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 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

Japan Steel Works (JSW) has delivered the first domestically produced AMV 8×8 armored personnel carrier to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), according to a report by Nikkei. The AMV, originally developed by Finland’s Patria, was selected to replace the JGSDF’s aging Type 96 wheeled armored personnel carriers. The vehicle offers improved mobility, protection, and […] The post Japan delivers first locally built AMV to ground forces first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Those who follow me on X know what is coming up. It predates by years the Russo-Ukrainian War for reasons we will dive into later. We are surrounded by error, but specifically here, the habit of NATO, Eurocrats, earnest North Americans, politicians, military personnel, media, and civilians trying to sound serious in the national security arena, constantly looking towards Russia in the east and calling it NATO’s eastern flank. I’m sorry, I don’t care how many times you say it, it simply isn’t. It is NATO’s eastern front. After an exchange earlier this month with The Economist’s (and Midrats Podcast alumnus) Defence Editor Shashank Joshi, I decided I needed to put this out…

A South Korean Air Force C-130 transport aircraft prompted a response from Japanese fighter jets earlier this month after it entered Japanese airspace without prior authorization, according to South Korean defense officials. The incident occurred on July 13 as the aircraft was en route to Guam for training. Military officials said the crew encountered severe […] The post South Korean C-130 plane triggers Japanese jets scramble first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Malaysia has canceled its plan to acquire F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter jets from the Kuwait Air Force, according to a report by Malaysian news site Twentytwo13, citing sources familiar with the decision. The outlet said the cancellation stems from multiple factors that made the transfer complicated and ultimately unworkable. Among the primary concerns were aircraft availability, […] The post Malaysia drops plan to buy Kuwait F/A-18 fighter jets first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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. …

Boeing announced it will relocate its F/A-18 Super Hornet Service Life Modification (SLM) operations from the St. Louis region by 2027 as part of a broader strategic realignment to support future aircraft programs. The move, revealed on September 24, comes as the company continues to expand its defense manufacturing operations in St. Louis — including […] The post Super Hornet upgrade program heads to new sites first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd. announced it has been awarded a contract worth approximately $120 million to supply its Hermes 900 unmanned aerial system (UAS) to an international customer for long-range maritime surveillance operations. The company described the deal as part of growing global demand for advanced unmanned capabilities as nations seek to strengthen their intelligence, […] The post Elbit sells Hermes 900 drone to mystery customer first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

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…

Epirus unveiled a new high-power microwave counter-drone system mounted on a tracked robotic vehicle ahead of its formal debut at AUSA in Washington, the company said, presenting the combination as a mobile, software-defined option for defending bases and forces against swarming drones. “Introducing Leonidas Autonomous Robotic, powered by GDLS TRX: a mobile counter-UAS capability featuring […] The post Epirus unveils robotic Leonidas microwave weapon first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Smart Shooter, the Israeli defense company that has turned AI-guided fire control into one of the most rapidly adopted infantry technologies of the past five years, signed a new contract with Israel’s Ministry of Defense on May 20 to supply SMASH Hopper lightweight remote-controlled weapon stations valued at approximately NIS 6.7 million ($1.8 million), with […]View the full article

A critical navigation component used in Shahed-series attack drones is now openly available for purchase on a major Chinese e-commerce platform, according to Ukrainian electronic warfare specialist Serhiy Beskrestnov, widely known by his callsign “Serhiy Flesh.” Beskrestnov wrote that a Chinese-made, 11-element anti-jamming antenna — long identified as a core part of the Shahed’s guidance […] The post Shahed drone navigation brain now sells online 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

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

Israeli-based Skana Robotics, a defense technology firm founded by naval special operations veterans and robotics experts, announced September 1 the launch of its first two autonomous maritime platforms: the Bull Shark, an autonomous surface vessel (ASV), and the Stingray, an autonomous underwater vessel (AUV). The company said the systems mark a shift toward scalable, software-defined […] The post Skana introduces scalable autonomous maritime platforms 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