobile precision-guided multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), according to leaked procurement documents obtained by Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi. The 300mm Sarma, developed by Motovilikha Plants and mounted on a KamAZ-63501 8×8 chassis, was officially unveiled earlier this year as part of Russia’s effort to […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $14 million modification for the continued design, integration, test, and delivery of Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System to be installed into the Recertified Tomahawk All-Up-Round in support of the Navy. Work is expected to be completed in August 2025. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Canada is advancing its program to construct new conventionally-powered submarines, issuing a request for information from industry stakeholders to assess their capability and capacity to build and deliver up to 12 submarines. Public Services and Procurement Canada issued the request “to gain further information on t…

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…

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

Americas Applied Visual Technology won a $28 million firm-fixed-price contract for Targeted Fidelity Apache Tactical Trainer simulators, the Tactical Control Centre, and the Network Simulation Environment. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida; and Kooiweg, Netherlands, with an estimated completion date of September 15, 2026. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. The […]View the full article

If you haven’t had a chance to read the new Chief of Naval Operations’ (CNO) opening comments upon taking the job earlier this week, take a moment to give it a read. We all like bulleted lists, so let me pull this out of the middle By the time my tenure ends, I want to be judged by the results we achieve together, plain and simple. Platforms delivered and repaired on time. Fully manned and combat ready ships. Ordnance production meeting contracted demand. Backlogs in repair parts eliminated. Sailors trained to the highest levels of mastery. I’d like to focus on the second bullet, “Fully manned and combat ready ships“. The CNO’s duties are defined in 10 U.S. Code § 8032 - …

What is one of the fundamentals that we keep returning to here? If you want to know what will be important in and needed for the next large war, look closely at the most advanced small and medium sized wars happening now. There is no better judge, test, or simulation to help you see the utility of a weapon system than actually having it perform in sustained combat conditions against a non-cooperative target. As we approach the 4th anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022, untold pages of text have been written about FPV and other drones. Yes, these are important and are a new tool for war—but they are not the answer to all. Gunpowder, machine guns, airplanes, subma…

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $23 million modification for Global Hawk (RQ-4) aircraft sustainment. The contract modification is for the purchase of replenishment spares for operational use and to support depot repair. This modification also provides an option for procurement of an additional quantity of spares. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of […]View the full article

Vantor, a defense-focused geospatial technology firm based in Westminster, Colorado, has revealed a high-resolution 3D reconstruction of China’s Yulin Naval Base just hours after a satellite passed over the site. According to a post from the company, the terrain data was captured at 11:21 a.m. local time and processed into a detailed 3D model within […]View the full article

Russian military forces have released footage they claim shows the destruction of a previously unreported Ukrainian air defense system equipped with APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) rockets, according to imagery and descriptions published by Russian sources. The incident reportedly took place 50 kilometers from the frontline, where a Zala reconnaissance drone identified what appeared […] The post Russian drone hits unknown Ukrainian air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Deindustrialization was decades in the making, and as we are running out of time—we don’t have decades to bring it back. Never forget, this did not “just happen.” This was an intentional act by government, politicians, and people interested in money and the power it would bring them. Supporting them, and manipulated by them, were useful idiots and true believers from the usual suspects in the NGO, IO, and “non-profit” world. The lust for money, power, and sex. If you don’t first look for these three reasons for the problems around you, you’re not thinking right. When two of the three are right in front of you, you know you’re on to something. It is no exaggeration that ou…