Raw Intel

Two German defense companies just proved a submarine can fire a scout instead of a torpedo, completing sea trials of an uncrewed boat small enough to launch from a standard torpedo tube and surface on its own to spy on an enemy without ever putting the submarine itself at risk. GABLER, a German firm known […]View the full article

Quit? That is what other people do. I wonder how well he is known in his own nation. It really doesn’t matter, I think. Anyone who has worn the uniform should be able to look to this officer and simply say, “stud.” Naval aviator and all.. Via TheDailyMail; Japan declared war on Germany and (Oberleutnant Gunther) Pluschow flew in a single-seat Rumpler Taube plane to neutral China while under heavy fire from the Royal Navy. He obtained a false passport in the name of E.F McGarvin and boarded the SS Mongolia which left Shanghai to San Francisco on December 5, 1914. He travelled across neutral America and obtained another false passport that proclaimed him to be Swiss natio…

Americas Sikorsky won a $550.4 million modification, which is for Lot IV low rate initial production and delivery of six CH-53K aircraft and associated aircraft, programmatic and logistics support, rate tooling and physical configuration audits. The CH-53K Super Stallion can be fielded from amphibious assault ships for the transportation of personnel and equipment. The aircraft can be operated from austere and remote forward operating bases. It is Marine Corps’ heavy-lift replacement for the CH-53E Super Stallion. Designed to lift nearly 14 tons at a mission radius of 110 nautical miles, in Navy high/hot environments, the CH-53K is designed to lift triple the baseline CH-…

I love our Navy, as I know almost everyone here does. As such, I try as hard as I can to be optimistic - not by experience - but by hope. We were granted by previous generations an advantage at sea not seen since the Royal Navy after the final fall of Napoleon. All today's leaders had to do was not screw it up. Since the victory in the Cold War - it was a victory - we seemed to have lost our way. Just look at the series of new major surface combatant failures of the last quarter century. Officially and unofficially, we've tried to admit our mistakes - we've even had "blue ribbon" commissions and reports outlining them and calling for corrections. It is one thing to ad…

Before: M109 & M992 (click to view full) The USA’s 155mm M109 self-propelled howitzers (SPH) were first introduced in 1962, as a form of armored mobile artillery that could stand up to the massed fire tactics of Soviet heavy artillery and rockets. They and their companion M992 Armored Ammunition Resupply Vehicles (AARV) have been rebuilt and upgraded several times, most recently via the M109A6 Paladin upgrade. In the meantime, the Army has re-learned a few home truths. Artillery arrives in seconds rather than minutes or hours, is never unavailable due to bad weather, and cheaply delivers a volume of explosive destruction that would otherwise require hundreds of mil…

Americas Lockheed Martin Missiles won a $101.3 million contract modification for procurement of Hellfire missiles and containers. Hellfire is an air-to-ground, laser guided, subsonic missile with significant anti-tank capacity. It can also be used as an air-to-air weapon against helicopters or slow-moving fixed-wing aircraft. It has also been fielded on surface platforms in the surface-to-surface and surface-to-air roles. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2024. Northrop Grumman won a $28.7 million contract modification, which provides for the procurement of one additional G/ATOR system for the Air Force. The G/ATOR program is man…

For obvious reasons, the navalists amongst us (guilty) have an ear out for Odessa. Not only is it the last significant port on the Black Sea under the control of Ukraine, it has a history from the dawn of time as the key to any conflict in this area. The Russians must take it during this campaign. As such, this got my attention today; The Ukrainian military is reporting Russian warships in the Black Sea are shelling villages near the coast close to the nearby port city of Odesa. These attacks specifically targeted the settlements of Lebedivka, Sanzheika, Zatoka, and Bilenke, according to a Wednesday Facebook post from Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces. These vi…

Americas Lockheed Martin has received a US Army contract to develop a future precision strike missile to strike targets more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away. Called the Long-Range Maneuverable Fires missile, the program will become the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) increment 4, being fired from existing army launchers to defeat distant threats. According to […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $81.3 million modification to exercise options for Littoral Combat Ship class design support and integrated data and product model environment support. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia; Washington, DC; Marinette, Wisconsin; and Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by August 2024. The F-15EX Integrated Test […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $21 million modification, which exercises an option to provide maintenance and sustainment operations of the Australia, Canada and United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory facilities and systems for the F-35 A/B aircraft program. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed in April 2025. […]View the full article

Americas General Electric Aviation won a $77. 5 million deal for repair; and 220 spare components for the stores management system, stores management upgrade, and converter signal control components for the F/A-18, AV-8B, and H1 aircrafts. This contract includes a five-year base with no options. All work will be performed in Clearwater, Florida, and work is expected to be completed by October 2029. Funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Individual delivery orders will be subsequently funded with appropriate appropriations at the time of their issuance. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activit…

Americas Boeing won a $12.1 million delivery order for the KC46 commercial common depot level repairables strategic repair contract. The performance completion date is April 6, 2026. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 through 2026 Air Force working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The US Marine Corps has received its final MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems at the Grey Butte Field Airport in California. Its delivery marks the conclusion of the corps’ three-year acquisition campaign, one of defense’s efforts t…

The U.S. Navy has completed a two-week experiment in Alpena, Michigan, testing uncrewed aerial systems and unmanned surface vessels during Silent Swarm 25, an exercise that focused on swarming electronic warfare tactics and the use of autonomous platforms in future conflicts. According to the Navy, last month, participants used Silent Swarm to “experiment with emerging […] The post U.S. Navy tests fiber-optic drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia has unveiled its newest multiple launch rocket system, the Sarma, a 300mm heavy launcher mounted on the KamAZ-63501 armored chassis. The system was displayed by the Motovilikha Plants during a recent visit by Vladimir Putin. According to information released at the event, the Sarma MLRS was developed as an evolution of the earlier KAMA […] The post Russia unveils new heavy rocket launcher first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has unveiled its latest unmanned weapon platform, the “Ragnarök” Low-Cost Cruise Missile (LCCM), engineered for high-volume, precision strike operations at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems. The system is designed to meet emerging demands for affordable, long-range firepower in contested environments. According to the company, Ragnarök delivers a […] The post Kratos unveils cruise missile for $150,000 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

United States Marine Corps aviation units are preparing for combat sorties in the Caribbean as part of ongoing missions directed by U.S. Southern Command and the Department of War. New footage released by the Marine Corps shows F-35B Lightning II aircraft being armed in Puerto Rico as U.S. forces continue efforts to disrupt illicit trafficking […]View the full article

United States Forces Korea have recovered an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft that went down off South Korea’s west coast last month. According to U.S. Forces Korea, the U.S. Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing successfully located and recovered the MQ-9 Reaper from waters near Maldo Island, off the coast of Gunsan, following the Nov. 24 incident. […]View the full article

A United States Air Force MH-139 Grey Wolf executed its first operational mission on January 8 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, flying alongside convoys from the 341st Missile Security Operations Squadron. The Air Force said the event marks the new aircraft’s initial integration into day-to-day nuclear security operations supporting the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile […]View the full article

Rotron, a UK-based advanced defense technology company, has entered into a strategic agreement under which it will be acquired by Ondas, a move the company says will accelerate its global growth as a provider of long-range autonomous defense systems. The agreement positions Rotron to expand its reach across UK, NATO and allied markets while integrating […]View the full article

A Latvian defense company has presented its UNHUMAN unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) during the Griffin Tech Days 2026 exercises hosted by Finnish Special Forces at the Rovajärvi Training Area in northern Finland. The robotic vehicle was demonstrated in genuine Arctic conditions northeast of Rovaniemi, where temperatures dropped to –27°C. The UNHUMAN UGV, developed by Latvia-based […]View the full article