Raw Intel

Americas The US Navy’s Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS II) pod made its first flight on December 11, 2020. A flight with the pod on two F/A-18Es took place on December 15. The TCTS II system, developed by Collins, is the first certified encrypted, multi-level security training pod that communicates with both airborne and ground equipment. The Boeing F-15EX fighter jet completed its first flight Tuesday, paving the way for the early delivery of the first two of the new fighter jet to the Air Force later this quarter, Boeing announced. According to the company, the jet took off from St. Louis Lambert International Airport and completed a 90-minute test f…

Americas The US Marine Corps has acquired its first MQ-9 unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and assigned it to VMU-1. The transfer took place at MCAS Yuma, Arizona on August 30 and the aircraft is currently operated by the contractor. The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $26 million contract for Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) spares for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide Beamforming Networks (BFNs), an integral part of antenna control for the AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system, onboard the carrier-capable tactical aircraft. Middle East & Africa During the last few weeks, the US has removed its most advanced air defense sys…

Just a cursory glance at any map will tell you the United States of America is a maritime nation whose economic power and national security is intimately linked to the sea. This simple reality is not as well understood as one would expect. Command of the sea and access to the world’s oceans has never been easy or an entitlement for any nation. It is something that each generation must understand, resource, and be a steward of for the next. With domestic distractions and competing priorities combined with the accelerating challenge by the People’s Republic of China, bringing the topic of maritime power above the natsec ambient noise has never been more important. This fall…

So, we have this great new Australia-United Kingdom-United States alliance in the Pacific. We are supposed to be the big power here - to instill confidence in the face of a growing China. What signal does this ship send? Context here: Welcome to our close friends from @USNavy to Brisbane for a routine logistics visit. The Men & Women of #USSFrankCable will also work alongside #YourADF to provide vital support to Australian communities as part of #OpFloodAssist. Thank you and Bravo Zulu !🇦🇺🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3h1wxAaWUi — Chief of Navy Australia (@CN_Australia) March 17, 2022 There is no excuse here. This speaks for itself. I'm embarrassed for myself, my Navy, my n…

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won a $25 million contract modification, which adds scope for fabrication and installation support to retrofit the Delta System Software Configuration 4.0 capabilities, to include tactical targeting network technology and the beyond line of sight in the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas; Melbourne, Florida; Boulder, Colorado; Norfolk, Virginia (8%); Salisbury, Maryland; Ronkonkoma, New York (3%); and various locations within the continental US, and is expected to be completed in September 2025. Sikorsky won a $21.4 million modification, which exercises options to procure one CH53K containerized fligh…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $31.6 million modification for capability package development and fielding, system integration and fielding, and in-service sustainment in support of current configurations of the AEGIS combat system. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 2023. Western allies started a major naval exercise […]View the full article

Americas The US Air Force is asking industry partners for engines to power its Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) aircraft. A request for information (RFI) released Monday states that the service will accept new or existing propulsion systems provided that they meet all requirements. It will also consider options to modify or upgrade existing aircraft engines […]View the full article

Americas The US Army has tested the Tactical Resupply Vehicle-150 (TRV-150) drone during a training exercise focused on innovation and realistic battlefield conditions. Capable of carrying up to 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of supplies, the TRV-150 enables soldiers to receive equipment remotely without exposing themselves to danger. During the two-week exercise in the CENTCOM region, troops trained on assembling, operating, and coordinating TRV-150 flights. L3Harris has delivered the Meadowlands Counter Communications System (CCS) to the US Space Force’s Electromagnetic Warfare unit. Meadowlands is a ground-based, transportable system designed to jam or disrupt adversary sat…

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $97.3 million Foreign Military Sale to Australia for Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LwCLU) and related equipment. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which delivered the required certification notifying Congress, the Australian government has requested to purchase 161 LwCLUs. These systems will be added to […] The post U.S. approves $97M Javelin launcher sale to Australia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Serbia has unveiled a new heavy rocket system, the Sumadija/Vila, during its recent “Strength of Unity” military parade. The system, developed by Yugoimport-SDPR, represents a modular long-range launcher designed to strike high-value targets deep behind enemy lines. According to information released at the event, the self-propelled launcher can be configured with different payloads depending on […] The post Serbia unveils new heavy rocket system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

India’s MKU Limited has signed a ₹660 crore ($75 million) contract with the Indian Army for the supply of nearly 30,000 night vision weapon sights, in what the company describes as one of the largest electro-optics deals in the country’s defense sector to date. According to MKU, the agreement covers 29,762 Netro NW 3000 night […] The post Indian army buys almost 30,000 night vision weapon sights first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A fast-growing global interest in modular cargo drones is reshaping how militaries and emergency-response agencies think about moving supplies in contested or remote areas. Several countries are now experimenting with medium-class unmanned logistics aircraft, and the war in Ukraine has shown how difficult it is to sustain dispersed units when traditional transport routes are under […]View the full article

Ukrainian strike underwater drones have attacked a Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, in what Ukrainian officials describe as the first combat use of underwater drones to disable a modern diesel-electric submarine. According to Ukrainian sources, underwater drones known as “Sub Sea Baby” detonated beneath a Russian Project 636.3 submarine of the Varshavyanka class, known in […]View the full article

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev opened the reconstructed Tartar Electromechanical Plant on January 13, during a visit in which newly developed directed-energy counter-drone systems were shown for the first time. The plant has been modernized as part of Azerbaijan’s expanding defense-industrial program overseen by the Ministry of Defense Industry. According to information provided during the […]View the full article

Russian military personnel have publicly criticized a domestically promoted satellite communications system presented as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink, according to reports circulating in Russian military channels and defense sources. Russian authorities and industry representatives have previously described locally developed satellite communication projects as substitutes capable of maintaining battlefield connectivity after restrictions affecting Starlink access. […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command on March 11 released new video footage showing strikes against Iranian weapons systems during the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, highlighting attacks on missile and drone-related assets across Iran. The command said the campaign has already affected Iran’s ability to launch attacks. The release of the footage comes as U.S. military officials seek […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Anduril Industries a $16.8 million contract for hardware and components supporting its Ghost-X small drone systems, the Pentagon announced April 7, 2026. The contract was awarded to Anduril Industries Inc. of Costa Mesa, California, by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The total value of the action is $16,788,000. […]View the full article

KIHOMAC’s founder and CEO Ki Ho Kang took to social media on Friday to share flight test footage of Agami, the company’s fixed-wing drone developed under Project Liberty, a program specifically designed to demonstrate that military-grade UAVs can be produced at wartime scale without the bottlenecks that have plagued American drone manufacturing for years. The […]View the full article

The United States just used its most powerful conventional bombs against the deepest underground nuclear facility in the world. Those bombs worked — and they also revealed exactly where current physics ends and the next weapons problem begins. DARPA is now looking for solutions to that problem. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon’s […]View the full article

Editor’s note: Robert Brüll is the founder and CEO of FibreCoat, a materials technology company that supplies lightweight, electrically conductive fibers used in defense, space, and industrial applications. He writes here in a personal capacity. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect the editorial position of The Defence Blog. At the time […]View the full article