Raw Intel

American Rheinmetall recently demonstrated its Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (counter-UAS) Ultra-Short Range Air Defense solution during a live-fire event at Big Sandy Range, where the system was tested against small drone targets. The demonstration included the integration of the remote weapon station onto GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle-C (ISV-C) platform. According to information released by American […]View the full article

France’s Air and Space Force has successfully carried out its first anti-drone missile test from an MQ-9 Reaper, using a Hellfire missile to engage an aerial drone target. The test took place on April 2 at the military range on Île du Levant in southern France, the service said in a statement released Wednesday. Conducted […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy just spread a contract worth up to $650 million across eight small American boatbuilders to keep its fleet of rigid hull inflatable boats stocked for the next decade. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington awarded eight separate contracts on April 30, collectively valued at $325,9 million at the base level and stretching […]View the full article

As opposed to taking this moment to celebrate, once again, the success of Italian-Americans in the face of widespread discrimination, it appears the signal went out to dirty up General Christopher LaNeve, USA, acting Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and by all appearances should be nominated to take that position, pending Senate confirmation. This isn’t something done by some rando anon typing away on X or Substack, but in the pages of The Wall Street Journal by a serious journalist we’ve known for a long time, Lara Seligman and her co-author who, no offense, I don’t know from Adam’s off-ox, Dan Lyon. If you are not familiar with the good General, Lara & Dan’s article …

Britain’s military aircraft fleet, from Typhoon fighter jets to Chinook helicopters currently flying combat support missions in the Middle East, will stay in the air under a new contract that ensures a steady supply of the thousands of small consumable parts that keep modern warplanes mission-ready. The National Armaments Director Group, the UK defence procurement […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, the Norwegian company that builds the weapon, $98.4 million to produce the next batch of Joint Strike Missiles, with work taking place at Kongsberg’s factory in Norway and wrapping up by June 30, 2030. The Joint Strike Missile, known by its American designation AGM-184A, solves a […]View the full article

AM General has been awarded a new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to build High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles for the Army, with this initial action valued at $82.2 million against a cumulative ceiling of up to $754.6 million, the Department of War announced Aug. 13. Work locations and funding will be determined with each individual order […]View the full article

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $140 million sale of four UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters to Argentina, a deal that would give the Argentine Army its first Black Hawks. The approval, notified to Congress on September 10, 2026, follows through on a purchase Argentine officials confirmed earlier this year. The package includes the […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Anduril Industries a contract worth up to $1.8 billion over five years to roll out its Next Generation Command and Control network, known as NGC2, starting with I Corps, the Army headquarters responsible for much of its force in the Pacific. The initial base period of the contract is valued […]View the full article

China’s 48th naval escort task force returned to a military port in Qingdao on Oct. 23 after 378 days away, the longest deployment in the history of the Chinese navy’s anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia, China’s Ministry of National Defense said. The task force, made up of the […]View the full article

My bona fides as an advocate of the 2nd Amendment are unassailable. I do not recognize the right of any government to disarm me. When my daughter was born I promised to always be there and to never be lying in a mall parking lot bleeding to death saying "Man I wish I woulda brought my pistol". I've carried on aircraft (with the pilot's permission) while escorting my team's weapons. I think guns are a wonderful way to kill bad guys. BUTT!!!!!!!!!! The clown who brought a gun to the Obama healthcare farce did the cause of the right to bear arms no help though. On so many levels and for so many reasons this freedom exercising douchebag hurt the right to carry, the health ca…

Just in case there was any doubt that head wanker Julian Assange was a self-promoting, narcissistic jackwagon, he is catching shite from people who should be allies. First a bunch of human rights groups said, "Hey dumbass, what part of stop getting civilians killed don't you understand?". Now he gets a letter from the head of Reporters without Borders calling him out for acting like a first rate bandito of ass. Dear Mr. Assange, Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom organisation, regrets the incredible irresponsibility you showed when posting your article “Afghan War Diary 2004 - 2010†on the Wikileaks website on 25 July together with 92…

Saar 5: INS Hanit (click to view full) The 1,227t/ 1,350 ton Sa’ar 5 Eilat Class corvettes were built by Northrop Grumman in the 1990s for about $260 million each. It’s a decent performer in a number of roles, from air defense to anti-submarine work, to coastal patrol and special forces support. In 2006, the Israelis went looking for a next-generation vessel with better high-end capabilities. Six years later, Israel had nothing to show for its search. In the meantime, massive natural gas deposits have been discovered within Israel’s coastal waters, adding considerable urgency to their search. The USA is Israel’s logical supplier, but given Israel’s size and cost requir…

Americas Raytheon Technologies won a $49.2 million deal, which provides for one conventional take-off and landing and two short take-off/vertical landing F135 engines to support F-35 Lightning II Block Four developmental testing program for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. The Pratt & Whitney F135 is an afterburning turbofan developed for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Last week Raytheon was awarded a $290 million contract, which provides material and support equipment for depot maintenance facilities, program administrative labor for non-recurring sustainment activities, mockup engines and modules for tes…

Here and on Midrats over the years we've discussed the embarrassingly dangerous maladministration of the US merchant fleet, but we're not alone. We are putting a lot of emphasis on our growing partnership in security with Australia. How are things down under? Australia faces a “national emergency” unless it re-establishes a sovereign commercial shipping fleet to ensure critical goods flow during times of war and economic sanctions. The war in Ukraine, alongside Canberra’s geopolitical tensions with Beijing, has highlighted the vulnerability of Australia’s security and economy given its supply chain is almost completely reliant on ships registered to other countries. The …

Americas The US Navy and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are wrapping up a five-year joint effort to develop high-power microwave technology capable of knocking out adversary electronics. The High-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike (HiJENKS) weapon is undergoing a two-month test at Naval Air Station China Lake, California. The Royal Canadian Navy will have to continue relying on allies and a private firm to refuel its ships at seas after a project to build a new fleet of supply vessels was hit with more delays. The service was supposed to receive its first joint support ship next year, but that delivery is delayed because of pandemic-related work issue…

Americas AeroVironment won an $86.4 million deal for the RQ-20B All Environment 3 and the Long Endurance Puma unmanned aircraft systems. RQ-20B is a block 2 upgrade of the Pointer Upgraded Mission Ability-All Environment (Puma AE) small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed and built by AeroVironment. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion date ist September 29, 2023. The 40th Flight Test Squadron has taken delivery of the first of two government-owned Kratos XQ?58A unmanned aircraft. The Autonomous Aircraft Experimentation team will take use the aircraft for developmental ground and flight testing. The first flight is scheduled later this month. The …

Americas BAE Systems won a $23.5 million deal for logistics engineering and integration support services for Trident II Strategic Weapon System and the Submarine Submersible Guided Missile Attack Weapon System. This contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia; Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Rockville, Maryland; […]View the full article

Americas The US Navy plans to mount a high-powered microwave-based counter-air defense system prototype on one of its vessels in 2026. The Meteor will be the navy’s first high-powered microwave (HPM) project to counter targets such as drones and anti-ship missiles, USNI News wrote, citing the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget documents. The US Army and the US […]View the full article

Americas Swedish defense contractor Saab has made an offer for the sale of its JAS 39 Gripen light supersonic aircraft to the Republic of Colombia. The potential contract of an undisclosed number of Gripens with Bogotá was first revealed unofficially by Swedish public news agency Sveriges Radio, according to a report by Reuters. In a recent interview, Saab CEO Micael Johansson confirmed this, saying that the Stockholm-based company committed to a “full-fledged” proposal to the Latin American country. The US Army has awarded Florida-based Repkon a $435-million contract to develop and commission a TNT factory in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. TNT is used for ammunition and ex…