Raw Intel

On Sunday’s Midrats Podcast, our guest Liz Buchanan mentioned an article out of Australia by Laura Tingle, China's parade of military might raises big questions about the AUKUS muddle. I gave it a read and thought it would be a good move to start the week with it. Yes, it is Tuesday and not Monday, but I’m having “a moment.” Bear with me for the next 10 days or so. Tingle covers a lot of ground here, and she suffers a bit of a foreigner’s incomplete understanding of Trump World, but I’d like to put that to the side and focus on a welcome Australian view of the present state of play WRT AUKUS. For an island nation roughly the size of the continental USA with a population b…

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

A South Korean lawmaker is calling on the country’s Ministry of National Defense to remove remnants of Japanese military terminology still in use within the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. According to documentation submitted by the ministry, numerous terms originating from the Imperial Japanese Army remain embedded in daily military language—decades after the end of […] The post South Korean lawmaker pushes to eliminate Japanese military terms 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

Saudi Arabia has officially signed a contract for four C-27J Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), becoming the global launch customer for the armed maritime patrol variant of the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft developed by Italy’s Leonardo. The announcement confirms Riyadh’s acquisition of the new configuration designed specifically for maritime surveillance and combat operations. The aircraft […]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…

Türkiye’s defense electronics leader ASELSAN has introduced its new ground-based precision strike system, GÖKTAN, during the IDEF 2025 defense exhibition. The system is part of a broader suite of next-generation warfare technologies showcased by the company, aimed at meeting the changing needs of modern armed forces operating across multiple domains. According to ASELSAN, GÖKTAN is […] The post ASELSAN unveils GOKTAN strike system at IDEF 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

On Monday, the Congressional Research Service came out with its latest, Navy DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress. This is worth your time, as we need to get this right. We have to get this right because we have yet to cut steel on a successfully designed surface warship since Ronaldus Magnus was CINC. The same organizations, processes—and in some cases people—that failed on DDG-1000, LCS, CG(X), and are doing their best to scupper FFG-62, are working on DDG(X), so keep a weather eye on the program. I’m trying to be an optimist, but concerns have been growing roots for years. Low-trust is well-deserved. At first read, I thought we …

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. …

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system suffered a major global disruption Thursday, knocking tens of thousands of users offline for more than two hours and affecting critical military communications across active warzones. According to Downdetector, the outage began on Thursday at approximately 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), with more than 61,000 user reports flooding the crowdsourced […] The post Starlink breakdown reveals frontline weakness first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Italian firearms manufacturer Fabarm S.p.A. has introduced a new variant of its widely used STF/12 shotgun specifically configured for counter-drone missions. The STF/12 Compact XL Range 22″, presented as a specialized upgrade of the platform already fielded by the German Bundeswehr as the Mehrzweckflinte 5 (MZF 5), is engineered to engage fast, low-flying aerial targets […] The post Italy’s Fabarm launches extended-range shotgun for drone defense first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea’s defense industry is setting its sights on the Middle East as its next major export destination, according to a senior analyst from Korea Investment & Securities. At a seminar hosted Monday in Seoul by Hanwha Asset Management, a firm known for its defense-focused exchange-traded fund PLUS K-Defense, analyst Jung Nam-hyun said the region […] The post South Korea sets sights on Gulf arms market first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has placed its top operational military commander, General Zhang Youxia, under investigation for serious violations of discipline and law, a move that is expected to disrupt command continuity and delay any near-term plans for a military operation against Taiwan, The Telegraph reported. China’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed on Saturday that Zhang, vice chairman […]View the full article

We talked a bit about the national dysfunction that is our shipbuilding in the USA a bit on the last Midrats Podcast, and the amazing reality of how much we need South Korea’s expertise in an area we once were the world standard. Demonstrating the strong pace of collaboration, in early October, the two companies agreed to jointly pursue the U.S. Navy’s next-generation logistics ship (NGLS) design contract. Leveraging HII’s complex shipbuilding experience and HHI’s expertise with proven designs in use with the Royal New Zealand and South Korean navies, the two companies will team to respond to the U.S. Navy’s recent request for proposal (RFP) for the concept design phase o…

The U.S. Army has tested a modernized Stryker-mounted reconnaissance vehicle designed to detect chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, featuring an integrated drone system equipped with Teledyne FLIR’s SkyRaider unmanned aerial system. According to a statement from the Joint Program Executive Office for CBRN Defense, the Joint Project Manager for CBRN Sensors team recently […] The post U.S. Army tests upgraded CBRN recon vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ram Professional has announced a new collaboration with Canadian defense manufacturer Roshel to build an updated variant of the Senator armored vehicle using the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab platform. In a statement, the company said, “With the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab’s outstanding payload capacity and exceptional durability, it’s no wonder the military defense vehicle company, […]View the full article

Ultra APV demonstrator (click to view full) In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends. These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to tr…

Americas Collins Aerospace, a company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has won a contract worth about $80 million to create a new avionics system for the Army’s H-60M helicopters. The new system will use a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), which means it will be easier to upgrade and modify in the future. The contract was awarded by the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Only one company submitted a bid for this project, which was advertised online. The work is expected to be completed by March 7, 2029. The H-60M is a newer version of the Black Hawk helicopter, used by the Army for various missions. This upgrade will improve the helicopter’s elec…

Austrian defense manufacturer Schiebel has introduced two new unmanned air systems — the CAMCOPTER S-101 and S-301 — purpose-built for armed operations. The announcement highlights the company’s push into the tactical strike drone market with dedicated aerial assault platforms designed for modern battlefield demands. In a statement, Schiebel said the new vertical take-off and landing […] The post Schiebel rolls out strike-capable VTOL drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article