Raw Intel

Sometimes, history whispers to you during small and medium-sized wars. It won’t force you to listen or even understand, but it is a loud enough whisper that you know it is there. These are not private whispers, only for you. These are understandable by anyone making an effort to hear them. More often than not, it is not a good-news whisper. No, it is an uncomfortable whisper, an inconvenient whisper, an expensive whisper. You don’t have to think about the implications of this whisper, but other people may. These whispers from small to medium-sized wars are, on occasion, riddle-strewn prophecy, but more often than not they are clear and direct about what you should expect …

AEVEX Corp. has won $20.5 million in new U.S. government contracts to build and develop one-way attack drones, the company announced September 9. AEVEX did not name the government agency behind the awards or specify which of its drone models are covered. The work includes delivering the aircraft themselves along with engineering, development and integration […]View the full article

US Army HH-60Ms (click to view full) In July 2012, the US military signed another huge contract with Sikorsky. With production of the Army’s HH/UH-60M, and the Navy’s MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters, all in full swing, there’s no question about the need for future orders. In that environment, multi-year contracts allow efficiencies in purchasing, and security of staffing, throughout Sikorsky’s supply chain. These new helicopter types are also available to Foreign Military Sales class customers, under the American contract’s advantageous pricing and terms. The UH-60M, MH-60S and MH-60R models have already inked export deals, and official requests indicate that more deals a…

While we are saddled with the best thinking the early 1980s can muster, the Communist Chinese government just updated their military law to better align with their national security requirements. What, exactly, are we doing? I'm pondering a bit over at USNIBlog. Come gnash your teeth with me. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:V_sGLiPBpWU http://fe…

Americas Sikorsky won a $53.9 million contract modification for production of UH-60M Black Hawks. UH-60 Black Hawk is a multi-mission helicopter. The UH-60M is the latest variant in the Black Hawk family of helicopters. More than 2,000 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter variants are in service with the US, and more than 600 have been exported. Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022. The US Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) successfully conducted a test of the second stage Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) for a newly developed missile booster. The missile booster will be combined with the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB) to form the Conven…

Americas Bell Boeing won a $149.1 million contract modification for performance-based logistics and engineering support for the V-22 platform. This is a firm-fixed-price requirements contract. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities. Work will take place in Texas and Pennsylvania. Estimated completion date is November 30, 2022. Embraer signed a memorandum of understanding with Pratt & Whitney to collaborate on studies of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF…

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won a $22.6 million order, which provides for maintenance support to the E-2D aircraft throughout its entire life-cycle using operationally supportable and interoperable solutions. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is the newest variant of the E-2 aircraft platform. It features a state-of-the-art radar with a two-generation leap in capability and upgraded aircraft systems that will improve supportability and increase readiness. Work will take place in Florida and New York. Estimated completion will be in February 2025. The MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has surpassed 2 milli…

Americas Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control won a $130.5 million modification for the Advanced Radar Threat System – Variant 2 (ARTS-V2) systems. The contract modification is to provide for the exercise of Options 3 and 4 for an additional quantity of eight ARTS-V2 systems being produced under the basic contract. Work will take place in Texas. Expected completion date is June 16, 2024. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. Jane’s reports that Boeing sees foreign partners as potential customers for its updated MQ-25A Stingray drones. The MQ-25 UAV is designed to refuel carrier-based aircraft. The UK, France,…

Americas L3Harris Technologies has chosen Moog Space and Defense Group to provide its weapon Stores Management System (SMS) for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Armed Overwatch Program. The USSOCOM awarded L3Harris a $3 billion contract in August to provide a fleet of up to 75 AZ-802U Sky Wardens multi-mission aircraft for the program to operate in austere environments with little logistical tail. Lockheed Martin is planning to ramp up production of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) by over 50 percent annually, Politico reported citing CEO Jim Taiclet. Taiclet told investors during a third-quarter earnings report Tuesday that the company plan…

Americas Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $48.5 million modification for AEGIS fielding and sustainment engineering support, software development, in-service maintenance, integration, and logistics and fielding support for AEGIS combat system configurations already delivered, or in the process of being delivered, to the Navy fleet. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey […]View the full article

Americas General Dynamics won a $151 million modification for long lead time material associated with the Virginia Class submarines SSN 814, SSN 815, SSN 816, and SSN 817. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Spring Grove, Illinois; York, Pennsylvania; Annapolis, Maryland; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Windsor Locks, Connecticut; Cleveland, Ohio; and other locations, and […]View the full article

Americas Rolls-Royce Marine North America won a $23.5 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for highly specialized design agent engineering and technical services for the LCS, Freedom variant, machinery plant control and monitoring system, and control area network and monitoring ships control system, DDG-51 class machinery control system, and LSD 41/49 propulsion logic management units. Work will be performed in Walpole, Massachusetts (80%); Mayport, Florida (6%); Norfolk, Virginia (4%); San Diego, California (4%); and various locations outside and across the continental US, each less than 1% (6%). Work will be completed by May 2030. F…

Russian pro-war Telegram channels and later Ukrainian sources reported the loss of a Su-30SM fighter jet from the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation near Ukraine’s Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on August 14. According to these reports, communication with the twin-seat aircraft was lost in the vicinity of the island. Hours later, Russian military-linked bloggers and channels […] The post Russian Su-30SM crashes in Black Sea 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

South Korean Hanwha Aerospace has signed a joint development agreement with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to co-develop and co-produce the Gray Eagle Short Takeoff and Landing (GE-STOL) unmanned aircraft system, the companies announced during the AUSA 2025 exhibition in Washington, D.C. The contract was signed by Sun Kim, Senior Executive Vice President of […] The post GA-ASI selects Hanwha to co-produce tactical unmanned aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

For the anniversary of its formation, the Ukrainian 19th Missile Brigade “Saint Barbara” has disclosed details of its operations during the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Commanders and participants described how the brigade used Soviet-era Tochka-U missile systems to strike key Russian targets at a time when Ukraine lacked long-range precision weapons. In February […]View the full article

Croatia has formally signed a contract to acquire 18 CAESAR 6×6 MkII self-propelled howitzers and 15 Serval armored vehicles from French defense manufacturer KNDS, the company announced on December 9. The agreement is part of Croatia’s ongoing efforts to modernize its artillery and mechanized forces. According to a statement from KNDS France, the signing took […]View the full article

Colombia announced on January 10 that it is launching a COP 6.2 trillion (approximately $1.6 billion) National Anti-Drone Shield, a move taken directly in response to the recent U.S. military strike on Venezuela, the Colombian government said in an official statement. According to the Ministry of Defense, the program creates a nationwide detection and interdiction […]View the full article

The 157th Air Refueling Wing conducted a nuclear operational readiness exercise from Feb. 5–8, testing its ability to generate and sustain aerial refueling operations in direct support of the United States’ nuclear deterrence mission, the unit said. The exercise was held at Pease and focused on validating procedures, skills, and command-and-control processes required to place […]View the full article

The United States Navy officially began Operation ICE CAMP Boarfish in the Arctic Ocean on March 7, 2026 after the construction of a temporary base on drifting sea ice and the arrival of two fast-attack submarines, USS Delaware (SSN‑791) and USS Santa Fe (SSN‑763). The three-week operation is designed to test submarine operations and evaluate […]View the full article