Raw Intel

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled fighter aircraft on Sunday after four civilian planes violated temporary flight restrictions over Norfolk, Virginia, prompting multiple intercepts and aerial escorts. According to NORAD, the series of incursions into restricted airspace occurred throughout the day on October 5, 2025, and required immediate responses under the binational command’s […] The post Four planes intercepted after violating no-fly zone in Virginia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia’s state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has delivered another batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to a statement from Rostec, the aircraft have successfully completed all required ground and flight tests and have now been handed over to their military operator. The company said production remains on schedule and emphasized the […] The post New wave of Su-34 bombers joins Russian strike fleet first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is advancing efforts to challenge one of the world’s most widely exported combat drones, the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, with a new domestically developed system undergoing flight testing. At the AVIC test range, engineers are putting the CH-3D combat drone through a series of evaluations. The aircraft, developed by China’s state-owned aviation giant AVIC, is […] The post China targets Bayraktar TB2’s market dominance with new armed drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China’s aerospace industry is laying the groundwork for a new generation of strategic transport aircraft designed to expand the People’s Liberation Army’s global reach. A recently published technical paper describes the conceptual design and performance requirements of a future heavy-lift cargo plane featuring a blended-wing-body (BWB) configuration — a radical departure from the conventional designs […] The post China develops next-generation heavy-lift cargo plane first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s air defense forces are facing mounting challenges as Russia modifies its ballistic missiles to evade Western-made Patriot systems, a senior Ukrainian Air Force official said on Sunday. Yurii Ihnat, chief of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, confirmed during a national television broadcast that intercepting Russian ballistic missiles has become more difficult. The change, […] The post Ukraine: Russian ballistic missiles now harder for Patriot to hit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have received a Chinese-made FB-10A short-range surface-to-air missile system. The acquisition follows the RSF’s earlier procurement of the Chinese FK-2000 air defense system and underscores the growing sophistication of the group’s military capabilities. According to the Clash Report, the FB-10A system was originally purchased by Chad from China in […] The post Chinese FB-10A missile system falls into hands of Sudan’s RSF militants first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A newly leaked document allegedly from Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec appears to outline detailed pricing, delivery schedules, and export plans for advanced Sukhoi fighter jets destined for several foreign clients — including Iran, Algeria, and Ethiopia. The material was published online on October 3 by the hacker collective Black Mirror, which claims to have […] The post Leak doc reveals Su-57s for Algeria, Su-35s for Iran and Ethiopia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines are testing the next generation of battlefield logistics with the Tactical Resupply Unmanned Air System (TRUAS), a heavy-lift cargo drone designed to deliver critical supplies directly to small units in remote and contested environments. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group conducted field trials of the […] The post U.S. Marines push TRUAS drone to its limits in resupply tests first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

American and British armored forces came together this week in Estonia for a joint promotion ceremony that doubled as a powerful demonstration of allied cooperation. On October 1, 2025, U.S. soldiers from the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and British soldiers from AJAX Squadron showcased their main […] The post Abrams meets Challenger 2 on NATO’s eastern flank first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korea has publicly displayed a new mobile anti-tank missile system for the first time, showcasing it as part of its annual “Defence Development 2025” exhibition in Pyongyang — an event that leader Kim Jong Un described as a presentation of the country’s “results” in modernizing and expanding its military capabilities. The exhibition featured a […] The post North Korea develops new mobile tank hunter first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korea has unveiled a new generation of military technologies — including weapons systems with integrated artificial intelligence and a previously unseen tracked air defense platform — during a major defense exhibition in Pyongyang. The event, titled “Defense Development 2025,” was reported by the Korean Central Telegraph Agency (KCNA) and featured a speech by North […] The post North Korea unveils new short-range air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Northrop Grumman is advancing U.S. homeland defense with its new “Golden Dome for America,” built around the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) — a mobile, ground-based sensor designed to detect, track, and respond to evolving threats with speed and precision. “Threats to our homeland are growing faster, more complex and more unpredictable,” said Roshan […] The post Northrop Grumman highlights features of ‘Golden Dome’ radar network first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army is moving quickly to modernize its heavy-lift aviation fleet, authorizing rapid procurement and fielding of the CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter beginning in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The decision will deliver the upgraded aircraft to two Combat Aviation Brigades, enhancing operational reach and readiness for large-scale combat operations. The CH-47F Block […] The post U.S. Army speeds up CH-47F Block II fielding first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has delivered its 500th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 to the U.S. Navy, marking a major milestone in one of NATO’s most enduring air defense programs. The company says it is preparing to nearly double production by mid-2026 as global demand for advanced naval air defense capabilities continues to grow. […] The post Raytheon hits 500 ESSM Block 2 missile deliveries first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Australian Army’s first two AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters were delivered to the 16th Aviation Brigade. The aircraft arrived at RAAF Base Townsville on Sunday, September 28, 2025. The delivery is part of Project Land 4503, a program under which Australia is acquiring 29 AH-64E Apaches through a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the United […] The post First AH-64E Apaches arrive in Australia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine launched a coordinated series of deep strikes overnight, damaging a Russian Buyan-M missile corvette operating in Lake Onega and targeting key elements of Moscow’s military infrastructure across several regions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on October 4. The Buyan-M — a small missile ship capable of launching Kalibr cruise […] The post Ukrainian strike hits missile corvette deep inside Russia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian forces have begun deploying cavalry units in assault operations against Ukrainian positions, reviving tactics long thought obsolete and raising outrage over the use of animals in combat. Ukrainian troops say at least one such unit has already been engaged and destroyed by a drone strike during a recent offensive. According to footage released by […] The post Ukrainian drone strike destroys Russian cavalry unit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Remember my 2017 article about the then “Seven Act Play” that was the effort in Afghanistan? Well, we’re going to visit part of Act-3: Act 3: Buyer’s Remorse – By late 2006, the NATO-sceptics’ critique started to break above the happy-talk. AFG was more serious than NATO and the USA were saying, and most of the alliance members were not up to the challenge, and if they were – their staying power was brittle at best. If you had to draw the line somewhere, it would have been the summer of 2007 when NATO failed to fill the rotary-wing aviation bridging force. At the last minute, a combination of US military and civilian contractors filled the gap. After that goat rope, it …

At Defence Blog, we asked armored vehicle expert and lead analyst Serhiy Berezutskiy, an analyst at the Ukrainian Strategic Initiative Center, to share his view on China’s newest tank concept and the future of armored warfare. The Russian-Ukrainian war has convincingly shown that the classical tank paradigm, which has dominated military thought since the Second […] The post Expert: China turns tanks into combat systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian long-range one-way attack drones have carried out some of the deepest strikes of the war so far, hitting critical industrial sites deep inside Russian territory — more than 1,700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border — in what Kyiv officials say demonstrates a rapidly advancing domestic drone capability. Unmanned systems struck two major targets in […] The post Ukrainian long-range drones hit targets deep inside Russia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article