Raw Intel

Azerbaijan’s Navy has for the first time publicly showcased its Turkish-made “Salvo” unmanned surface vessel (USV), signaling a new phase in Baku’s maritime capabilities amid growing regional security concerns in the Caspian Sea. The debut of the armed drone boat came during recent naval exercises and was noted by Baku-based policy analyst Fuad Shahbazov, who […] The post Azerbaijan unveils armed naval drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

At the Changchun Air Show, China publicly displayed for the first time a J-6 fighter aircraft that has been converted into a drone, marking a rare appearance of the retrofitted Cold War-era jet in unmanned form. “This aircraft is modified based on the J-6 fighter jet, with the removal of cannon weapon systems, external fuel […] The post China converts Cold War jet into combat drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has announced the shipment of an additional 30 Self-Defense Forces (SDF) vehicles to Ukraine. According to a release issued by the ministry on October 14, the shipment includes 28 “1/2-ton trucks” and two high-mobility vehicles, intended for personnel and cargo transport. The latest delivery brings the total number of SDF vehicles […] The post Japan sends 30 more military vehicles to Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Armed Forces of Haiti have taken delivery of new armored vehicles intended to support mobility and security missions as the country continues efforts to counter gang violence and improve territorial stability. According to Haitian military officials, several Senator RAM MRAP armored personnel carriers were handed over on November 8 as part of a government […]View the full article

Last Friday, we got an answer to one of the questions we had after the CANX of the Constellation FFG: what next? TWZ has a good summary of the hard data in the above video. “Last month, with the concurrence of the Commandant [of the Marine Corps] and the Chief of Naval Operations, I approved the LSM design selection [of] the LST-100 landing ship transport, a roughly 4,000-ton ship with a range of more than 3,400 nautical miles that gives us the right balance of capability, affordability, and speed to field.” The baseline LST-100 design is approximately 328 feet (100 meters) long, some 52.5 feet (16 meters) wide, and can reach a top speed of 15 knots, according to Damen. …

The United States Air Force formally received its first T-7A Red Hawk on January 9, 2026, during an arrival ceremony hosted by Air Education and Training Command (AETC), marking the start of the service’s transition to a new generation of jet trainer aircraft. The event at Joint Base San Antonio–Randolph marked the first delivery from […]View the full article

The United States Army conducted a field demonstration of Elbit America’s SlingWorks launched effects system during the CDF CFWE 26 exercise at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, according to a statement released Friday by the Aviation Future Capability Directorate. The test involved collaboration between the SlingWorks development team and soldiers from the 1st Armored […]View the full article

The United States Air Force is looking for industry solutions for a portable passive acoustic sensor that can help troops detect small drones and other nearby threats during both mounted and dismounted operations, according to a request for information released on April 3. The notice was issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s […]View the full article

Patriot3, a Virginia-based small business that has spent years building specialized equipment for special operations forces and law enforcement worldwide, brought its full maritime and ground operations portfolio to Modern Day Marine this week — sharing a booth with Canadian sensor specialist Shark Marine Technologies and putting some of its most ambitious platforms in front […]View the full article

Operation Epic Fury is officially over, but U.S. Air Force F-16s are still flying combat patrol over one of the world’s most volatile airspaces. Newly released photographs taken May 14 in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility show an F-16 Fighting Falcon carrying a weapons mix that tells the whole story of modern air […]View the full article

Singapore has requested, and the U.S. has approved, a possible $73 million Foreign Military Sale package covering fire control system upgrades for the city-state’s fleet of HIMARS rocket artillery, a move that will significantly enhance one of Southeast Asia’s most capable ground-based precision strike systems and deepen the military technology relationship between Washington and one […]View the full article

Vigilant Solution, the robotics division of the French small business MP-SEC, announced that its team took part in a new round of trials last week for Pendragon, a French military program working to build the country’s first Robotic Combat Unit, known in French as the Unité Robotique de Combat, or URC. The French Army launched […]View the full article

Getting a fighter jet part built faster in America might soon depend on cutting through a mountain of paperwork that has nothing to do with engineering and everything to do with accounting. The Department of War wants the companies that build its weapons to tell it exactly which forms and financial audits are slowing them […]View the full article

U.S. and Indonesian forces fired rocket artillery and flew combat aircraft together during a live-fire exercise at Baturaja Combat Training Center on September 4 and 7, part of the ongoing Super Garuda Shield exercise in Indonesia. The ground-fire portion combined U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems with Indonesian Army ASTROS II Mk6 launchers […]View the full article

The Pentagon’s research agency DARPA is asking industry how to build a new hypersonic cruise missile that would fly much farther, faster or higher than current designs and could still be produced cheaply in large numbers. DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office posted a request for information for the Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile on Sept. 30 […]View the full article

The German Army has received its first heavy-lift cargo drone, with the 131st Supply Battalion in Bad Frankenhausen, Thuringia, taking delivery of an uncrewed aircraft from Portuguese manufacturer TEKEVER to test how drones can haul equipment and supplies to troops in the field. The Bundeswehr in Thuringia announced the handover on Oct. 13, describing it […]View the full article

Austrian Typhoons w. IRIS-T missiles (click to view full) In 2003, Austria signed a EUR 2 billion contract to receive 18 EADS Eurofighters plus required support (just over $2.5 billion, or about $140 million per plane). The aircraft were already under construction in Germany when the 2006 election results forced the leftist SPO party, whose campaign promises included canceling the fighter deal, into the Austrian government coalition. That shift led to a fraught series of negotiations within Austria, and then with EADS. The 2 sides played a game of billion-dollar chicken, leading to a settlement in 2007. The Eurofighter’s rough ride in Austria seemed to be over with de…

Known to all on and considered to be part of the Front Part is friend to the blog, Midrats, and me personally, is Dr. Claude Berube; reserve Naval Officer, author, professor, and all-around good guy. After a long record of service teaching political science and history at the United States Naval Academy and director of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, Claude is moving on to start a new chapter. In a highly enjoyable retrospective of his time in Annapolis, Claude becomes a guest on the podcast he started, Preble Hall, as interviews by Dr. Marcus Faulkner. Enjoy. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=…

When you read military history, you read all the time about "fighting retreats" and "rear guard actions" and with few exceptions, that is about the only mention they get, maybe a paragraph or two. That rarely does justice to the incredible sacrifice a few knowingly make to help save the many. Those ordered to be the rear guard, or to execute a holding action, know exactly what they are being asked to do - and yet they do it willingly through good discipline or simply duty. Often they are not even ordered to do it, local commanders see the need, know commander's intent, and do it. There are some well known events, Napoleon's Dutch engineers at Berezina is one, and for the …

The new administration told you that their team was tan, rested, and ready and the Global Posture Review was going to set a firm new direction in line with the natsec SuperFriends bringing new eyes, new outlooks, and bold actions to address the challenge of the third decade of the 21st Century. Well. If you were hoping that the much vaunted “the adults are in charge” brigade would give you some hope, take a seat. If you bought the hype that we were adjusting with some urgency facing the gaping maw of The Terrible 20s, the flexing power of China, and the general disjunction of people, resources, and policy in the fractured, COVID-infused underpinnings of our national secu…