Raw Intel

Lockheed Martin, working alongside the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), has completed the initial activation of the Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) shipset 1 radar system, including all four AN/SPY-7(V)1 antennas. The milestone was achieved on schedule at Lockheed Martin’s Production and Test Center in Moorestown, New Jersey, […] The post Japan’s new SPY-7 radar enters key testing phase first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Happy ‘trails… (click to view full) The C-17 has had more money-driven last hurrahs than The Who. Even so, FY 2010 featured the USAF’s last planned orders of C-17 Globemaster III short field, heavy-lift transport jets. The Pentagon had been trying to end the program for years, but 3 factors led Congress to keep adding […]View the full article

Hard moments in history are clarifying events. The more difficult, the clearer they can make things for you. As I have mentioned before, one of the big wake-up calls I received after October 7th, 2023 was how much very real Jew-hate was in modern Western society. Not just there, but excused by a large part of our cultural and political system. People and institutions revealed themselves to us. Distressing, but clarifying. Don’t look away when you see what is being said and done today. No. Look closer. Remember. Note. Act. Don’t forget. Politicians, academics, media, entertainment, and just the people down the street revealed themselves. The mask did not slip, for many it …

Amid heightened tensions in Eastern Europe and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus on September 12 launched their strategic exercise Zapad-2025. The drills, billed as a test of the Union State’s ability to “repel possible aggression,” are taking place across training grounds in both countries and extending into the Baltic and Barents Seas. […] The post Russia, Belarus begin large-scale drills near NATO first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Global military spending reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, marking a 9.4 percent increase over 2023, the largest annual rise since the end of the Cold War, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported. This marks the 10th consecutive year of rising spending worldwide, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. The top five spenders last year were the US, China, Russia, Germany, and India. “As governments increasingly prioritize military security, often at the expense of other budget areas, the economic and social trade-offs could have significant effects on societies for years to come,” said Xiao Liang, Researcher with the SIPRI Military …

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…

Americas The US Navy has provided upgrades to three Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers to extend their service life for 10 years from 2026 to 2029. Revealed by US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, the modernization will sustain the American surface fleet’s capability as the force and industry partners build more advanced platforms. Selected vessels under this initiative are the USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Chosin (CG 65), and the USS Cape St. George (CG 71), which were all built in the 1980s. As part of the Army’s quest to boost weapons production, it is reestablishing TNT production on US soil, inking a deal to build out a new facility in Graham, Ky. “For the first t…

Americas Telephonics Corp won a $16 million firm-fixed-price deal for maintenance and overhaul of the CH-47 for the interface communication unit. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 27, 2028. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. The US Army has accepted its first of two MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) virtual prototypes developed by Bell Textron, with the second scheduled for delivery later this month to the Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Based on the FLRAA’s digit…

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced projects division has introduced its newest unmanned combat aircraft, unveiling an advanced collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) called Vectis, designed to support U.S. and allied air forces in the next generation of air power. According to the company, Vectis is a Group 5 survivable and lethal CCA that brings together Lockheed […] The post Lockheed unveils next-gen unmanned combat aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

XTEND, an Israeli robotics firm, says it is pushing a new model for battlefield robotics in which human supervisors set intent while AI-driven “pilots” execute dangerous tasks — a design the company argues will allow small air and ground robots to operate in GNSS-denied, electronic warfare environments and scale from squad-level missions to larger maritime […]View the full article

Americas General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a $21,998,374 modification for Abrams systems technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $21,998,374 were obligated at the time of the award. Army […]View the full article

New Zealand has identified Japan’s Mogami-class frigate and Britain’s Type 31 as the two candidates under consideration for its naval frigate replacement program, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced on May 7, 2026, putting Tokyo’s warship design in contention for a second Pacific ally’s fleet within months of Australia selecting the same platform. New Zealand Defence […]View the full article

What, pray tell, does one have to have to have a lead role in a FbF? Character. Today, we have the character of a strong, smart women who lived in a period of time when most women were little more than property. Another great woman who we just have a hint of what she was; I give you .Ela, Countess of Salisbury. Ela, only child of Eleanor de Vitre and William, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, from whom she inherited large estates in Wiltshire, was born (date unknown) at Amesbury. The estates, including Chitterne, had been held by Ela’s great- great-grandfather, Edward, after William the Conqueror defeated King Harold. Ela’s grandfather, Patrick, constable of Salisbury, was create…

As Lockheed Martin faces growing scrutiny over its role in U.S. next-generation air dominance efforts, a defense industry source has issued a sharp rebuke of the company’s rumored strategy to develop a twin-engine derivative of the F-35, also known as F-55. The criticism comes amid fresh financial pressure on Lockheed, whose second-quarter 2025 earnings revealed […] The post Industry insider slams Lockheed’s F-55 as “repackaged failure” first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Regulars here know I am a big supporter of the underdog, and in naval warfare few things are more of an underdog than Mine Warfare (MIW). Effective, deadly, affordable, and few things will terrify a ship faster than its crew yelling “MINE”! Forgotten and neglected in peace, absolutely devastating at war. Regulars also know that I love nothing more than dragging the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), AKA Little Crappy Ship (as popularized on this blog two decades ago) around. Where do they intersect where the former negates the latter? Friend to the blog, guest and occasional guest host for the Midrats Podcast, MIW SME, and altogether hail-fellow-well-met Matthew Hipple’s recent …

The United States Space Force has released a Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) for its Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program. The solicitation was issued by Space Systems Command’s Space Combat Power Program Executive Office and seeks multiple industry partners to design and deliver prototype interceptor systems. According to the Department of War, the awards will be […] The post U.S. Space Force launches competition for space-based interceptor first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture during a training mission on 7 August. According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the aircraft went down approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Hyakuri Air Base. The pilot, a male first lieutenant in his 30s, successfully […] The post Japan’s F-2 jet crashes during routine training first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Steadicopter, an Israeli-based developer of rotary unmanned aerial systems (RUAS), has introduced a new precision aerial resupply capability by integrating ParaZero’s DropAir system into its Black Eagle 50E unmanned helicopter. According to a September 17 press release, the system transforms the all-electric drone into an autonomous airborne logistics platform capable of accurately delivering mission-critical payloads—even […] The post Steadicopter drone gets precision airdrop upgrade first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas MilTrain II JV won an $84,.6 million contract for MQ-9 Aircrew Training Support. This contract provides for all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and all other items and services required to perform and support MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft aircrew academic instruction; courseware development; and air and ground intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance test and training support; and major command certified approaches/supplemental recovery procedures. Work will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Creech AFB, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and 556 Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nevada; March Ai…

Americas Oshkosh won a $792.4 million modification for a three-year extension to the family of Medium Tactical Vehicles A2 contract. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of February 4, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. A new satellite antenna from US-based Kymeta can connect to Ku- and Ka-band networks at the same time, highlighting a technical first that could reshape how military platforms stay connected in the field. Until now, operating across two bands typically requires separate antennas, adding wei…