Raw Intel

Ukrainian anti-drone systems manufacturer Kvertus has successfully tested a new maritime application scenario for its Azimuth electronic intelligence system, according to a report published by the defense outlet Oboronka. The company said the test demonstrated the system’s ability to provide early detection of radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles at sea, warning operators about approaching threats before […]View the full article

The United States Army has placed new orders for MAWL-X1 and DAGIR-V1 weapon-mounted laser systems from B.E. Meyers & Co., the company confirmed in a press release. The contract includes more than 1,000 MAWL-X1 units already delivered in 2025 and an additional order of more than 1,000 MAWL-X1 and DAGIR-V1 systems scheduled for delivery in […]View the full article

A top-secret US government body called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) published a formal program announcement on April 7, 2026, launching a new research initiative called the Mathematics of Boosting Agentic Communication, or MATHBAC, which aims to develop the mathematical and scientific foundations needed to make networks of artificial intelligence agents collaborate more effectively […]View the full article

U.S. President Donald Trump just gave Allen Control Systems the most public endorsement a defense startup could ask for. Speaking at the White House, Trump praised the Austin-based company’s Bullfrog autonomous weapon station, calling it “that new very special machine gun that knocks them out of the air like flies.” Allen Control Systems posted the […]View the full article

Three years after a Chinese balloon drifted across the continental United States and was shot down off the South Carolina coast, the U.S. Army is now buying the same technology for itself, and the shopping list it published tells a story about how American commanders plan to watch the Pacific in any future conflict. The […]View the full article

A robotic combat vehicle carrying an autonomous laser weapon system designed to shoot down drones rolled onto the floor of a Detroit manufacturing conference this week, placing one of the most futuristic weapons concepts in modern defense squarely in the middle of America’s industrial heartland. Aurelius Systems, a defense technology company developing autonomous directed energy […]View the full article

An unmanned fighter jet just fired a live air-to-air missile at a target over the California desert, and a human sitting somewhere else gave the order to pull the trigger. The Department of the Air Force confirmed that a YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service’s designation for a new class of autonomous fighter drones built […]View the full article

A drone found washed up on a UK beach turned out to be a Skyhammer interceptor built by Cambridge Aerospace, the British startup that closed a $300 million funding round at a $3.4 billion valuation earlier this month, according to a Reddit thread and a subsequent technical breakdown posted on social media by UAV engineer […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has selected Fort Benning, Georgia, as one of five military bases that will host nuclear microreactors under a new Pentagon energy resilience initiative called the Janus Program, Army officials announced August 26, 2026. Fort Benning will pair with California-based Radiant Industries to install three of the company’s one-megawatt Kaleidos microreactors, adding a […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has added $12.1 million to a contract with Scale AI to develop artificial intelligence agents for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, the new “doomsday plane” meant to keep U.S. leaders in command of the military, including nuclear forces, if ground command centers are destroyed. The modification raises the total value […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has published new details of its $20.7 billion contract with Raytheon for AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, confirming that the sole-source deal covers seven production lots and will keep the Tucson, Arizona, production line busy until mid-2033. An award notice posted on the federal contracting site on Oct. 23, 2026, shows the […]View the full article

CH-47Fs take off (click to view full) DII FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record; this FOCUS Article covers the CH-47F/MH-47G Chinook helicopter programs, in the USA and abroad. These helicopters’ distinctive “flying banana” twin-rotor design stems from the brilliant work of aviation pioneer Frank Piasecki. It gives Chinooks the ability to adjust their positioning very precisely, while carrying a large airframe whose load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030. The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models, but offers a…

HMS Nelson. One of the more curious, no, the most curious Battleship classes (2) ever built. The first thing that comes to mind is "Shipmate, where is your stern?" If it looks like a ship built by committee, well that is because it is. A product of The Washington Treaty, "compromises" were made. Though it was the only RN ship with 16" guns, the ship herself was a tad slow, and once the war was done - like the rest of the RN Battleships - off to the breakers she went. Best pictures here. Other sites here and here. Orig. posted 16JUN06. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http:/…

As most of you have noticed, we could do a DivThu twice a day every day for the last nine months or so ... but this is supposed to be a side-show and not a primary subject of cdrsalamander. As the Front Porch knows, when we started this almost a decade and a half ago, we were pretty much it in going after the diversity bullies, their commissariat and constellation of grievance driven rent seekers. We are no longer alone. The issue broke out above the ambient noise a few years ago, and now has some top-shelf advocates such as Christopher Rufo going at it full time. It is great to have company, but we still need to keep the drum beat going. I've decided to do the …

Your town isn't a small town at a bit over 34,000, but everyone knows each other more or less. It isn't so big that you are disconnected from your neighbors. You are always one degree away from having a connection to anyone. Maybe 2. Any American from New England would feel comfortable here. The weather is not that different, really - perhaps even a few degrees warmer. Trip Advisor does not give your off the beaten path home (even though you are a stop on the railroad line to Odessa) a big write up, but you have nice restaurants and pubs. You have shockingly beautiful parks. Again, you are poor, but you were, at least before the Russian Army came, a tidy and proud town i…

Americas The US Navy’s MQ-8C has tested the Single System Multi-Mission Airborne Mine Detection (SMAMD) system for the first time. Testing took place at Eglin Air Force Base in May, according to Naval Air System Command. “The team successfully demonstrated that the prototype SMAMD System effectively operates as designed aboard the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter in relevant real world environments,” said Capt. Thomas Lansley, Fire Scout program director. “This cutting-edge technology could really enhance Fire Scout’s capability going forward.” Carrying out the tests in day and night, the team gathered data on drifting, tethered, and moored mines throughout beach zone…

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $29 million modification, which exercises an option that provides five aerial refueling retrofit kits including installation onboard E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for the Navy. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the newest variant of the E-2 aircraft platform. It features a state-of-the-art radar with a two-generation leap in capability and upgraded aircraft systems that will improve supportability and increase readiness. Work will take place in Florida. Expected completion will be in August 2025. On November 2, the 31st and final AC-130J gunship was delivered by Lockheed Martin to the US Air Force Special Operations Command. The warplane will …

Americas Lockheed Martin won a 841.5 million modification, which exercises options to provide non-recurring site activation, initial sustainment and associated administrative support, to include fleet management, support equipment, pilot flight equipment, post ejection survival training material, program management, and earned value management in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program of the Air Force, […]View the full article

DDG-110 Construction (click to view full) In April 2009 Bath and Ingalls agreed to the Navy’s surface combatant plans, thus heralding a significant restructuring within the American naval shipbuilding community. Under the agreements, the USA would end production at 3 Graf Spee sized DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class “destroyers,” but shift all production from the Congressionally-mandated joint […]View the full article

Americas California-based Aerospike has joined BAE Systems’ Mission Advantage technology partnership to enhance operational efficiency and decision-making capabilities for the US Army and other defense programs. Together with BAE, Aerospike will advance data mesh solutions using its real-time database to support the Army’s Unified Network, Army Data Platform, and other data-centric mission requirements. The Argentine government is moving closer to buying new submarines, eying the acquisition of three Scorpene boats from France’s Naval Group that could cost $2 billion, according to military sources in Buenos Aires. The latest development in the procurement saga is that a L…