Raw Intel

The French defense supplier Arquus has confirmed a contract to deliver 61 Bastion armored vehicles to Ukraine. According to the latest Rapport de mission released by John Cockerill, Arquus, which operates as a subsidiary of the company, said it “has also signed a contract for the delivery of 61 Bastion vehicles for Ukraine.” The report […] The post Arquus to deliver 61 Bastion vehicles to Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen testing of the country’s new series of tactical uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, according to state-run outlet KCNA. During the inspection, Kim reportedly directed defense and aerospace authorities to focus on integrating artificial intelligence into both the drone control systems and broader combat operations. While no technical details […] The post North Korea accelerates AI drone push first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) has finalized a €4.5 billion ($5.2 billion) contract to procure 270 additional Boxer armored vehicles for Germany and the Netherlands, expanding the multinational Boxer program’s total value to more than €10 billion ($11.6 billion). According to OCCAR, the agreement includes new driver training and ambulance variants for the […] The post Germany, Netherlands buy 222 Jakal fighting vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Peru has taken a major step toward building a modern defense industrial base, inaugurating a new assembly plant that will produce advanced armored vehicles under a long-term partnership with South Korea. Peruvian President Jose Enrique Jeri Ore officially opened the Special and Military Vehicle Assembly Plant of FAME S.A.C. in Lurigancho, Chosica, an event the […]View the full article

Thai military forces have captured multiple Chinese-made GAM-102LR guided anti-tank missile systems from Cambodian troops during fighting near Hill 677, according to recent reports from the area. According to the reports, Thai soldiers secured a significant quantity of GAM-102LR missiles after overrunning Cambodian positions on the contested high ground. The missiles are considered a modern […]View the full article

The Embassy of Japan in Ukraine announced that the final shipment of Japan Self-Defense Force vehicles designated for Ukraine arrived in Poland on January 12, completing Tokyo’s latest transfer of support equipment to the Ukrainian government. The delivery included 14 vehicles—1/2-ton trucks and High Mobility Vehicles—as part of an additional package approved in October 2024. […]View the full article

Recent photos and videos circulating on social media show that Iran has received Russian-made Mi-28NE attack helicopters, with aircraft spotted at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport and observed conducting flight tests over the capital in early 2026. Several images of Mi-28NE helicopters have appeared from within and around hangars at Mehrabad Airport, where assembly work was reportedly […]View the full article

Life is short. There is so much to learn with so little time. So many great men with so many stories—and yet, there stand their stories in the library, keys to understanding, just waiting for fate to grant you more time. There are some names that wander in and out of your reading. Often just for humorous moments like learning their nickname. For instance, a U.S. Army general known to his men as, of all things, “Old Iron Tits.” Of course, I’m speaking of General Matthew Ridgway, USA. /img/missing-image.pngA grenade, a first aid kit and … is that a battle ascot? Anyway, back to topic. I mostly remember his advice about Vietnam. He was instrumental in keeping us out in the…

Ukraine’s First Separate Medical Battalion said it completed six successful casualty evacuation missions in a single day using unmanned ground vehicles. The battalion said the missions were carried out over a 24-hour period and focused on extracting wounded troops from combat positions under constant pressure from Russian first-person-view attack drones. In a statement cited by […]View the full article

With the Falkland Islands War back in the news, thought ti would be fun to bring back a FbF from 2017 on a nice, tidy OP by our British friends. A great story via our friends at ThinkDefence about an exceptional side-show to The Falkland Island war. Pebble Island lies to the north of West Falkland and in 1982, its 25 inhabitants were mainly involved with tending 25,000 sheep. Its small airstrip was subject to a daring raid by the SAS. It did have an airstrip, though, or more accurately, four, three of grass, and the other on the beach. On the 24th of April, Naval Air Station Calderon (as it was called) was established there. ... HMS Hermes was detached along with HMS Gla…

Teledyne FLIR Defense unveiled a new throwable reconnaissance robot at SOF Week in Tampa that shares a common controller with the company’s Black Hornet 4 nano-drone, allowing a single soldier to operate both a ground robot and an aerial drone without switching equipment or relearning workflows. The FirstLook 125, announced at the special operations conference […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is building a biotech startup accelerator designed to fast-track biological defense technologies from laboratory bench to battlefield, and it wants nonprofit organizations to run it, with up to $95 million on the table and the possibility of a follow-on contract worth as much as $500 million. The Army’s Capability Program Executive for […]View the full article

Ukraine’s navy sank a Russian border guard ship near Novorossiysk using an unmanned strike boat. The Ukrainian Navy said its sailors sank the Rubin-class patrol ship Izumrud (354), a Russian Federal Security Service border guard vessel, using the Sargan-3000, a domestically built unmanned surface strike platform that has entered service with Ukraine’s naval forces over […]View the full article

The Defense Logistics Agency, the Pentagon office responsible for keeping military equipment supplied with everything from fuel to spare parts, published a notice on August 11 seeking manufacturers capable of building a replacement electric control panel for the B-1B Lancer, a swing-wing bomber that has served as a backbone of American long-range strike capability since […]View the full article

Australia’s Army has declared Final Operational Capability for its National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System, confirming the ground-based air defense system is ready to support Australian Defence Force operations. Defence announced the milestone on September 9, 2026. NASAMS is built to detect, track and destroy cruise missiles, aircraft, helicopters and drones. The system was […]View the full article

Russia has fired a guided missile from its attack helicopters off a truck, using a new ground launcher called Izdeliye 347, or “Product 347,” against mock artillery positions during its Tsentr-2026 exercise. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 2 that the system carries a modified version of the LMUR light multipurpose guided missile and […]View the full article

British defense technology company Stratonex Defence Technologies is developing a range of unmanned ground vehicles, tactical drones, counter-drone systems and military mobility platforms, with a focus on reducing the exposure of personnel to battlefield threats. The company’s VARAN unmanned ground vehicle is among its central projects. The platform has undergone initial mobility and remote-control testing, […]View the full article

There are a few noteworthy submarine stories over the past week, but none are bigger than the launch of India's Advanced Technology Vessel INS Arihant. The 6,000 tonne Arihant was launched by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a ceremony on the south-east coast. It was built entirely in India with Russian assistance and a second one is due to be constructed shortly. It will undergo trials over the next few years before being deployed and will be able to launch missiles at targets 700km (437 miles) away. Until now, only the US, Russia, France, Britain and China had the capability to build nuclear submarines. This beings India closer to becomin…

Hey ... via the latest issue of Proceedings, this should ring a bell on the Front Porch; The Littoral Combat Ship is overpriced and underperforming, yet the Navy continues to support it. It’s time to abandon the LCS and replace it with a comparable vessel that costs the same, but is far more capable. There are several great candidates in other navies, but one we might consider is the Danish-built Iver Huitfeldt –class frigate. Welcome aboard for Plan Salamander since ~ 2005, though we have often offered up from the Swedish VISBY, Norwegian NANSEN, Dutch SEVEN PROVINCES, or the other Danish ship ABSALON - anything but the Little Crappy Ship ... but IVER HUITFELT i…

U.S. sailors lift a missile on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Aug. 31, 2013. The sailors, ordnancemen, are assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Kelly M. Agee View the full article