Raw Intel

Phalanx, firing (click to view full) The radar-guided, rapid-firing MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS, pron. “see-whiz”) can fire between 3,000-4,500 20mm cannon rounds per minute, either autonomously or under manual command, as a last-ditch defense against incoming missiles and other targets. Phalanx uses closed-loop spotting with advanced radar and computer technology to locate, identify and direct a stream of armor piercing projectiles toward the target. These capabilities have made the Phalanx CIWS a critical bolt-on sub-system for naval vessels around the world, and led to the C-RAM/Centurion, a land-based system designed to defend against incoming artill…

Can a military organization suffer from attention deficit disorder? There are very few moments in time – the mid-1990s was a rare one – where a nation’s national security apparatus has the luxury and white space to get distracted and complacent. 2021 is not one of those times. With a new leadership team in place in DOD, are we sure they are focused on the important challenges of China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia? What are the top distractions that those concerned with the proper stewardship of our nation’s defense need to make sure don’t entice away time, money, and effort? With his recent article, Don’t Let the Department of Defense Become the Department of Dist…

Five years ago, an exceptional American Army NCO from WWII passed away, Technician 5th grade (E4) from the 103rd Infantry Division, awarded the Bronze Star by the USA and Légion d'honneur from France. He lived 102 years, and with him passed the last war chief of the Crow Tribe. A great American, Joe Medicine Crow; According to Crow tradition, a man must fulfill certain requirements to become chief of the tribe: command a war party successfully, enter an enemy camp at night and steal a horse, wrestle a weapon away from his enemy and touch the first enemy fallen, without killing him. Joe Medicine Crow was the last person to meet that code, though far from the windswe…

Americas The US Air Force has returned to Komatsu airbase, Japan for training for the first time in 3 years. According to the NHK, 6 US F-16s are in Komatsu till September 2 for joint exercise with Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Communications and Power Industries LLC won a $36.5 million deal for the F-16 Traveling Wave Tube repair services. Work will be performed in Palo Alto, California, and is expected to be completed by January 30, 2029. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an advanced aerial combat aircraft, which provides 4th generation fighter aircraft capabilities. Work will take place in California. Expected completio…

Americas Kratos Defense & Security Solutions demonstrated a trolley-based launch system for the XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aerial system recently. A Kratos Trolley Launch System (KTLS)-assisted XQ-58A can take off from runways or traditional roads without reducing its payload or the fuel required for conventional retractable launching gear. Bell Textron has completed the first flight of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s modified CH-146 Griffon multirole utility helicopter as part of a 2022 modernization contract. The Griffon Limited Life Extension (GLLE) project is a continuing effort to deliver upgrades for the aircraft, which has been in service since the early 1990s. Th…

Russia’s Su-57 Felon stealth fighter has been armed with hypersonic weapons, according to a senior military official. Speaking to the state-owned Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev, Chief of the Main Staff and First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, said the fifth-generation Su-57 is now equipped with “modern aviation strike systems and […] The post Russia arms Su-57 fighter with hypersonic weapon first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has signed the largest contract in its history for the production of Patriot missiles, awarding Lockheed Martin a $9.8 billion agreement to manufacture nearly 2,000 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors through fiscal year 2026. According to an Army release, the contract covers the procurement of 1,970 missiles “and associated hardware for […] The post U.S. Army secures largest Patriot missile order first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Department of War, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is launching an ambitious new program to design and develop a next-generation High Mach Gas Turbine (HMGT) engine aimed at powering future reusable hypersonic aircraft. According to a solicitation released on September 24, the initiative—developed in partnership with the Air Force Research […] The post U.S. unveils plan to design engine for future hypersonic aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), acting under the direction of the Department of Defense (DoD), has issued a new Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) establishing temporary flight restrictions over an area off the southeast coast of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The order, identified as FDC 5/9106, takes effect on November 1, 2025, and will remain […]View the full article

Ukraine’s defense industry has introduced a new 4×4 tactical armored vehicle designed for frontline operations. According to the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, the newly developed DESNA armored vehicle has been created by the private company UkrArmoTech as a direct response to battlefield requirements. DESNA was built to meet the military’s need for a multi-purpose, high-mobility […]View the full article

A Russian defense analyst has publicly proposed leasing North Korean Su-25 ground-attack aircraft for use in the war in Ukraine, citing the weapons configuration displayed on the aircraft during a recent North Korean military event. The proposal was outlined by Vladimir Khrustalev, a Russian expert on North Korea’s military-industrial complex and nuclear weapons, following celebrations […]View the full article

Elmer Royce Williams, Captain, USN (Ret.). Every Naval officer should know his name, but few do. He was born in 1925, and he is still with us. What a story. Imagine you are just your standard-issue U.S. Navy fleet Lieutenant in your late 20s. You missed the big war, but you are ear deep in the next one, the Korean War. You know, on paper at least, you are flying a plane outclassed by your opponent. Doesn’t matter. Then one day you find yourself facing not just a better aircraft—but outnumbered by them. To make it even worse, you find out after the merge that you are not facing the JV team, but the varsity. Before it is all said and done, you finish what has been called, "…

Hopefully, everyone here knows what the Davidson Window is about and all the concerns about the People’s Republic of China (PRC) being ready to go to war by 2027. While I can argue the point, I am more inclined to stress that it doesn’t mean the PRC is going to take that risk, especially if we increase the risk for them. However, were I a Chinese planner, if the Chairman tells me to do something, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do a damn good job of it, and I’m going to have recommendations that have been going back years on things we need to do. It won’t just be things the military has to do either. Oh, no. We would need to expect that it may evolve into a global war t…

While the Maduro snatch-n-grab focused everyone’s attention on the Western Hemisphere for a moment, once again, global events moved attention elsewhere. Regardless of where the news of the moment may be, the economic and political situation in Central and South America is getting renewed attention on a scale not seen in a long time. On this week’s Midrats Podcast, we’re going to dive right in with our guest, Colin Dueck. We go live at 5 PM Eastern for a full hour. You can listen live and join the live chat at this link. If you’re reading this after the show, check the Substack later Sunday for podcast links. Colin is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise …

German electronic warfare technology company Aaronia AG will make its first public presentation of the AARTOS DF2 direction-finding solution at AOC Europe in Helsinki from May 19 to 21, 2026. The AOC Europe conference, organized by the Association of Old Crows and described as the leading European electronic warfare symposium, brings together decision-makers from armed […]View the full article

Six defense technology companies walked into a demonstration event with separate products and walked out days later with a fully integrated autonomous hunter-killer ground vehicle system, presenting it directly to the Secretary of the Army in what participants described as proof that the American defense industry can move at a speed the Pentagon’s traditional procurement […]View the full article

New footage from American Rheinmetall shows the company’s XM30 infantry fighting vehicle concept in greater detail, giving the clearest promotional look yet at the front profile, main gun, turret sensors and running gear of one of two vehicles competing to replace the U.S. Army’s Bradley. The video arrives as the Army’s XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat […]View the full article

Rocket Lab Corporation, the publicly traded space company known primarily for its small satellite launch vehicles, announced a $266 million multi-launch contract with the U.S. Space Force, the branch of the Department of War responsible for military operations in and through space, marking the largest single launch agreement the company has ever secured. The deal […]View the full article

Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec has delivered a new batch of Su-35S multirole fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces, the company said Thursday. It is the third such delivery of 2026. The aircraft, built by Rostec subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) at the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, completed a full cycle of factory […]View the full article

Are you reading Norman Polmar's posts over at navyhistory.org blog? Well shame on you if you aren't classics like this; After dozens of letters and many hundreds of manuscript pages exchanged between us, we finally met in March 1969 when Genda visited the United States. He was invited to the United States in part to participate in the Naval Institute’s distinguished visitor program. (I had been assistant editor of the Naval Institute Proceedings from 1963 to 1967.) During his visit Genda spoke at the Naval Academy to an audience of Naval Academy midshipmen and faculty, and area USNI members. When asked if the Japanese had possessed the atomic bomb, did he …