Raw Intel

Well, I was wrong Tuesday afternoon. I mean, we have been doing a bit of shooting at drug runners. A bit. Like many Sailors of my generation, I spent roughly a year of my life in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific chasing drug runners around. At some point around the turn of the century, we started shooting out their engines or even boarding their semi-submersibles. As such, even with the new deployment we discussed a bit last week, when word came out, I thought we were just picking up old habits. Well, that was not this. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have some new ROE. This is new, significantly new. I also don’t think this is a one-off. President Trump pretty much…

Poland and South Korea have entered into a new defense partnership to localize missile production, underscoring Warsaw’s efforts to strengthen self-reliance and modernize its armed forces. On September 2, during the opening day of the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Hanwha Aerospace and WB Group signed an agreement to establish a joint venture […] The post Poland, South Korea start joint missile production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is moving away from massed formations of heavy tanks in favor of specialized combat vehicles tailored to particular theaters of war. That shift was highlighted during today’s military parade in Beijing, where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) unveiled an entire family of new armored systems, including the medium-weight Type 100 tank and several vehicles […] The post China moves away from heavy tank armadas first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Stormwatch Defense has announced the start of serial production for its jet turbine interceptor, following nearly three years of development and flight testing. The company described the system as a versatile airframe designed to integrate a wide array of weapons and payloads. In a statement, Rory Berger, director of Stormwatch Defense, said: “After nearly three […] The post Stormwatch launches jet interceptor production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Milrem Robotics, a leading Estonian developer of robotics and autonomous systems, will provide Ukraine with the largest fleet of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) it has ever received, as part of a donation from a European government. In a statement, Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, said: “The cooperation between our governments and leading defence industry […] The post Ukraine to receive record THeMIS drone fleet first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has opened a new effort to develop a class of low-cost interceptors designed to counter massed missile attacks, with the goal of producing modular weapons priced at less than $750,000 each. On August 27, the agency issued a solicitation under its Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects (NOBLE) program, […] The post Pentagon seeks low-cost missile interceptors first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has introduced its new generation of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) during the Victory Day parade, highlighting advances in autonomous maritime combat and signaling their future role in contested waters. According to information presented at the event, the USVs are designed for “covert deployment and blockade, autonomous detection and identification, and networked swarm attacks, providing […] The post China displays new unmanned warships first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has presented its newest shipborne unmanned helicopters during a military parade, revealing a system described as capable of reshaping future naval combat. The aircraft, domestically developed and already in service with the Chinese Navy, were highlighted in a recent broadcast by China’s CCTV7. According to information released at the parade, the unmanned rotary-wing vehicles […] The post China shows naval unmanned helicopters first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has unveiled the DF-5C nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time during a national parade, presenting a system that Chinese officials describe as capable of striking anywhere on the planet. According to details released at the event, the DongFeng-5C is a liquid-fueled ICBM and a key component of China’s strategic counterattack system. The […] The post China parades DF-5C with nuclear warheads and worldwide range first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has displayed a new long-range hypersonic cruise missile for the first time, unveiling the Changjian-1000, or CJ-1000, during a major military parade in Beijing. The weapon represents a new class of precision-strike capability for the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, designed to penetrate advanced air defense systems. The CJ-1000 is a successor to the […] The post China unveils new hypersonic cruise missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia and India are currently in discussions for the delivery of additional S-400 “Triumf” air defense systems, even as a major data leak has exposed sensitive details of their existing contract and reports have surfaced of the system malfunctioning in the field. The original $5.5 billion deal, signed in 2018 for five S-400 systems, has […] The post Russia and India weigh new S-400 deal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian defense industry plans to expand its artillery production with new variants of the Bohdana howitzer, one of the country’s most widely produced systems since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to journalist Mariusz Marszałkowski of Defence24, the Bohdana manufacturer intends to mount the 155mm system on South Korean and German chassis (may be […] The post Ukraine develops new Bohdana howitzer variants first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. military has unveiled a new small unmanned aircraft system during multinational drills in Egypt. According to the U.S. Air Force, the 1st Special Operations Wing launched the Edge 130 Blue small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) during BRIGHT STAR 25 at Talet Al Keif, Egypt, on August 30, 2025. The demonstration highlighted the drone’s […] The post U.S. unveils futuristic tricopter during Egypt drills first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A formation of UH-1N Iroquois helicopters flew over Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, in August 2025, underscoring the enduring presence of the Vietnam-era aircraft in one of America’s most sensitive nuclear missions. According to the U.S. Air Force, the UH-1N’s primary missions include airlifting emergency security forces, conducting surveillance of off-base nuclear weapons convoys, […] The post Legendary UH-1s continue to guard America’s nuclear arsenal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has moved a step closer to fielding its next-generation main battle tank, the Abrams M1E3, by issuing a comprehensive market survey to American industry. The request, released by the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS) through the federal System for Award Management portal, seeks detailed information on industrial capacity […] The post U.S. Army prepares for next-gen tank production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

We owe HM3 Maxton W. Soviak, USN, the thousands who died the two decades before he did, and their families the truth. The uncomfortable, blunt, clear truth. Frankness. Directness. The respect that comes with honesty, honesty to the man who was in diapers when the first US forces crossed into Afghanistan, and with 12 others wound up as one of the last to die there during our retreat. We’re still not coming to terms with our defeat. Fear, shame, and humility—these are strong gods of a superior military. With each passing year, this becomes clearer and clearer to me. As all three were drained from our military, we increasingly relied on the weak gods of false-bravery (wearin…

The open-source intelligence community DeepState has released new data on Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, showing a decline in the intensity of attacks during August compared with previous months. According to the group, Russian forces conducted approximately 5,027 assault actions in August, a reduction from July, June, and May. The decrease was attributed primarily to […] The post OSINT report: Russian offensive activity declines in August first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Poland has revealed the concept model of its new long-range cruise missile, known as Lanca, during the MSPO 2025 defense exhibition. The unveiling comes as Warsaw seeks to develop indigenous strike capabilities in response to instability along its borders. Journalist Mariusz Marszałkowski published photographs of the missile model on social media, highlighting its external resemblance […] The post Poland develops Tomahawk-style cruise missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Robotican, a leading Israeli developer of autonomous robotic and drone technologies, announced September 2 the introduction of a new armed configuration for its ROOSTER hybrid drone system, adding a precision-guided warhead designed for urban and indoor operations. The company said the upgraded ROOSTER is capable of carrying a payload of up to 300 grams, allowing […] The post Robotican develops armed hybrid drone for urban missions first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Israeli defense technology company SMARTSHOOTER announced it will present a new configuration of its combat-proven SMASH 3000 fire control system at the DSEI 2025 exhibition in London. The development follows the company’s participation in Project VANAHEIM/FLYTRAP, a UK–U.S. initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) technologies for general combat units. […] The post Israeli-made computerized rifle sight tested on heavy weapons first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article