Raw Intel

A Ukrainian armored vehicle maker has built more than 600 BTR-4 troop carriers since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, working through repeated missile strikes on the country’s defense industry. The Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, known as KhKBM, disclosed the production figure to a Militarnyi correspondent at the MSPO defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland. The […]View the full article

Taiwan’s Air Force has received the first two of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets bought from the United States, after the aircraft landed at Chihhang Air Base in the eastern county of Taitung around noon on Oct. 2. The arrival comes about a month later than expected and roughly three years behind the […]View the full article

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters from Alaska are operating from Tsuiki Air Base on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu as part of Keen Sword 27, the largest iteration so far of the biennial U.S.-Japan military exercise. A photo released by the U.S. military shows an F-22 from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron parked […]View the full article

Americas General Dynamics won a $25.1 million contract modification for additional fiscal 2021 development studies and design efforts for Virginia Class submarines. The Virginia Class new attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations. The Virginia-Class submarines are being built by a partnership between Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division and General Dynamics Electric Boat. General Dynamics Electric Boat built the first of the class,Virginia (SSN 774), and Northrop Grumman Newport News the second,Texas (SSN 775). Work will take plac…

Americas General Dynamics won a $21.4 million contract modification to exercise options hours for Abrams Systems technical support. M1A1/2 Abrams main battle tank is manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The first M1 tank was produced in 1978, the M1A1 in 1985 and the M1A2 in 1986. Abrams M1A2 SEPV3 (System Enhanced Package) is a modernized configuration of the Abrams main battle tank (MBT) in service with the US Army. Work will take place in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022. General Atomics has tested its newly developed Self-Protection Pod (SPP) on the MQ-9 last year at the Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG). During the tes…

RIM-162: sections (click to view full) The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft, and is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. Compared to the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, ESSM is effectively a new missile with a larger, more powerful rocket motor for increased range, a different aerodynamic layout for improved agility, and the latest missile guidance technology. Testing has even shown the ESSM to be effective against fast surface craft, an option that greatly expands the missile’s utility. As a further bonus, the RIM-162 ESSM has the ability to be “quad-packed” in the Mk 41 vertical launc…

All together now… (click to view full) Britain’s practice of “contracting for availability” for key equipment, rather than paying for spare parts and maintenance hours, may be its most significant defense procurement reform. In a world where older air, sea, and ground vehicle fleets are growing maintenance demands beyond countries’ available budgets, it’s an approach whose success could have global significance. Across the pond, the USA is significantly behind in this area. Fortunately, they have not ignored the model entirely. Recent changes to the contracts covering their B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet demonstrate that some progress is being made, via a $9+ billion …

Americas Raytheon won a $13.6 million deal, which provides test, evaluation and systems engineering support, to include mission planning, test plans and procedures, mission conduct and data collection, real-time range safety mission support, mission data analyses and reporting, operations research support, and technical management support for the Missile Defense Agency/AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense Program. Work will take place in California, Hawaii, New Mexico. Expected completion date is in March 2026. A Mirage F1 from Airborne Tactical Advantage Company crashed near Luke Air Force Base on February 10 after having low fuel pressure, according to a preliminary report …

Americas Northrop Grumman has submitted a bid for the US Navy’s E-6B Mercury command, control, and communications aircraft replacement program. The US defense giant is offering its “weapons system integration and battle management leadership” for the E-6 recapitalization aircraft (E-XX) Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) program. The aircraft will be based on the C-130J platform. […]View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $12 million task order, which procures one wide band satellite communications Radome A-kit, to include installation; one platform integration kit, to include lower lobe structural and electrical (auxiliary bus 1 components) components; and one mission crew workstation floor structural modification in support of P-8 wideband satellite communications upgrades for the Navy. […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $109.3 million contract to support the integration of the Trident II (D5) Missile and reentry subsystems into the Common Missile Compartment for the US/UK Columbia/Dreadnought submarine construction programs. Work is expected to be complete by February 28, 2029. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin […]View the full article

Americas The US and Japan are set to begin a feasibility study to co-produce the American AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, known as AMRAAM. This follows an agreement made in late July at a “two-plus-two” meeting of foreign and defence ministers in Tokyo, where Japan and the United States agreed to explore “co-production opportunities” for both AMRAAMs and Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement. This decision, reported by Nikkei Asia, a prominent Asian business publication, stems from concerns over diminishing American stockpiles due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Anduril Industries has just raised the bar—and secured a quarter-billion dollar vote of co…

South Korea’s standing military has fallen to about 450,000 personnel, a sharp drop of more than 110,000 troops compared with 2019, according to newly disclosed government data. The figures, obtained from the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration by Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, highlight both […] The post Low birthrate shrinks South Korea’s Army first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

I think it is more than reasonable to be mad, frustrated, angry, or sad at this sad end, at least for now, to a story no one wants to hear. Via Salvador Rizzo over at WaPo. Retired Adm. Robert P. Burke, who was convicted of corruption offenses after a four-decade military career in which he rose to become the Navy’s second-highest-ranking officer, was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison, days after the trial of the tech executives who were accused of bribing him ended with a hung jury. Burke served as vice chief of naval operations from 2019 to 2020, overseeing personnel, training and education for the branch’s nearly 400,000 uniformed members. The Portage, Michigan,…

United States Forces Korea (USFK) has lodged a formal protest with the South Korean government over a search and seizure operation carried out at Osan Air Base in July by a special counsel team. The protest was submitted on October 3 by U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Iverson, USFK’s deputy commander and head of […] The post U.S. Forces protest raid on Osan Air Base first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Israeli-based Orbit Technologies Ltd. for $356.3 million in a transaction that the company says will be funded with existing cash on hand. Orbit is a supplier of satellite-based communication systems used across air, sea, undersea, land, and unmanned platforms, supporting […]View the full article

When a Marine Field Grade officer is holding a lung-dart on his official photo, you know you want to hear his story. So, what does the official USMC bio cover? Earl “Pete” Ellis was born on 19 December 1880 at Iuka, Kansas, and began his career in the United States Marine Corps in 1900 as a private. On 6 December 1901, he became a second lieutenant. Early in 1902, he left the United States, and arrived on 13 April at Cavite, Philippine Islands. In the years preceding World War I, Captain Ellis was sent out on special terrain study and intelligence service in the West Indies and at the Naval Station in Guam. Upon his return from Guam, he served as Aide-de-Camp to Major Gen…

China has overtaken Russia as the world’s second-largest operator of nuclear-powered submarines, according to an updated 2026 assessment. The new figures indicate that China fields an estimated 32 active nuclear submarines, surpassing Russia’s 25–28 operational boats. According to the updated force structure, China currently operates nine Type 093/093A Shang-class attack submarines, which form the core […]View the full article

I’ve about reached my limit on lazy, high-emotion/low-reason, or performative reporting from Europe on the NATO/U.S. relationship. If the EuroLeft/EU-uber-alles crowd was really concerned about keeping the relationship between the U.S. and European NATO as good as possible, they would be making an effort to bridge and salve over some of the tough-love comments coming out of DC. However, that is not what they are doing. No, they are seeing a gap, and are trying to pound a wedge into it. They see a spark, and look to throw a litre of petrol on it. I guess what galls me the most is that their actions are, in operation, producing exactly the opposite condition they will tell…

British radar manufacturer Blighter said on March 9 that it signed a contract to supply its ground surveillance radar systems and AI-assisted software to an undisclosed Eastern European army for border protection missions. The agreement will see the company deliver its B400 series ground surveillance radars together with the BlighterNexus AI-assisted software platform, which will […]View the full article