Raw Intel

His Majesty King Charles III formally welcomed the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Agamemnon, into service during a commissioning ceremony at BAE Systems’ yard in Barrow-in-Furness. The milestone event marked the sixth Astute-class submarine to join the fleet. The King, departing from naval tradition, personally read the commissioning warrant, declaring the vessel ready […] The post Royal Navy commissions Astute-class attack submarine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s latest generation of naval drones has made its debut on the international stage. According to the defense outlet Militarnyi, the modernized Magura v7.2, along with two other Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), participated in NATO’s REPMUS exercise in Portugal, a three-week multinational training event focused on maritime innovation. The REPMUS series, organized annually by […] The post Ukrainian naval drones spotted in Portugal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia’s state-owned defense giant Almaz-Antey says it has sharply increased production of its advanced air defense systems, including the S-400 “Triumf” and S-350 “Vityaz,” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. In a statement released by the company’s press service, Almaz-Antey said, “The commissioning of new production facilities allowed the company not only to deliver some […] The post Russia ramps up production of S-400 and S-350 systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Gabler, a German defense company best known for its submarine technologies, has introduced concepts for two new uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) designed for torpedo tube launch. The announcement came on the opening day of the 27th DWT Naval Workshop in Dobbin-Linstow, where the company also revealed its updated corporate identity. The platforms, developed in partnership […] The post Gabler develops torpedo-tube launched uncrewed vessels first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Renishaw, a specialist in additive manufacturing, announced it will present its latest defense-focused manufacturing solutions at the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) 2025 in Orlando, Florida, from November 17–20. The company will highlight how its technologies support aerospace and defense applications by improving efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness across critical systems, from aircraft components to suppressors. According […] The post Renishaw to showcase additive tech at DMC 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, announced it has completed a major review of its Advanced Electronic Warfare (ADVEW) prototype, marking a key step in replacing the current electronic warfare suite on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. The review validated the prototype’s software integration with flight-representative hardware and confirmed its alignment with government reference architecture. […] The post U.S. Navy Super Hornets to get EW upgrade first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Pratt & Whitney announced the development of a new family of propulsion systems designed to power both Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and advanced munitions. The engines, ranging from 500 to 1,800 pounds of thrust, are intended to combine adaptability, affordability, and speed of delivery as the U.S. military and its allies expand investment in next-generation […] The post Pratt & Whitney develops new engines for future unmanned aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced projects division has introduced its newest unmanned combat aircraft, unveiling an advanced collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) called Vectis, designed to support U.S. and allied air forces in the next generation of air power. According to the company, Vectis is a Group 5 survivable and lethal CCA that brings together Lockheed […] The post Lockheed unveils next-gen unmanned combat aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps has operated the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) in Japan during Resolute Dragon 25. According to the Marine Corps, the system was employed after a notional fire mission on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, on September 21, 2025. The exercise marks another step in strengthening bilateral defense cooperation between U.S. forces and […] The post U.S. tests unmanned launcher vehicle in Japan drill first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon Missiles and Defense has been awarded a contract modification valued at more than $271 million to continue production of the TOW missile system, one of the U.S. Army’s longest-serving anti-armor weapons. According to a Department of Defense announcement, the $271,377,812 modification (PZ0015) to contract W31P4Q-23-C-0026 covers the full-rate production of the Tube-Launched Optically Tracked […] The post U.S. Army expands TOW missile production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

BAE Systems Land & Armaments, York, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $12,2 million contract modification to support ongoing Bradley A4 production for the U.S. Army. According to the Department of Defense announcement, the modification (P00001) to contract W912CH-25-F-0096 brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $668,442,599. The Army Contracting Command at Detroit Arsenal, […] The post U.S. Army extends Bradley A4 production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin company, has been awarded a $16 million order to build and test new rotor blades for the VH-92A presidential helicopter program. According to the Department of Defense announcement, the order covers material to construct and assemble main rotor blade test articles and facilities, as well as system test and […] The post Sikorsky awarded $16M for presidential helicopter upgrade first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $26 million contract to provide Foreign Military Sales (FMS) support for Ukraine’s F-16 fighter program, the Pentagon announced. The contract will fund the creation of country-specific technical orders tailored to Ukraine’s fleet of Fighting Falcons. The agreement, issued as a firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials contract, falls under […] The post Lockheed wins $26M Ukraine F-16 support deal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

For a long time running, it has been an eye-rolling joke how off-the-rails, political, and nonsensical ship naming and classifications conventions have become. The classic example is from many of the navies in Europe where everything has to be a frigate. Even when clearly some are destroyers or even light cruisers: frigate. All over the place, civilian politicians who are high on the emotion and low on the reason scale of things—and are beset with almost no knowledge of sea power or naval history—think they can make everything soft-soft by not seeming too “belligerent” with their <checks notes> military. They are haunted by other generations’ ghosts and bad academi…

As the Trump administration prepares to release its first National Defense Strategy (NDS), debate in Washington is sharpening over the role of nuclear weapons in America’s alliances, particularly in Asia. Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at the think tank Defense Priorities, said that while U.S. troop levels in South Korea […] The post South Korea nuclear option enters U.S. debate first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea is moving forward with the construction of its national satellite navigation infrastructure, selecting Jeju Island as a hub for the Korean Positioning System (KPS). The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) and Jeju Province signed an agreement on September 22 to establish ground-based facilities that will support the operation and management of the system. According […] The post South Korea builds its own GPS-style navigation system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

British fighter jets have flown their first NATO air defence mission over Poland, a move aimed at reinforcing the Alliance’s eastern flank after Russian drones violated Polish airspace. The Royal Air Force said the Typhoon fighters, operating under NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission, patrolled Polish skies to deter and defend against aerial threats. Two Typhoon jets […] The post British Typhoons patrol Polish skies first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia has begun equipping its 152 mm 2S19M2 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers with improvised protective cages and electronic warfare antennas in an effort to extend the battlefield survivability of its artillery. The modifications were observed on howitzers deployed by the “Center” grouping of forces in the Pokrovsk direction. Images circulating from the front show the howitzers […] The post Russia equips new 2S19M2 howitzers with cages and EW gear first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence announced that its special unit “Phantoms” struck Russian aircraft in occupied Crimea on September 21, hitting two Beriev Be-12 amphibious planes and a Mi-8AMTSh-VN helicopter. The operation was carried out with strike drones, marking the first recorded destruction of Be-12 aircraft in history. “On September 21, 2025, in the territory of temporarily […] The post Ukrainian drones destroy Russian Be-12 flying boats first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Yes, September is Australian Appreciation Month on the Midrats Podcast. Building on our discussion earlier this month with Liz Buchanan, we are returning to the perspective from the Antipodes with returning guest, Gray Connolly. From Afghanistan, to the Antarctic, we’ll have a broad-reaching discussion of allied national security concerns from the Australian perspective. You can listen at this link, or via Spotify widget below. Gray Connolly served as a Naval Intelligence officer in the Royal Australian Navy. He graduated from the Royal Australian Naval College and holds the King’s Commission. Gray is a graduate in Arts (Honours - History) from the University of Sydney a…