Raw Intel

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi met a Lockheed Martin delegation led by Orlando Sanchez Jr., president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, to press for steady weapons deliveries, more PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot and wider F-16 maintenance across Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. The talks centered on the F-16, which the ministry […]View the full article

Americas Longbow Ltd. won a $32.2 million contract modification for generic spare parts kits for AH-64E Apache helicopters. The AH-64 Apache is a multirole combat helicopter with integrated avionics and weapons, as well as advanced digital communications to enable real-time, secure transfer of battlefield information to air and ground forces. The E-model Apache Guardian features enhanced performance, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding, and reduced operating and support costs, Boeing officials say. Work will take place in Orlando, Florida. Estimated completion date is April 30, 2024. The US Air Force’s Air Combat Command has ap…

THAAD: In flight (click to view full) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation. This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC…

Americas Sikorsky won a $22.5 million contract modification, which adds scope for the procurement of four VH-92A aircraft MT-1 cabin interiors and MT-1 spares in support for depot level stand up for the Presidential Helicopters Replacement Program. The new Marine One, also referred to as VH-92A, is the next-generation presidential transport helicopter being developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC). Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company, is responsible for the production of the VH-92A helicopter. Work will take place in Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Connecticut. Expected completion will be in July 2022. Argentinian media reported that a Chinese team is in …

As I snarkly said over on twitter, if the adults are back in charge, would they please act like it. First of all, just look at the Marshall Islands located east of Guam, west of Hawaii, and south of Wake Island. During WWII, Americans lost 611 men, suffered 2,341 wounded, and 260 missing and killed over over 11,000 Japanese while capturing 358 to secure these islands. An independent nation with some unique security and immigration agreements with the United States, one shouldn’t have to over-emphasize the strategic importance. However … For decades, the tiny Marshall Islands has been a stalwart American ally … But that loyalty is being tested amid a dispute with Washin…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $128.2 million contract modification by the US Air Force for the exercise of an option for hardware spares and the partial exercise of an option for an additional 123 Lot 20 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) – Extended Range missiles with containers. According to the company, JASSM is a long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile for the US and allied forces. Designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets, JASSM’s significant standoff range keeps aircrews well out of danger from hostile air defense systems. Work will take place in Florida and Alabama. Expected completion date …

Many know about the second USS LAFFEY (DD-724), the "ship that would not die," but what about the first? Put yourself in the shoes of its first, and only, Captain. Your ship is only been commissioned seven months. Heck, she still smells of shipyard. You don't care though. Sure, it took you 15-years after you graduated from Annapolis to make LCDR, but that's OK. Promotions were slow from 1925 to the buildup before the war. Two years later you get command of brand new destroyer, the USS LAFFEY (DD-459) just five months after Pearl Harbor. You get through your shakedown cruise and five months in to command you bring your crew of 208 Sailors in to combat. Less than a month …

Americas Lockheed Martin won an $8.3 million modification by the US Navy to exercise options for shipboard integration and test of the AEGIS Weapon System. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey; Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; Washington, DC; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Mayport, Florida; Bath, Maine; and various places each below one percent, and is […]View the full article

South African JAS-39D (click to view full) As a neutral country with a long history of providing for its own defense against all comers, Sweden also has a long tradition of building excellent high-performance fighters with a distinctive look. From the long-serving Saab-35 Draken (“Dragon,” 1955-2005) to the Mach 2, canard-winged Saab-37 Viggen (“Thunderbolt,” 1971-2005), […]View the full article

Americas Illinois-based aviation service provider AAR has received a $1.2-billion contract to perform maintenance for the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft fleet. The agreement stipulates depot-level engine and airframe sustainment as well as on-site assessments to maintain the planes’ operability. Tasks will incorporate technical directives, modifications, overhauls, and aircraft-on-ground support, scheduled and unscheduled. Work for the engine will be facilitated in partnership with Georgia-based aviation industry partner Delta TechOps. The Montana Air National Guard (MT ANG) conducted a groundbreaking training exercise on September 25.…

Americas The US Air Force has begun ground testing for two unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) developed under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The air force revealed that the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A test vehicles are currently undergoing tests for their propulsion systems, avionics, autonomy integration and ground control interfaces to prepare the systems for flight testing later this year. All tests are currently taking place at the Beale Air Force Base in California, hosted by the CCA Aircraft Readiness Unit. The aircraft will be flown minimally and maintained at a flight-ready status. Textron Systems has hit a major milestone with its XM204 top attack …

China’s state broadcaster CCTV-7 has been showing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers conducting infantry exercises in rugged terrain—featuring, notably, a trooper equipped with a rudimentary unpowered exoskeleton frame. The broadcast, part of a segment highlighting a unit of the PLA’s 76th Group Army, shows troops advancing across rocky highland ground under simulated combat conditions. The […] The post China tests infantry exoskeleton during army drill first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China appears to be drawing further inspiration from Russian military design, as a newly observed Chinese armored vehicle bears a clear resemblance to Russia’s KamAZ Typhoon series. The vehicle, seen in a recent video, shares a nearly identical configuration to the Russian Typhoon, a modular, mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle developed by KamAZ for the Russian […] The post China copies Russian Typhoon armored vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Elbit America, the U.S. subsidiary of Israel’s Elbit Systems, is showcasing its SIGMA 155mm mobile artillery system concept at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exposition, aiming to position the platform as a future solution for U.S. Army long-range precision fires. The SIGMA system, currently entering service with the Israel Defense Forces under […] The post Elbit America offers next-gen howitzer to U.S. Army first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

During a presentation for members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee, solutions developed by the WITPiS and Chema DS consortium were demonstrated, according to a statement posted by Chema DS. Among the systems shown, the reconnaissance variant of the KUNA Unmanned Ground Weapon System drew attention. The company said the platform is […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has recovered an F/A‑18F Super Hornet and an MH‑60R Seahawk from the seafloor after both aircraft were lost in separate mishaps off the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on October 26, 2025. According to the Navy, the two aircraft suffered accidents within a half‑hour of each other. The recovery operation was completed on […]View the full article

A CIA-linked LM-100J Super Hercules operated by Pallas Aviation landed in Caracas on January 10. The aircraft, using callsign WDE08 and tail number N96MG, departed shortly afterward and returned to Puerto Rico. The aircraft belongs to Pallas Aviation, described as a private company that performs “specialized work worldwide that most others refuse.” The company operates […]View the full article

Somalia and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation on Feb. 9, 2026, on the sidelines of the World Defense Show in Riyadh, formalizing expanded defense ties as Mogadishu confronts rising regional pressure linked to Somaliland. Somalia’s Ministry of Defence said the agreement was signed by Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and […]View the full article

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $610 million contract to Mortenson for the construction of a Domestic New World Screwworm Sterile Insect Production Facility at Moore Airbase in Edinburg, Texas. The award was announced as part of federal contracting activity and involves funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for fiscal […]View the full article

American defense startup XDOWN has introduced a new compact drone aimed at frontline troops, positioning the STUD as a low-cost, rapidly deployable unmanned system built for multiple battlefield roles. Founder and chief executive Alexander Balan unveiled the platform alongside newly released images and footage showing a prototype in testing. In a statement posted with the […]View the full article