Raw Intel

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…

Just a quick note today as the paying gig is only letting me pop in and out of my alter ego's life. A friend posted the below from Janes' this AM from behind their paywall. I've had some well informed readers reach out to me after I posted it over on twitter to ask, roughly, "But I keep seeing how the Russians are screwing up the basics of fuel, food, bad comms and chaos." Well, yes - that is all true. I am also sure that this is not going as smooth as the Russian General Staff briefed Putin how things would go. The fact remains though that the Russians are making gains. Slower and uglier than they thought, but they are making gains. The Ukrainians are putting up a pluc…

Deer hunters who own their own land and hunt it for years on end know a fun little detail few others know. Deer trails are a constant, regardless of what is happening on the land. They remain on their track for ... well ... perhaps centuries. You can have a deer trail you've hunted in second growth forest and then have either timber harvest or fire remove all the trees on that parcel. Even though the land is barren, the deer will use the same trail, only slightly modified if an obstacle like an old fallen tree is gone, but besides that, the track remains unchanged. As the now barren land transitions over time from forbs, to scrub, to brush, and back to forest over a decad…

A lesson as old as the human condition was again proved in February of this year; weakness invites aggression. From demographers to strategists, a variety of disciplines see the second half of this decade through the first half of the next as a window of exceptional vulnerability for a war with China in the Western Pacific. We have discussed this emerging threat there for almost two decades and the time is here. Are we ready? No. If you agree with this window, then you also must agree with the following: no magic system or capability is going to fight and win this war for us and our allies. There is nothing that isn’t at least IOC today that will be available to the fleet…

The long post-Cold War period of low defense spending - for serious nations - is coming to an end ... at least those are the words and the vibe ... but what are the actions? It is one thing to say you want to do more, the United Kingdom is actually talking about putting its money where their theory is; The UK will spend an extra £5bn on its military and aim to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as part of an updated strategy to counter intensifying threats from China and Russia.Aspirations are good ... and so are statements of reality. Did you note the "C" word? The revised defence, security and foreign policy review will describe the Chinese Communist Party as an "ep…

Americas The US Navy awarded Bath Iron Works a multiyear contract for construction of three DDG 51 class ships – one each in fiscal 2023, 2024, and 2026. This contract includes options for engineering change proposals, design budgeting requirements, and post-delivery availabilities on the awarded firm multiyear ships. This contract also includes options for construction […]View the full article

Super Tucano Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano trainer and light attack turboprop continues to rack up global orders, solidifying its position as the globe’s pre-eminent manned counter-insurgency aircraft. The latest order set of about $180 million expands the plane’s footprint into 3 African states: Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. They join Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican […]View the full article

Americas RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney has been awarded a $1.3 billion contract to continue maturing the F135 Engine Core Upgrade. The contract includes ”design, analysis, rig testing, engine test preparation, developmental hardware, test asset assembly, air system integration, airworthiness evaluation, and product support planning,” a Department of Defense contract notice stated. Work is expected to be completed in March 2028. The US Navy has contracted Raytheon to develop an upgraded Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) system. The NGJ-MB Expansion (NGJ-MBX) will provide a greater frequency range to counter additional threats. The $192-million development contr…

Raytheon has secured a $72 million contract with the U.S. Army to sustain and support the Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS), a critical component used to guide the service’s TOW anti-tank missiles. In a statement, Dan Theisen, president of Advanced Products & Solutions at Raytheon, said, “This critical technology bolsters target recognition and engagement ranges, […] The post Raytheon gets $72M deal for TOW missile targeting system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Serbian Armed Forces have been spotted rehearsing with one-way attack drones developed by UAE-based EDGE Group, ahead of the “Unity of Strength” military parade scheduled for September 20 in Belgrade. Footage from the rehearsal reveals the presence of two loitering munitions, the Shadow 50 and Shadow 25, marking the first known public appearance of […] The post Serbia showcases UAE-made kamikaze drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea’s top military officer has raised concerns that North Korea may have received Russian assistance in developing its newly unveiled Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). During a parliamentary audit session on Tuesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Gen. Jin Yong-sung told lawmakers there is “sufficient possibility” that Russia supported North Korea’s […] The post Russian hand suspected in North Korea’s new ICBM first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

I first saw this map three years ago, and it recently resurfaced in my thoughts. I remain convinced that a lot of the problem with trying to get everyone to fully understand the challenge in the Western Pacific is that to a large part, we think in a ‘north-up’ orientation. I don’t think that is all that helpful. Just a few days ago, we had another Pearl Harbor Day anniversary and we’ve all seen the maps, usually centered on Hawaii, where the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Kidō Butai comes at the Pacific Fleet from stage left off the map. Then we fought battles in the Coral Sea, Midway, and so on. To the lay eye — or to those who don’t have time to dig into the reasons — a trad…

Ungoverned, an Australia-founded mobility technology company, has developed a new self-propelled tracked platform designed to move across soft ground, mine-risk areas, and degraded terrain with less pressure than a human footstep. The company disclosed the development in a technical briefing and interview with Defence Blog, outlining the system’s performance characteristics and new field data measured […]View the full article

Sometimes, accidental missions show you a whole host of paths you need to take to be ready for what the future will ask of you. In the special operations arena, Operation Eagle Claw was one such moment. Without that searing example, the special operations overmatch from the aviation side of the house to the ground element that we saw from Desert Storm through to the capture of Maduro earlier this year would simply not have happened. That is a big flashy example, but since the United States started going after the sanctioned and stateless merchant ships over the last few months, I’ve been feeling a tapping on my shoulder growing in intensity. Again, small and medium confli…

Kazakhstan’s defense industry has revealed serial production of the Barys 6×6 armored combat vehicle at the Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering facility, showcasing locally manufactured mine-resistant vehicles designed for military and security operations. The vehicle represents a localized version of the South African Mbombe 6 platform adapted for use by the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan. The unveiling […]View the full article

The Pentagon has awarded more than $2.35 billion in contracts for jet fuel and naval fuel distillates to 12 U.S.-based suppliers. The awards issued by the Defense Logistics Agency Energy were announced on April 3, with the contracts formally awarded on April 1. The package covers multiple types of aviation and marine fuels and runs […]View the full article

American Rheinmetall brought a full slate of unmanned systems and next-generation squad weapon systems to Modern Day Marine. The centerpiece of the display is Rheinmetall’s Mission Master Silent Partner Hotel, designated MMSP-H, a fully autonomous ground vehicle that operates on land and water. The platform carries 2,200 pounds of payload on land and 880 pounds […]View the full article