Raw Intel

In the last couple of years, as the phrase "Great Power Competition" has grown in use, more often than not people use it to mean "China and Russia" not together, but to imply that - at least at sea - they are both growing to challenge the USN. I'm sorry, but if the future is what you are building today, Russia does not fit that bill. That is my take over at USNIBlog. Come on by and give it a ponder with me. View the full article

Americas Alabama Shipyard LLC won a $19.7 million contract for a 76-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul/dry docking on USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1). USNS Lewis and Clark is an American dry cargo ship, the lead ship of her namesake class.The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego, California, on 18 October 2001 and her keel was laid down on April 22, 2004. Work will take place in Mobile, Alabama. Estimated completion date will be by May 24, 2021. The US Army is using 3D printing technology to produce N95 respirators, the chief of the Defense Department’s medical technology office said on January …

HPT-32 (click to view full) India’s stalled defense procurements have become an international joke, but they’re not funny to front-line participants. The country’s attempts to buy simple artillery pieces have become infamous, but their current problem with trainer aircraft is arguably a more significant wound. You can’t produce pilots properly without appropriate training, but the IAF’s fleet of 114 locally-designed HPT-32 Deepak basic trainers has been grounded since August 2009, because they aren’t seen as reliable enough or safe enough to fly. Since then, equally aged HJT-16 Kiran jets are being used for both Stage-I and Stage-II fighter training. That yawning gap h…

Americas Sikorsky won a $429.2 million deal from the US Army for maintenance and overhaul of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 28, 2027. Raytheon won a $57.9 million contract modification to exercise options and incrementally fund existing contract line items for fiscal 2022 Standard Missile-2 Block IIIC low rate initial production and spares. The SM-2 missile is a surface-to-air missile primarily intended for fleet area air defence and ship self-defense. Work will take place in Alabama and Arizona. Expected completi…

Americas General Dynamics won a $122.8 million contract modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia Class submarines. This contract modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the modification to $164,071,626. Work will take place in the continental US. Expected completion will be by August 2025. Raytheon Intelligence and Space won a $12.1 million deal or non-personal and non-commercial services for operations and maintenance services of the Cobra King radar system. Work will be performed at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; and various overseas locations on board the US Nav…

Americas Raytheon has clinched a $323-million contract to produce tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) 2B top-attack missiles for the US Army. The weapons will reportedly be used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification, and anti-amphibious landing missions. They will be employed on various military armored platforms, including the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled, Stryker, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The Brazilian […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $54,5 million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering and associated materials in support of power thermal management system controller and gun lube diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages redesign effort in support of F-35 Joint Strike […]View the full article

Americas BAE Systems has entered into a teaming agreement with Norway’s Kongsberg to introduce the Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) to the US military. The ICS is designed to significantly improve the battlefield situational awareness of combat vehicles, thereby increasing the survivability of soldiers on board. It allows the crew to share target information, slew-to-cue commands, and video streams of the surroundings to streamline threat response and decision-making. August Schell Enterprises won a $29 million deal, which procures tool requirements to include software licenses and commercial software applications to construct secure and reliable IT systems to facilitate …

Americas Raytheon won a $18 million deal that provides non-recurring engineering in support of providing a comprehensive and cost-effective redesign of the Tomahawk Fin Controller Electronics Unit Circuit Card Assemblies, as well as addressing parts obsolescence for the Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be completed in August 2028. This order was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman won an $8.3 million deal for the procurement of 50 rudders in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option period. All work will be performed in El Segundo,…

Iran on Monday warned that a new war with Israel could erupt at any moment, raising concerns of a fresh escalation after a deadly 12-day confrontation in June. Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stressed the need for full preparedness. “A new war with Israel may break out at […] The post Iran restructures forces after June defeat first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea has launched its second King Jeongjo-class Aegis-equipped destroyer, the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (DDG-996). The warship was floated out at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan on September 17, according to footage provided by Yonhap TV and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. It is the second unit of the 8,200-ton King Jeongjo-class destroyers—South […] The post South Korea launches new missile-defense warship first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Soldiers from the 127th Military Police Company are deploying the Black Hornet 4 micro-drone system to enhance surveillance and threat detection along the U.S. southern border, providing real-time intelligence to support security operations. According to the U.S. Army, Soldiers are leveraging miniature unmanned aerial vehicles to improve monitoring of remote areas, helping to identify […] The post U.S. Army uses micro-drones for border surveillance first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Embraer announced a new operational concept for its A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, expanding its mission portfolio to include counter-drone operations designed to address evolving battlefield threats. According to a press release from Embraer, the A-29’s new configuration integrates sensors, data links, and precision weapons to detect, track, and destroy unmanned aerial systems (UAS) effectively and […]View the full article

A Chinese-manufactured VT-4 main battle tank operated by the Royal Thai Army has reportedly suffered severe damage during intense frontline combat, according to information shared on a Thai-language social media page. The report states that the VT-4 tank was damaged while conducting a direct fire mission against Cambodian military positions in a heavily contested frontline […]View the full article

The Royal Thai Army has signed a follow-on contract with China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO) for additional VN1 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles during a delegation visit to Beijing on January 11, according to official information released by the Royal Thai Embassy. The signing took place at NORINCO headquarters in Beijing and was attended by […]View the full article

Russia has concentrated at least 15 Su-57 stealth fighter jets at the Dzyomgi air base in the Khabarovsk region, about 280 kilometers from the Chinese border, according to satellite images published by the AviVector project and reported by the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi. Satellite imagery dated February 9 shows 15 Su-57 aircraft parked in the open […]View the full article

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Monday that its air defense systems intercepted 754 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones within a 24-hour period, describing the number as one of the largest reported drone engagements since the start of the war. The statement was released through official Russian military channels and included additional claims that other incoming weapons had […]View the full article

Elbit Systems said Monday it has secured a $750 million contract to supply its Precise & Universal Launching System, known as PULS, to the Hellenic Armed Forces under a defense agreement between Israel and Greece. The award, first flagged in a December 2025 announcement, gives Greece a new long-range rocket artillery capability at a time […]View the full article

The United States Army has delivered its first Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) equipped with a 30mm cannon to the 1st Cavalry Division, marking the initial fielding of a more heavily armed variant of the platform, the division confirmed in a recent announcement. The first new combat vehicles have been received by the division’s units as […]View the full article

The U.S. Department of War’s use of artificial intelligence has exploded by 1,775 percent over the past year, jumping from roughly 80,000 users to approximately 1.5 million across a workforce of more than 3 million personnel, the department’s top technology official disclosed at a special operations conference in Tampa, Florida. Emil Michael, undersecretary of war […]View the full article