Raw Intel

India’s Air Force chief has publicly claimed that the country’s air defenses shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one airborne early warning aircraft during clashes in May, marking the first official statement from New Delhi on Pakistan’s reported losses in the brief but intense exchange. Speaking in the southern city of Bengaluru on Saturday, […] The post India says six Pakistani warplanes downed in May first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

French-German defense firm KNDS has showcased the second prototype of its next-generation main battle tank, the Leopard 2A-RC 3.0, during a demonstration at the Klietz military training area. The PT02 prototype was presented by KNDS, with footage released by the Militär- und Landtechnik Klaus Schröder YouTube channel, which described the event as part of an […] The post KNDS shows Leopard 2 tank with unmanned turret first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Indulge me a bit to bring back one of my first FbF from 2006 about one of my favorite ships....and it is German. The Graf Spee. She had a short but glorious history, an epic wartime cruise, and fought a classic battle against an enemy as honorable as she was, and to this day she calls people to her grave. She still calls to some; well at least me. Look again at her stats. Range: 8,900 nautical miles at 20 knots (16,500 km at 37 km/h), or 19,000 nautical miles at 10 knots (35,000 km at 18.5 km/h). Plant: Eight 9-cylinder double-acting two-stroke MAN diesels two screws, 52,050 hp (40 MW). Guns: Six 11 inch (280 mm) guns in two triple turrets, eight 5.9 inch (150 mm) …

A video circulating on TikTok appears to show, for the first time, a modernized Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo aircraft modified to carry and launch missiles. The clip was shared by the open-source intelligence community Tysk, which wrote: “Flight of a turboprop Moravan Z-137 Agro Turbo, converted to launch missiles, somewhere over Ukraine.” The footage has […] The post Missile-equipped farm plane spotted in Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian forces have reportedly destroyed a rare Russian radar associated with the country’s newest S-500 “Prometey” air and missile defense system, according to the defense outlet Militarnyi. The report, citing the open-source intelligence community CyberBoroshno, said this was revealed in video footage released by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) showing drone strikes by the special […] The post Ukrainian forces take out S-500 air defense radar first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A U.S. defense contractor has revealed a high-fidelity replica of China’s HQ-22 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, part of an expanding program to create realistic threat targets for American military training. Torch Technologies’ Integration and Prototyping Center (TIPC) is producing the decoy systems, which are designed to replicate the equipment, capabilities, and operations of foreign air […] The post U.S. firm creates replica of Chinese HQ-22 air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Navy has officially named its next-generation TACAMO aircraft, designating the E-130J as the Phoenix II. The announcement came from the Navy’s Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) and Strategic Communications Wing 1 (SCW-1). TACAMO—short for “Take Charge and Move Out”—is a central element of the nation’s nuclear deterrence posture. Its […] The post U.S. Navy reveals name for future ‘Doomsday plane’ first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

At RAF Lakenheath, England, a U.S. Air Force F-15B Eagle fighter jet has been taken out of service in a process that leaves the aircraft permanently unusable. Last month, a contractor carried out the demilitarization on behalf of the 48th Maintenance Group, using heavy equipment to crush and shred the airframe. The aircraft had been […] The post U.S. Air Force destroys F-15 jet at base in Britain first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has unveiled what it describes as a scalable and low-cost production effort for first-person-view (FPV) drones. On August 7, 2025, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) displayed a mass lineup of drones at Balli Army Airfield in Germany, underscoring how rapidly deployable unmanned systems are becoming integral to battlefield operations. According to the […] The post U.S. Army displays FPV drone production in Germany first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

An Israeli-made Heron MK II unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been spotted at Shirahama Airport in Japan during a test flight conducted by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Images shared on X by defense watcher Shiki Kuroha show the UAV, registered as 4X-NBB, fitted with electronic surveillance equipment. Under each wing, the aircraft carries electronic support measures […] The post Japan evaluates Israeli-made spy drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) will conduct its largest-ever live exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps next month, simulating the defense of remote islands across multiple regions of the country. According to the GSDF, the exercise—known as “Resolute Dragon”—will run from September 11 to 25, taking place in Kyushu, Okinawa, Hokkaido, and on Iwo Jima […] The post Japan, U.S. Marines to hold record-size joint drill first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea has revealed the image of an AAM (Anti-Aircraft Missile) from the L-SAM system for the first time, offering a first public look at one of its newest ground-based air defense capabilities. According to details shared publicly, the L-SAM-I’s main feature is its ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) interceptor, designed for high-altitude defense. The AAM variant […] The post South Korea shows new L-SAM AAM interceptor first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, are gaining hands-on experience with a new class of unmanned underwater systems designed to improve data gathering in coastal and littoral environments. On August 5, 2025, Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), I Marine Expeditionary Force, launched JaiaBot autonomous underwater vehicles during a familiarization […] The post U.S. Marines test new underwater bots first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

For those who’ve watched for a long time, especially over the last decade, our service academies and war colleges have drifted further toward academic leftist orthodoxy and away from their core competence as serious military organizations. The last eight months have been a whirlwind of change, as efforts are finally underway to refocus these institutions on their core competency. The two most high-profile Navy centers of higher education (with the Naval Postgraduate School a close 3rd, sorry fellas) are the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, MD and the Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, RI. We have covered the need for a depolarization and re-militarization at both …

North Korea has issued a sharp rebuke of Japan’s development and planned deployment of long-range missiles capable of striking enemy bases, calling the move “an extremely dangerous idea” in an editorial published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). According to the report, North Korea criticized Tokyo’s intentions to position 1,000-kilometer-range missiles in Japan’s […] The post North Korea slams Japanese long-range missile plans first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has taken delivery of its first F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter at Nyutabaru Air Base. The aircraft arrived at the base earlier today following delays linked to software development. Originally scheduled for delivery by the end of the last fiscal year, the handover was postponed due […] The post Japan receives first F-35B jets amid delays first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture during a training mission on 7 August. According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the aircraft went down approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Hyakuri Air Base. The pilot, a male first lieutenant in his 30s, successfully […] The post Japan’s F-2 jet crashes during routine training first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

An export-configured Su-34M fighter-bomber, painted in a distinctive camouflage pattern, has been spotted at Zhukovsky Airport outside Moscow, fueling speculation that Russia is preparing its first Su-34M deliveries to Algeria. The sighting, which surfaced earlier this week, points to potential progress on long-pending defense export contracts between Russia and Algeria. Back in December 2019, Algerian […] The post Russia may begin Su-34 deliveries to Algeria first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Motorola Solutions has completed its acquisition of Los Angeles-based Silvus Technologies, a company known for developing advanced mobile ad-hoc networking (MANET) systems used by defense and public safety agencies across the globe. According to a press release from Motorola Solutions, the acquisition will integrate Silvus’ low-latency, infrastructure-independent communications systems into Motorola’s existing suite of land […] The post Motorola Solutions buys Silvus for battlefield networking edge first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A Lithuanian defense startup has unveiled a new smart targeting module for air-dropped munitions, offering a domestically developed solution for precision strike operations even in environments where GPS signals are denied or degraded. According to Darius Antanaitis, a defense expert, the system is produced by Lithuanian deep-tech company PDKinematics and is designed to be integrated […] The post Lithuanian startup develops smart munition for drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article