Raw Intel

Russia’s prized “unstoppable” hypersonic missile has gone dark, and Ukrainian military intelligence says Moscow pulled the plug on purpose to feed a different weapon entirely. Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate, known by its Ukrainian acronym HUR, told the outlet RBC-Ukraine that Russia halted production of its Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missile back […]View the full article

A Russian military-affiliated Telegram channel has raised alarm that Ukraine’s reach at sea now extends beyond the Black Sea into the Mediterranean, framing a string of drone strikes on Russian-linked vessels there as part of a wider pattern that has already put Russian military and commercial assets at risk across three separate seas. Ukraine’s drone […]View the full article

No, it is not.Today, no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis. We face all kinds of threats in our line of work, but few of them truly deserve to be called existential. The climate crisis does…climate change is making the world more unsafe, and we need to act. - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at the Leaders Summit on Climate, April 22, 2021 As a species, humans have thrived under drastically higher and lower sea levels; colder and warmer climates. The slow changes we are seeing now are not existential. Not even close. It is a challenge - maybe in some areas a mounting crisis, but not existential. It is something that, even if a mounti…

It wasn't supposed to end like this. If in the early fall of 2001, just as we just finished OPERATION RHINO, someone at C5F put up a picture of a 10-yr old boy standing behind a group of five newborns, three 1-yer olds, three 2-yr olds, and a 4-yr old and told us, "We will take Kabul, and after 18-months without a single casualty, we will abandon everything. We will be allowed to go home only at the pleasure of the Taliban and after we sacrifice these 13-children and abandon hundreds of American citizens behind us as we leave in darkness, tens of billions of dollars of our equipment left as tribute in addition to our children." we would have thought you insane, sick, and…

Well ... I think over at the Severn School for Wayward Boys and Girls at the end of November, I think we found out. I'm not sure more commentary on my part is needed or wise ... I'll just say BZ to the MIDN who gave the feedback in bold. We need more pushback like that. ...and yes, I think we'd all like to see the 13 suggested topics...for scientific purposes, of course. 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=TPfcobvLBSU:rhT6j_daVis:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TPfcobvLBSU:rhT6j_daVis:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.f…

For the Russians, the chance for a quick victory faded early on in the war when they failed to keep Antonov Airport airport in Kyiv after their air assault on 24 FEB 22 and the Ukrainians responded with unexpected resolve. Ukraine was not the nation and army the Russians faced in 2014. However, even with the logistics nightmare, convoy issues, and the now well-meme'd farmers-stealing-abandoned-armor appearance of a rough time so far, the Russian continue to take ground. Slowly and steadily they advance. They've bypassed most of the major urban centers in the classic "bypass and haul ass" operational scheme of maneuver, but now they need to clean up their lines and their r…

Americas Lockheed won a $12 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure Lot 15-16 gun pod containers in support of F-35 Lightning II aircraft ancillary mission equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps, non-US Department of Defense (DOD) partners, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in February 2026. The US Air Force has integrated a new engine for the ski-equipped LC-130 transport aircraft to boost its capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctica. Seven airmen conducted a test flight of the new NP2000 T56-A-15A turbo-prop 3.5 engine at Stratton Air National Guard Base in New York…

While researching yesterday's post I came across a 2011 post of mine that, in a way, read like an OG FbF ... and figured, let's bring the story of HMS Liverpool (D92) a little more than a year before her decommissioning to the Front Porch so we can see the proper use of a main gun. Often here we have comments about how, "nAvAl GunZ uR oBSolEt3" ... well, of course they are not. Let's head off the coast of Libya ... and do so with a 2011 mindset; Repeat after me: "There is no more important weapon on a warship than its main gun battery." Translate that in to Latin and we'll put it in to Autotune for 'ya and make it a Gregorian Chant. Heck, we'll put it on t-shirts and se…

Americas The low-drag external fuel tanks and pylons Lockheed Martin is developing for the F-22 Raptor could be integrated with other fighter jets, such as the F-35, according to a company official. The F-22 Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) is one capability being developed for the fifth-generation aircraft to keep up with adversary advances […]View the full article

Americas After being grounded for over four years, F-15E Strike Eagle 91-0323 has made a triumphant return to operational status. The aircraft, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, was restored to fighting form thanks to the dedication and tireless work of the 366th Fighter Wing maintenance team. This incredible feat of engineering and teamwork began over 1,500 days ago when the aircraft suffered damage to its landing gear during an incident. Master Sgt. Donald Root, the lead Production Superintendent at the 391st Fighter Generation Squadron, oversaw the initial recovery effort. He recounted the team’s swift action: “We coordinated with the fire squadron to…

Americas AeroVironment has introduced “Titan 4,” a new version of its counter-drone system designed to use radio frequencies (RF) to monitor and disrupt hostile drone activity. The system is 17 percent lighter and 73 percent smaller than its previous dual-chassis version, now built into a single portable unit. Titan 4 can be set up in less than five minutes and is adaptable for mobile operations, establishing a protective dome around personnel and key infrastructure. The US Navy has announced the renovation of a noise-suppressed aircraft cell engine testing facility in Patuxent River, Maryland. The center, which had been closed for more than a decade, houses the Naval Air…

A new family of armored vehicles, including a modular platform that serves as the basis for both a light tank and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), was spotted in China. The images, published on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, show the modern vehicles loaded onto rail transport platforms ahead of what appears to be […] The post China develops new modular tank and fighting vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines with the 12th Littoral Combat Team demonstrated the deployment of the Stalker VXE30 reconnaissance drone during Resolute Dragon 25, a bilateral military exercise held on September 14, 2025, at the Hijudai Maneuver Area in Japan’s Oita Prefecture. The Stalker VXE30, manufactured by Edge Autonomy, is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) small unmanned […] The post U.S. Marines field Stalker drone in Japan first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Chinese Air Force has released new official footage of the GJ-11 uncrewed combat air vehicle, marking the first time the aircraft has been shown both inside a hangar and conducting flight operations. The video, recently published by Chinese state media, includes scenes of the flying-wing drone operating alongside a J-20S stealth fighter, underscoring its […]View the full article

Oshkosh Defense has secured a $49.2 million contract to convert and deliver upgraded cargo vehicles for the United States Marine Corps, the Department of War announced. According to a release, the contract calls for Oshkosh Defense LLC of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to convert an undisclosed number of Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) Extra Long Wheelbase cargo […]View the full article

Slovakia’s state-owned defense company ZŤS Špeciál has signed a contract with Azerbaijan’s state-owned Iglin Scientific Production Enterprise to supply approximately 300 AM-120 automatic 120mm mortar systems, according to information released by the companies. Under the agreement, ZŤS Špeciál will deliver 96 mortars in the first phase, with the remaining systems listed as optional. The total […]View the full article

An analysis published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies outlines Japan’s expected deployment of domestically developed long-range missile systems as part of an emerging “counterstrike” posture. The report describes plans for fielding systems such as the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) and the upgraded Type-12 anti-ship missile between fiscal years 2025 and 2027. The […]View the full article

UK Defence Innovation has launched a market engagement activity seeking novel technologies capable of detecting and defeating fibre-optic controlled drones, opening a formal call to industry that closes on April 21, 2026. The solicitation marks the first public acknowledgment by the UK Ministry of Defence that fibre-optic drone control has become a sufficiently pressing operational […]View the full article

A Silicon Valley AI startup just raised $100 million to build what it describes as the artificial intelligence brain for unmanned warfare. Scout AI Inc. announced an oversubscribed $100 million Series A financing round to accelerate development of Fury, its foundation model for unmanned warfare. The round was co-led by Align Ventures and Draper Associates, […]View the full article

Sudan’s military shot down an enemy combat drone using one of its own unmanned aircraft, with the Sudanese Armed Forces deploying a Bayraktar Akıncı drone to fire an air-to-air missile and destroy the target, according to footage released by Clash Report. The engagement marks a notable moment in the ongoing Sudanese civil war, which erupted […]View the full article