Raw Intel

Taiwan’s military has formally inducted its first unit of U.S.-made Abrams M1A2T tanks, a move that underscores the island’s effort to modernize its armed forces in the face of growing pressure from China. President Lai Ching-te presided over a commissioning ceremony on Friday at the Hukou military base in Hsinchu County. The event marked the […]View the full article

X-Bow Systems, a U.S.-based defense technology company specializing in advanced manufactured solid rocket motors, announced an agreement with Astris AI, a Lockheed Martin company, to integrate secure artificial intelligence into its core manufacturing operations. The collaboration makes X-Bow the first defense contractor to adopt the Astris AI Factory platform. The agreement, disclosed by both companies […]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…

American Rheinmetall has been awarded an $31 million contract to develop and demonstrate a forward-deployed maintenance and repair capability for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, supporting both the U.S. Army and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The contract, issued by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, Inc. (NCMS), will fund an 18-month program aimed at closing […]View the full article

Ukrainian Armor, a domestic defense manufacturer, has begun licensed production of 105mm and 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine with technical support from Czech-based defense group Czechoslovak Group (CSG), according to a report by Militarnyi. The initiative, carried out under a formal licensing agreement signed in October 2024, provides Ukraine with access to production rights, manufacturing […]View the full article

Solus Power has secured a new contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to develop a ruggedized portable power system intended to enhance energy resilience across land, air, and maritime operations. According to a press release from Solus Power, the company has been awarded funding through the Defence and Security Accelerator’s (DASA) themed competition, […]View the full article

The Russian military has ordered two battalions of the new Sarma mobile precision-guided multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), according to leaked procurement documents obtained by Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi. The 300mm Sarma, developed by Motovilikha Plants and mounted on a KamAZ-63501 8×8 chassis, was officially unveiled earlier this year as part of Russia’s effort to […]View the full article

Skydweller Aero and Nokia Federal Solutions have announced they were selected by the U.S. Navy for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to demonstrate an airborne 5G communication hub capable of supporting military operations in denied or infrastructure-limited environments. According to a joint announcement issued October 29, the initiative—officially titled “Intelligent Radio Access Network […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment recently completed a series of tactical evaluations using the Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system during Transformation in Contact (TiC) 2.0 exercises held at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu. According to Global Military Products, which manufactures the Scorpion Light system, the trials were designed to […]View the full article

Ram Professional has announced a new collaboration with Canadian defense manufacturer Roshel to build an updated variant of the Senator armored vehicle using the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab platform. In a statement, the company said, “With the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab’s outstanding payload capacity and exceptional durability, it’s no wonder the military defense vehicle company, […]View the full article

Russian defense firm Gumich RTK has introduced its new robotic air defense system, the Impulse-PVO, at the Interpolitex 2025 international exhibition in Moscow. The system, designed to engage low-flying reconnaissance drones using kinetic interceptors, is presented as a mobile, unmanned response to evolving aerial threats. Impulse-PVO is equipped with eight “interceptor drone” projectiles, each weighing […]View the full article

Russian engineers have developed a remotely operated assault bridge system called Impulse-M, presented as one of the first robotic bridge-laying platforms intended to speed river and ravine crossings without exposing engineers to frontline risk. The vehicle, built on the NRTK “Impulse” chassis, is designed to emplace a six-metre bridge and has a reported full mass […]View the full article

French technology company MERIO has announced the development of a new unmanned system designed to guide precision weapons using a laser beam, a capability aimed at improving strike accuracy while keeping human operators safely out of harm’s way. The system enables a drone to “illuminate” or mark targets with a laser designator, allowing heavier strike […]View the full article

Textron Aviation Defense has announced plans to assemble the Beechcraft M-346N jet trainer at its Wichita, Kansas facility if the company is selected for the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) program. According to a company statement, Textron Aviation Defense will invest more than $38 million to modernize over 50,000 square feet of existing […]View the full article

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has raised concerns over the delayed delivery of 66 F-16V Block 70 fighter jets purchased from the United States, saying it may retain part of the project budget and demand compensation for what it calls “improper gains” resulting from the delay. At a Legislative Yuan session on October 28, Deputy […]View the full article

Polish Air Force fighter jets intercepted and escorted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on October 28, the Operational Command of the Armed Forces said in an official release. The incident involved a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane flying without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off, prompting a rapid response […]View the full article

Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has suggested that Tokyo may move toward easing restrictions on the export of defense equipment to nations involved in armed conflicts, signaling a potential policy shift in the country’s long-standing arms transfer framework. Speaking on October 27 during a YouTube program titled “Sokomade Kikitai!!” hosted by Osamu Sorimachi, Koizumi said, […]View the full article

We talked a bit about the national dysfunction that is our shipbuilding in the USA a bit on the last Midrats Podcast, and the amazing reality of how much we need South Korea’s expertise in an area we once were the world standard. Demonstrating the strong pace of collaboration, in early October, the two companies agreed to jointly pursue the U.S. Navy’s next-generation logistics ship (NGLS) design contract. Leveraging HII’s complex shipbuilding experience and HHI’s expertise with proven designs in use with the Royal New Zealand and South Korean navies, the two companies will team to respond to the U.S. Navy’s recent request for proposal (RFP) for the concept design phase o…

Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that it scrambled fighter jets after detecting a Russian military aircraft flying over the Sea of Japan on October 25. The flight, carried out by an IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft, prompted a rapid response from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force amid ongoing monitoring of foreign military activity near Japanese waters. According […]View the full article

South Korea has begun full-scale production of domestically developed 76mm armor-piercing high-explosive (APHE) shells designed to penetrate and destroy enemy warships from within, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held a kick-off meeting on October 28 at the Pungsan Technology Research Institute in Daejeon to mark the start […]View the full article