Raw Intel

There is absolutely nothing wrong with admitting you were wrong and foolish. It’s OK. You can be fooled by people who take advantage of your good nature. Fair-play and high-trust societies can, if they are not wary, be taken advantage of by bad-faith actors. The key is that when your vision becomes clear about what has happened, you take appropriate action. You learn your lesson, and you carry on in a more productive manner. This did not happen by accident, nor was it inspired by capitalist desire alone, though that was the mechanism. Behold the fruit this tree bears. Via Angus Grigg, Alex McDonald, and Will Nicholas at the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Chinese companies …

A United States Air Force C-146A Wolfhound made a low-profile flight close to the Venezuelan border this week, drawing attention from open-source aviation trackers who closely monitor movements of U.S. special operations aircraft in Latin America. The flight was highlighted by the OSINT account Aviation and Naval Assets, which noted that the aircraft “passed very […]View the full article

Russia has built a rapidly growing and effective drone industry in a short period of time, despite facing international sanctions and political pressure from Europe and the United States. By focusing on proven, low-cost, and serially produced designs, the Kremlin has been able to quickly increase output of a wide range of systems, including loitering […] The post Russian drone industry gains speed first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Feb. 7 held a ceremony marking the deployment of F-35B fighter aircraft at Nyutabaru Air Base, according to a statement released by the ministry. The event formally marked the start of F-35B basing at Nyutabaru, a key installation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The ministry said the ceremony was […]View the full article

The first quarter of 2026 still has three weeks to go, but the assumptions and friend group of the People’s Republic of China has changed dramatically. Recent changes in the assumptions concerning Venezuela, Iran, Japan, and other nations will impact the national security concerns of the West’s greatest challenger on the world stage. Returning to the Midrats Podcast today from 5-6 PM Eastern to discuss will be Dean Cheng. You can listen LIVE at this link, but if you are reading this after the show, just check the substack later Sunday night for the podcast upload. Dean is a Senior Advisor, United States Institute of Peace; Non-resident Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for…

EDGE and Anduril have announced plans to form a major joint venture aimed at accelerating the design and production of autonomous systems for civil and defense use across the Middle East. The companies describe the initiative as a step that deepens the long-standing U.S.–UAE defense partnership by placing advanced, software-defined capabilities into regional production and […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman has completed a new demonstration of its mine countermeasures technology, showing that its AN/AQS-24 minehunting system can be integrated with an uncrewed surface platform to meet emerging U.S. Navy operational requirements. According to a company statement, Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully demonstrated the integration of its AN/AQS-24 minehunting system with a Mine Countermeasures Unmanned […]View the full article

Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a secure testing environment for radiation-exposed microelectronics under DARPA’s ASSERT program, the company announced on January 13, 2026. According to Northrop Grumman, the achievement is part of DARPA’s Advanced Sources for Single-event Effects Radiation Testing (ASSERT) effort, which aims to create compact laboratory alternatives to heavy-ion test facilities. The company said […]View the full article

Latvia’s Ministry of Defence has signed contracts with three Latvian companies — Brasa Defence Systems, Natrix, and LV-Teh — to supply and experimentally introduce domestically manufactured unmanned ground systems into the National Armed Forces, the ministry announced on April 10, 2026. The agreements mark the first formal procurement of locally developed ground drone systems for […]View the full article

Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant employees say they have not received salaries for nearly two months, citing unpaid military orders and stalled production, according to Ukrainian outlet Ekonomichna Pravda. The Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant, a Russian company under international sanctions for its cooperation with the country’s defense-industrial sector, has reportedly failed to pay its workers for nearly two […]View the full article

A second B-21 Raider nuclear-armed stealth bomber could fly before the end of the year, according to a Defense One report. “I believe it will happen before the end of the year, but we’re not going to ever give them an artificial date that they have to make if it doesn’t bring the test program […] The post Second B-21 stealth bomber poised for test flight in 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has signed a multi-year enterprise agreement with ST Engineering Antycip to expand its use of advanced simulation technology. The agreement builds on a long-standing collaboration between the RAF and Antycip, Europe’s leading provider of simulation and virtual training solutions. It brings the company’s simulation expertise and the MAK ONE […] The post UK Royal Air Force to build unified synthetic training network with Antycip first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States Navy’s first operational MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft has completed its first autonomous taxi test, Boeing Defense confirmed on January 30. According to the company, the MQ-25A taxied from Boeing’s new production facility in Mascoutah, Illinois, to the taxiway at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport after air vehicle pilots initiated the movement from the […]View the full article

The armed forces of Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United States carried out a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone from October 30 to 31, 2025, demonstrating a shared commitment to regional stability and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. According to a statement, the two-day exercise was […]View the full article

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is preparing to headline the 25th anniversary of the International Fighter Conference in Rome as the event’s sole Four-Star Lead Partner. In a statement ahead of the event, GA-ASI emphasized its leadership in autonomous flight and manned-unmanned teaming through its MQ-20 Avenger, XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, and the newly […]View the full article

The United States Navy said it completed the third and final planned flight test of the Harpoon Block II Update Obsolescence Update program on Jan. 16, concluding the final phase of the missile’s system-level flight test campaign. The test was conducted by the Navy’s Precision Strike Weapons program office, PMA-201, in partnership with Boeing. According […]View the full article

The United States Navy has awarded Gentex Corporation a $22.6 million contract to deliver more than 5,000 Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet systems and associated spares to support fleet-wide fielding across Navy fixed-wing aircraft, the service announced. The firm-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covers the production and delivery of the Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet, known as NGFWH, and […]View the full article

Shield AI announced on Wednesday that it has begun wind tunnel testing of its X-Bat unmanned combat aircraft, marking the first major evaluation phase for the company’s next-generation autonomous strike platform. The company said the tests are intended to accelerate design refinement and reduce developmental risk as the aircraft moves toward flight demonstrations. According to […]View the full article

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that on October 17, Russian forces launched the highest number of guided aerial bombs in a single day since the beginning of their use in the war —268 in total. The primary delivery platform for the bombs was the Su-34 fighter-bomber, which conducted strikes from […] The post Russia launches record bombing campaign first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has been awarded a $988 million contract to modernize the U.S. Navy’s command-and-control and surveillance systems across all classes of surface combatant ships, the company announced on Jan. 12. The award, issued in December, launches a one-year base period with four one-year options and a six-month extension. According to the […]View the full article