Raw Intel

The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces released footage showing its air defense systems intercepting Iranian strike drones targeting the country. The announcement comes as tensions in the region continue to involve missile and drone attacks targeting military and civilian infrastructure. The UAE government said the interceptions demonstrate the country’s ability to detect and defeat multiple […]View the full article

Airmen from the 39th Security Forces Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, completed Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station certification training at Aviano Air Base, Italy, on March 26, 2026, adding ten newly qualified operators to the installation defense network spanning two of the U. S. Air Force’s most strategically positioned bases in Europe and the […]View the full article

Show Links:Substack posts Did China Culminate and No One Noticed? I’ll take LCC-21, 22, and yes, 23 and 24, thank you So, the SECNAV has Departed CVN Status The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, by Rick Atkinson SummarySal discusses current naval operations, geopolitical developments, and strategic insights, including the state of the US … Read more View the full article

Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec unveiled a new short-range air defense system called the ZAK-30 Tsitadel at the First International Security Forum, presenting a 30mm autocannon platform designed to destroy drones using programmable proximity-fuzed shrapnel shells that detonate at a calculated point along the target’s flight path rather than requiring a direct hit. The system, […]View the full article

DroneShield and Defenture have signed a memorandum of understanding to combine the Australian company’s counter-drone hardware, software, command-and-control, and operational support with Defenture’s tactical vehicle platforms, including the GRF and Mammoth, betting that the pairing will give NATO armies the kind of mobile drone defense they have been scrambling to buy as cheap unmanned aircraft […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command struck dozens of targets across Iran on Sunday using one-way attack sea drones for the first time in the conflict, a new addition to a strike package that already included fighter aircraft, naval vessels, and one-way attack aerial drones, marking the fourth round of American strikes against Iran since Tehran resumed attacks […]View the full article

A defense company that just unveiled a laser powerful enough to shoot down threats from a fighter jet cockpit also posted a record $32 billion order backlog, and the two facts are not unrelated. Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense technology company that develops everything from night vision goggles to unmanned aircraft, reported second quarter 2026 […]View the full article

In the last couple of years, as the phrase "Great Power Competition" has grown in use, more often than not people use it to mean "China and Russia" not together, but to imply that - at least at sea - they are both growing to challenge the USN. I'm sorry, but if the future is what you are building today, Russia does not fit that bill. That is my take over at USNIBlog. Come on by and give it a ponder with me. View the full article

Americas Alabama Shipyard LLC won a $19.7 million contract for a 76-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul/dry docking on USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1). USNS Lewis and Clark is an American dry cargo ship, the lead ship of her namesake class.The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego, California, on 18 October 2001 and her keel was laid down on April 22, 2004. Work will take place in Mobile, Alabama. Estimated completion date will be by May 24, 2021. The US Army is using 3D printing technology to produce N95 respirators, the chief of the Defense Department’s medical technology office said on January …

HPT-32 (click to view full) India’s stalled defense procurements have become an international joke, but they’re not funny to front-line participants. The country’s attempts to buy simple artillery pieces have become infamous, but their current problem with trainer aircraft is arguably a more significant wound. You can’t produce pilots properly without appropriate training, but the IAF’s fleet of 114 locally-designed HPT-32 Deepak basic trainers has been grounded since August 2009, because they aren’t seen as reliable enough or safe enough to fly. Since then, equally aged HJT-16 Kiran jets are being used for both Stage-I and Stage-II fighter training. That yawning gap h…

Americas Sikorsky won a $429.2 million deal from the US Army for maintenance and overhaul of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 28, 2027. Raytheon won a $57.9 million contract modification to exercise options and incrementally fund existing contract line items for fiscal 2022 Standard Missile-2 Block IIIC low rate initial production and spares. The SM-2 missile is a surface-to-air missile primarily intended for fleet area air defence and ship self-defense. Work will take place in Alabama and Arizona. Expected completi…

Americas General Dynamics won a $122.8 million contract modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia Class submarines. This contract modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the modification to $164,071,626. Work will take place in the continental US. Expected completion will be by August 2025. Raytheon Intelligence and Space won a $12.1 million deal or non-personal and non-commercial services for operations and maintenance services of the Cobra King radar system. Work will be performed at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; and various overseas locations on board the US Nav…

Americas Raytheon has clinched a $323-million contract to produce tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) 2B top-attack missiles for the US Army. The weapons will reportedly be used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification, and anti-amphibious landing missions. They will be employed on various military armored platforms, including the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled, Stryker, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The Brazilian […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $54,5 million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering and associated materials in support of power thermal management system controller and gun lube diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages redesign effort in support of F-35 Joint Strike […]View the full article

Americas BAE Systems has entered into a teaming agreement with Norway’s Kongsberg to introduce the Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) to the US military. The ICS is designed to significantly improve the battlefield situational awareness of combat vehicles, thereby increasing the survivability of soldiers on board. It allows the crew to share target information, slew-to-cue commands, and video streams of the surroundings to streamline threat response and decision-making. August Schell Enterprises won a $29 million deal, which procures tool requirements to include software licenses and commercial software applications to construct secure and reliable IT systems to facilitate …

Americas Raytheon won a $18 million deal that provides non-recurring engineering in support of providing a comprehensive and cost-effective redesign of the Tomahawk Fin Controller Electronics Unit Circuit Card Assemblies, as well as addressing parts obsolescence for the Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be completed in August 2028. This order was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman won an $8.3 million deal for the procurement of 50 rudders in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option period. All work will be performed in El Segundo,…

Iran on Monday warned that a new war with Israel could erupt at any moment, raising concerns of a fresh escalation after a deadly 12-day confrontation in June. Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stressed the need for full preparedness. “A new war with Israel may break out at […] The post Iran restructures forces after June defeat first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea has launched its second King Jeongjo-class Aegis-equipped destroyer, the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (DDG-996). The warship was floated out at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan on September 17, according to footage provided by Yonhap TV and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. It is the second unit of the 8,200-ton King Jeongjo-class destroyers—South […] The post South Korea launches new missile-defense warship first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Soldiers from the 127th Military Police Company are deploying the Black Hornet 4 micro-drone system to enhance surveillance and threat detection along the U.S. southern border, providing real-time intelligence to support security operations. According to the U.S. Army, Soldiers are leveraging miniature unmanned aerial vehicles to improve monitoring of remote areas, helping to identify […] The post U.S. Army uses micro-drones for border surveillance first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Embraer announced a new operational concept for its A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, expanding its mission portfolio to include counter-drone operations designed to address evolving battlefield threats. According to a press release from Embraer, the A-29’s new configuration integrates sensors, data links, and precision weapons to detect, track, and destroy unmanned aerial systems (UAS) effectively and […]View the full article