Raw Intel

Italian Eurofighters (click to view full) The multi-national Eurofighter Typhoon has been described as the aerodynamic apotheosis of lessons learned from the twin engine “teen series” fighters that began with the F-14 and F-15, continued with the emergence of the F/A-18 Hornet, and extended through to the most recent F/A-18 Super Hornet variants. Aerodynamically, it’s a half generation ahead of all of these examples, and planned evolutions will place the Eurofighter near or beyond parity in electronic systems and weapons. The 1998 production agreement among its 4 member countries involved 620 aircraft, built with progressively improved capabilities over 3 contract “tra…

Plucky Sweden, a nation 32 times smaller than the USA, produces some exceptional weapons - mostly on her own. Looks like they are going to leverage Visby ... and I'm a bit jealous. I'm seething over at USNIBlog. Come on by, pull up an Ikea chair, and push some meatballs and herring around the plate with me. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=vn7n4BE7_bc:ecrD24J42j0:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=vn7n4BE7_bc:ecrD24J42j0:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=vn7n4BE7_bc:ecrD24J42j0:V_sGLi…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $25.8 million deal, which provides non-recurring engineering for the development, integration, testing, and deployment of the MH-60 Product Line System Configuration 24 fleet release for all MH-60 air platform variants, to include baseline management integrated management planning, integrated development environment support, support equipment baseline management, software architect, core lab support, problem trouble report legacy support, engineering tools support, and development aircraft support for the Navy and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The MH-60R Seahawk missions are Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Surveillanc…

What is this jewel? The future is often just an updated past. Drop on by USNIBlog and see some of the smart things going on in WESTPAC. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=L57jkdTmt18:yIIMLqwzEw0:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=L57jkdTmt18:yIIMLqwzEw0:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=L57jkdTmt18:yIIMLqwzEw0:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=L57jkdTmt18:yIIMLqwzEw0:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

Americas Austal won a $12.3 million contract modification to exercise an option for littoral combat ship (LCS) industrial post-delivery availability support for USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32). The USS Santa Barbara is the US Navy’s 16th Independence littoral combat ship (LCS) variant. The LCS programme will see the construction of the vessels in the Freedom-class and the Independence-class variants. Work will take place in Alabama and Massachusetts. Expected completion will be by December 2022. A joint exercise between the air forces of Pakistan and the United States was concluded recently. F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base participate in the exercise which started on February …

Often we refer to WWII as being "....on the edge of living memory." We are reaching the point where we may need to start saying, "...just outside living memory." We reached an inflection point at the end of June; Medal of Honor Recipient and World War II Veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams, 98 has died on Wednesday. Williams was born on Oct. 2, 1923, and grew up in Quiet Dell in Marion County, West Virginia. Williams was the last living WWII Medal of Honor recipient. He joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Battle of Iwo Jima with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division. Williams received the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1945, from President Harry S. Truman f…

Americas The US Air Force’s Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has taken the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept one step further by having the MQ-9 operate in a simulated base situated behind enemy lines. Field 6 at Eglin Air Force Base was used for the simulation. A team of airmen secured Field 6 after arriving on board an MC-130J and cleared it for the MQ-9 to land and take off. The flight operations of the MQ-9 were carried out using Satellite Communications Launch and Recovery so that no Launch and Recovery Element was required at the site. “We did this by using a small team, landing at a simulated forward operating base, refueling and continuing to fly the mission…

Americas The US will accelerate the time it takes to ship Abrams tanks to Ukraine by sending older M1-A1 models of America’s main battle tank instead of the more modern version of the tank, according to two US officials. The switch will allow the tanks to arrive as early as fall of this year, one […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $606.8 modification, which procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts in support of maintaining on-time production and delivery of 173, Lot 19, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; […]View the full article

Americas Northrop Grumman unveiled a turbojet-powered precision strike missile last week. The multi-purpose Jackal missile can accommodate both lethal and nonlethal payloads for a range of functions such as electronic warfare and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). It combines range, speed, endurance, precision, and payload capability, enabling extended duration ISR missions to gather critical information before launching a lethal strike. Defense News reports, that the Brazilian Army announced its decision to buy howitzers from Israel’s Elbit Systems, the project remains suspended over Brazilian President Inazio “Lula” da Silva’s criticism of Israel’s ac…

Americas Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $214-million contract for the continued upgrade of M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) into the latest A2 configuration. Work will take place in Texas and Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of December 30, 2030. Apart from the US Army, the upgrade has been funded by the UK, Finland, and Italy. The US Army wants to upgrade 225 existing M270A1 and 160 decommissioned M270A0 launchers to the A2 standard, extending their service life for another 30 years. Dragoon Technology has selected Teledyne FLIR OEM’s Prism Supervisor and Prism SKR software for its long-range unmanned platform prototypes. The software will suppor…

Hypersonic missiles are forcing a rethink of global air defense, and Israel is urging South Korea to join the next phase of technological development. Yuval Baseski, Vice President of Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, told the South Korean outlet Maeil Business Newspaper that both North Korea and Iran are investing heavily in hypersonic missile programs. […] The post Israel pushes Korea to join hypersonic defense development first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China unexpectedly canceled the public debut of its latest stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle during a high-profile military parade on September 3. The drone, which closely resembles the U.S.-made XQ-58A Valkyrie, was visible during rehearsal footage but was ultimately pulled from the final event. Defense analyst Andreas Rupprecht shared an image of the platform on […] The post China pulls stealth drone from parade at last minute first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

L3Harris Technologies has showcased an upgraded version of its “Diamondback” unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) at the 2025 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., presenting a next-generation platform for autonomous reconnaissance and security missions. According to the company, the new Diamondback is “a rapidly configurable and highly mobile autonomous ground […] The post L3Harris shows improved robotic recon vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Airbus Defence and Space has successfully carried out the first flight of Spain’s new C295 Search and Rescue (SAR) aircraft, marking a major step in the country’s fleet modernization effort. According to Airbus Defence, the aircraft took off from Seville, Spain, where the company assembles its C295 family. This inaugural flight focused on verifying flight […]View the full article

A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress has completed a ferry flight to Edwards Air Force Base, California, following installation of a new radar as part of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, the Air Force announced. According to a release from Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, the aircraft flew from Boeing’s facility in […]View the full article

Denver-based AZAK is positioning itself at the center of a shift in unmanned ground mobility with a chassis-free vehicle built around an autonomous wheel system rather than a traditional frame. In place of axles, drivetrains, and a fixed body, the company designed each wheel as a self-contained power unit that houses the motor, battery, and […]View the full article

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a preliminary industry briefing on February 11 for the Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) program, formally launching the contractor selection process for detailed design and construction of the lead ship. The event took place at DAPA’s bidding office and was organized ahead of a formal tender notice expected […]View the full article

The United States military has been observed transporting a detailed mockup of the Russian Buk-M3 air defense system in Alabama, according to images recently circulated online. The replica, mounted on a semi-trailer rather than a self-propelled chassis, appears to be a training asset used to simulate modern Russian surface-to-air missile systems during military exercises. Military […]View the full article

Firehawk has broken ground on its Great Plains Arsenal in Lawton, Oklahoma, opening the next phase of the company’s push to expand U.S. production of rocket motors and propellant. The ceremony took place on April 2, 2026, with company executives, investors, and Oklahoma officials attending what Firehawk described as a major step in scaling up […]View the full article