Raw Intel

Elbit Systems Ltd. has secured new contracts worth approximately $210 million from the Israel Ministry of Defense to modernize the Israeli Army’s fleet of Merkava main battle tanks. The company announced the multi-year agreement on November 18, stating that the upgrades will extend the operational life of the armored platforms and improve their battlefield effectiveness. […]View the full article

UAE-based EDGE and Spain’s EM&E Group have signed a technology transfer contract that will allow the FEROX 6×6 armored vehicle to be manufactured in Spain. According to a statement dated December 19, 2025, the agreement is structured between EM&E Group and EDGE entity NIMR, a producer of wheeled military vehicles. Under the contract, EM&E Group […]View the full article

At the MILIPOL defense exhibition, KNDS France Robotics introduced a new payload that connects its NERVA-LG ground robot to the broader ecosystem of FPV aerial drones, allowing joint deployment, video integration, and enhanced target identification using AI. KNDS France Robotics has presented a new payload system that allows its NERVA-LG unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to […]View the full article

Russia has lost another Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter, with reports indicating that both crew members were killed in the crash. The incident, which occurred on October 27, was first reported by Militarnyi after analyzing multiple statements from pro-Kremlin military bloggers and unofficial Russian defense channels. Early in the morning, Russian Telegram channels began posting reports […] The post Russia loses another Ka-52 attack helicopter first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The 11th Airborne Division has completed a first-of-its-kind electromagnetic warfare and counter-unmanned aerial system training event in Alaska, bringing together EW Soldiers, UAS operators and industry vendors to test new technology in one of the most demanding environments in the United States. The two-week exercise took place at the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) […]View the full article

First of all, as we do, let’s go to the chart room to look at one of the most geographically perfect places on this planet to have shipyards and naval bases: San Francisco Bay. As our nation faces again a challenge in the Pacific that necessitates an increased basing requirement on our West Coast, it is only natural we would look first at where nature provided us such a blessing. From top to bottom, San Francisco Bay used to be covered thickly with naval bases, shipyards and everything else you would expect from a world dominating naval power. However due to a political climate hostile to both the military and industry, grasping developers, and the domination of green-eye…

New satellite imagery reviewed on November 2 shows a notable concentration of U.S. military aircraft at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, suggesting an elevated operational posture in the southern Caribbean. The imagery and analysis were shared by defense observer MT Anderson, who stated that the airfield “remains the primary staging point […]View the full article

Everyone and every institution has a role to play at a particular time and place. Sometimes it serves as an example to follow; at other times, as a warning to others. Virginia in general, and the Virginia Military Institution (VMI) specifically, are in 2026 firmly in the latter category. For over 20 years we have come back to many Thursdays for DivThu. In times when the forces of sectarianism and division were on the march almost unopposed, and then it times like we have seen since 2022—starting in the courts—where the final pushback arrived with reinforcements. The last year, especially on the military side of the house, we have gone from hope to joy as so much positive …

China has formally commissioned its first aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult launch system, the Fujian, during a ceremony held at a naval base in Sanya, Hainan. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, State President, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping presided over the commissioning and presented the unit […]View the full article

Detailed 3D renders of Russia’s long-abandoned experimental T-95 main battle tank project—also known as “Object 195”—have surfaced online, offering an unprecedented look at the advanced design once pursued by the Russian military-industrial complex. The renders were created by 3D artist Gustiiz3D using an original set of technical blueprints that recently appeared on Western platforms. According […]View the full article

South Korea has finalized a new production contract for its K600 Rhino obstacle-clearing combat engineering tank, marking the first time the vehicle will be supplied directly to frontline Army units and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. According to an announcement carried by Yonhap News, Hyundai Rotem said on December 9 that it signed a […]View the full article

One of my favorite “skunk at the picnic” phrases when people talk about this “war winning” idea/system/technology or —with an claim bordering on the delusional—that only we have it or will ever have it, is simply to say: you can’t classify math Now, that isn’t quite true. Let’s see, how can I put this…umm…errr…OK. I’ll try. Let’s say you have an exceptionally gifted person or lab that accidentally—or through plain smart, hard work—wanders into a previously unknown/overlooked/misunderstood side-eddy of physics or math that gives you an almost unimaginable advantage over even your most challenging adversaries. The ability to see through rocks…to smell cheese from a continen…

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has commenced production of the Finnish Navy’s third multi-purpose corvette under the Squadron 2020 program. The milestone was marked on August 26 with a traditional steel cutting ceremony at the Rauma shipyard. With this step, three of the four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes are now in production. RMC said the progress demonstrates both […] The post RMC starts building third multi-role corvette first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

There is nothing personal here in the use of Admiral Cooper’s picture or in Kimo Fanell’s article over at American Greatness, Restoring America’s Warfighting Ethos: Too Many Ribbons… Clean Up America’s Military Awards Program. It is just an opportunity to point out again a problem that a lot of us continue to hope for action on: the obscene bloat of awards, badges, and pins. The Navy isn’t even the worst offender. The admiral’s appearance, while lawful and within standards, does raise the issue of the Pentagon’s awards system, where America’s senior military officers are able to obtain, let alone wear, that many rows of ribbons, awards, decorations, and badges—the latter…

I mentioned this on the paid-subscriber-only UNCLAS Read Board Podcast earlier this week, but I wanted to bring it up for everyone in a different kind of FbF. I can’t stop thinking about this letter from the Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll. It is one of the best things I have read from a civilian or uniformed leader in a very long time. It is worth a bit of your time as we head into the weekend, and approach the holiday season. One of the most difficult things for a man is to accept that he needs help. It can be one of the hardest things to do, so to do it and save yourself and prevent a tragedy to those around you who care is, in itself, fullbore. Share Leave a comme…

Hyundai Rotem is in active discussions to export its K2 main battle tank to multiple countries beyond Poland, according to a report published on January 22 by South Korean brokerage Kiwoom In a research note, Kiwoom Securities analyst Lee Han-gyeol wrote that Hyundai Rotem is holding export talks with Iraq, Peru, Romania, and Saudi Arabia […]View the full article

Residents in western Belarus have reported sudden reserve call-ups and rapid deployment orders near the country’s border with NATO member states, according to statements from opposition officials and local accounts published Feb. 2026, raising attention over what critics describe as an undeclared mobilization effort. Reports from the regions of Grodno, Slonim, and the village of […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force’s long-serving T-1A Jayhawk training aircraft completed its final operational flight on July 28, departing from Naval Air Station Pensacola and arriving at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The aircraft’s destination was the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), where it will be used for parts reclamation to support other […] The post U.S. Air Force retires T-1A Jayhawk training aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

United States and Bahraini forces conducted a live-fire counter-drone exercise in Bahrain on January 26, 2026, during which a U.S. mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle fired a Mobile-Low, Slow, Small-Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) interceptor at a fixed-wing aerial target, U.S. Central Command reported. The training event took place inside the U.S. Central Command […]View the full article

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has released new details on an advanced uncrewed aircraft research program designed to enable future drones to operate alongside manned combat aircraft. The update comes after ATLA published footage on Nov. 21 showing flight tests involving an experimental uncrewed aircraft and a manned helicopter. According to ATLA’s Aeronautical […]View the full article