Raw Intel

Russian forces have used a newly developed guided aerial bomb for the first time in a strike against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack, carried out by a Su-34 bomber, hit civilian targets in the city of Kharkiv with two UMPB-5 precision-guided munitions fired from approximately 100 kilometers away. The strike, launched from near […] The post Russia tests new bomb in strike on Ukrainian city first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Elbit Systems announced on February 18, 2026, that it has secured contracts valued at approximately $277 million from an international customer for the supply of 30 mm turrets and associated munitions, marking a new export order for the company’s land combat systems portfolio. According to a company statement, the contracts will be executed over a […]View the full article

Ukrainian military intelligence has taken delivery of a U.S.-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, purchased through a nationwide crowdfunding campaign organized in the Czech Republic. The handover marks the culmination of a year-long effort led by the volunteer initiative Dárek pro Putina (“A Gift for Putin”), which raised more than 72.6 million Czech crowns—about $3.2 million—from […] The post Czech volunteers buy Black Hawk for Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on February 21, 2026, beginning a scheduled major overhaul intended to extend the submarine’s operational life and upgrade its combat capabilities. The nuclear-powered submarine, crewed by more than 120 Sailors, will undergo extensive modernization work designed to prepare […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a new contract worth up to $100 million to provide long-term support for the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) Subsystem, a key component in the service’s effort to field new strike capabilities against defended targets. According to the contract announcement, the award is a ceiling $100,000,000 cost-reimbursement, […]View the full article

The United Kingdom and Germany have signed a £52 million ($70 million) contract to jointly procure a new mobile artillery system capable of firing while on the move, the two governments confirmed this week. Under the agreement, the UK will receive one Early Capability Demonstrator (ECD) of the RCH 155 artillery system, while Germany will […]View the full article

Thank goodness for the internet archive via Way Back Machine. The links to fleetsubmarine.com are dead today, but viw WBM, we can still get them. As such, I’m going to repost this little FbF just so everyone can get what used to be. So, like WWII submarines? This fits for a very good find from reader Steve - it’s all so Fullbore, I can’t pick just one. All the submarine reports Historic Naval Ship Association from S-11 to USS Diablo. At the end of each war patrol of WW II, submarine commanders created a report on the patrol. These reports were used as the raw material to inform intelligence, improve tactics, evaluate commanders, etc. During WW II, over 1,550 patrol rep…

The Pakistan Army has formally inducted its first batch of Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopters during a ceremony held at the Multan Army Aviation Base. Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir oversaw the ceremony and personally inspected one of the newly delivered helicopters. During the event, he was seen warmly greeting Chinese personnel involved […] The post Pakistan inducts Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopters first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Sometime, hundreds of thousands of years ago during the Early or Middle Paleolithic Era in a coastal area, lake, or river system, our primitive ancestors discovered the use of a dugout canoe to fish and transport what they could hunt or gather from the surrounding forest. At some point, they discovered that another band of humans were harvesting from their best fig tree and were fishing from their river. They were barely holding on as it was; they could not afford to let others come in and take one of their most reliable food sources. Two of the younger men found out where the outsiders were camped. It was half a day upriver, but impossible to get to by land. So, a wis…

Amid ongoing instability in Europe and the war in Ukraine, naval forces from the United States, Germany, and Norway conducted joint anti-submarine warfare drills in the Barents Sea, an area marked by increased Russian undersea activity. According to the Royal Norwegian Navy, the frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F314) joined the German Navy Sachsen-class frigate FGS […] The post NATO warships hunt Russian subs in Arctic first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s defense sector is facing an escalating brain drain crisis as skilled engineers and technologists leave the country amid the ongoing war with Russia. Despite a surge in military contracts and state-backed production expansion, companies say they are struggling to replace experienced specialists lost to emigration, mobilization, and security threats. Several Ukrainian defense manufacturers told […]View the full article

As I said on Monday, I can argue both sides of the battleship debate. I think it is time to flesh that out a bit. If you didn’t read Monday’s post linked above, follow the link and catch up. I’ll reference a few items there that I don’t think I need to repeat here. Additionally, this post is really a follow-up to the earlier one, or at least that is my intention at the start. At the moment, I’m going to do my best to put my emotions and biases I outlined Monday to the side for a bit, and look at it with as cold of an eye as I can. If you are really on team battleship, there are some critical vulnerabilities from the start that you need to accept. The Trump Class: this is …

The United States Navy said early Friday that it has sunk more than 30 Iranian naval vessels since the beginning of its ongoing maritime campaign against Iran’s fleet. U.S. officials also confirmed that a large Iranian drone carrier operating at sea was struck late Thursday and left burning following the attack. The announcement comes as […]View the full article

Taiwan’s military has unveiled what appears to be a mobile missile launcher disguised as a civilian delivery truck—part of what analysts say may be a growing fleet of improvised yet highly capable coastal defense systems aimed at deterring a potential amphibious assault by China. Footage recently released by Taiwanese defense forces shows a standard-looking commercial […] The post Taiwan hides Hellfire launcher in civilian truck 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…

Russian forces have begun fielding an upgraded version of the Lancet loitering one-way attack drone, according to Ukrainian military sources and experts. The enhanced drone is reportedly striking targets at longer distances and proving more difficult to counter using existing electronic warfare systems. The Lancet, identifiable by its distinctive cross-wing design, has been a fixture on the […] The post Ukrainian frontlines face deadlier Lancet drone variant first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Rolls-Royce has begun testing its AE 1107F engines to support delivery of prototypes for the U.S. Army’s MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the company said. According to a company statement, the AE 1107 engine test campaign is intended to support prototype aircraft for the MV-75 FLRAA, a next-generation platform designed to provide greater […]View the full article

I am sure that most navalists have had a moment or two in the last few months where they’ve wanted to shuffle down to the basement to get their ready sackcloth and ashes and roll in the doom. The news can lead you that way. Let’s check in with Paul Berger at WSJ; In the first major speech to Congress of his second term, President Trump vowed to resurrect American shipbuilding. Four months later, Trump’s ambitious plans to reverse decades of maritime-industry decline are sputtering. Are they? Maybe sputtering or trying to find their footing in the chaos. It’s the first few months of an administration dealing with a low-boil naval conflict in the Red Sea, year two of the wa…

The Argentine Army has taken delivery of its first batch of U.S.-made Stryker 8×8 infantry carrier vehicles. The vehicles arrived this week at the Port of Zárate in Buenos Aires Province, where they were unloaded and transferred to Army personnel for inspection and processing. According to information released on Tuesday, the arrival of the Stryker […]View the full article

The Australian Army is moving closer to fielding its new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, with the first four units currently in final assembly at Boeing’s production facility in Mesa, Arizona. The helicopters are part of a broader acquisition program that will see 29 Apaches delivered to Australia, replacing the Army’s aging fleet of Eurocopter Tiger […] The post Australia prepares to receive first Apache gunships first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article