Raw Intel

The aircraft the U.S. Navy relies on to hunt submarines and track enemy ships across millions of square miles of open ocean is getting smarter, faster, and harder to evade, after Boeing received a $121 million contract to upgrade nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the most advanced configuration yet fielded, with six of […]View the full article

Russian forces have grown increasingly willing to sacrifice a fake air defense system rather than a real one, a pattern that keeps surfacing in drone strike footage even as Ukrainian units continue to celebrate each new video as a confirmed kill. A recent example centers on footage released by Ukrainian military showing a Hornet kamikaze […]View the full article

North Korea-linked hacking groups launched 99 state-sponsored cyberattacks in the first half of 2026, with South Korea absorbing 19 of them, the most of any country, the Korea Times reported, citing a new threat intelligence report from cybersecurity firm S2W. The figure makes North Korea the most active state-backed threat actor globally over the period, […]View the full article

67% of the fleet (click to view full) DID’s FOCUS Article for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class “destroyer” program covers the new ships’ capabilities and technologies, key controversies, associated contracts and costs, and related background resources. The ship’s prime missions are to provide naval gunfire support, and next-generation air defense, in near-shore areas where other large ships hesitate to tread. There has even been talk of using it as an anchor for action groups of stealthy Littoral Combat Ships and submarines, owing to its design for very low radar, infrared, and acoustic signatures. The estimated 14,500t (battlecruiser size) Zumwalt Class will be fully multi-…

I've decided to change the topic of this week's DivThu. If you're here for the farcical Navy's "Task Force One Navy", well, come back next week. This is worse and more important. For how many years of doing DivThu, through all the name calling, attempts to doxx or cancel me and my sources, have we been told - in spite of the experiences of many here - that in no case will our Navy set up quota systems ... and then in hushed tones perhaps whisper, "Well, they'd never be stupid enough to make it official. We have goals and desires." OK, here is it, red in tooth in claw. At least it is out in the open - and perhaps has been for quite a while. Is to exclude someone by ra…

BZ to VFA-154, the Black Knights, on their Cruise 2021 video. Everyone else is going to have to up their game. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=ixh5f2XItWY:z-gZNVyqt8A:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=ixh5f2XItWY:z-gZNVyqt8A:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=ixh5f2XItWY:z-gZNVyqt8A:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=ixh5f2XItWY:z-gZNVyqt8A:F7zBnMyn0Lo http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/FAFV/~4/ixh5f2XItWYView the full article

To start out with, as this is the topic of the WaPo opinion bit I’m about to snipe at, if you did not read my thoughts about the events of January 6th, 2021 – you can read my thoughts I wrote that very day. I stand by them and they are fairly self-explanatory. Now on to the opinion bit in question by; Paul D. Eaton is a retired U.S. Army major general and a senior adviser to VoteVets. Antonio M. Taguba is a retired Army major general, with 34 years of active duty service. Steven M. Anderson is a retired brigadier general who served in the U.S. Army for 31 years. Executive summary: these three men – all Army I might add (not historically insignificant) – are one of two t…

The Royal Navy and the United States Navy share a common heritage, and in the last century built one of the greatest maritime security partnerships over a longer period than any other pair of nations. In more recent years, they also shared common challenges in keeping their once unchallenged sea power relevant, capable, and funded. What are the lessons from both nations' recent stumbles in naval planning, program management, and managing the military industrial base that enables both? What have we done right that should be replicated, and where should we take the hard won lessons of failure to heart and move on? We have a great guest for the full hour this Sunday from 5-…

One of the more difficult things for me to work through is a certain intolerance at my core that is easily triggered, and I have to make a conscious effort to not be petty, mean, and flinty towards people an institutions who put it in my face. To be more specific, I have a very short fuse when people act shocked today when something happens that they have been warned about - and even suffered from - in the past that they could have avoided repeating in the future if they took basic and clear steps to learn their lesson. Let's go back to 2011, almost a dozen years ago; Less than a month into the Libyan conflict, NATO is running short of precision bombs, highlighting the …

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $9 million modification to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm-target), cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable contract. This modification increases the contract ceiling to procure the necessary hardware and associated technical engineering, management and logistics support for fabrication, assembly, test, and delivery of eight AN/APR-39 D(V)2 Radar Warning Receiver/Electronic Warfare Management Systems, and […]View the full article

Americas Dynetics has received a $670.5-million contract to build the common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) and thermal protection system for the US Army. A total of $65.8 million has already been allocated from the overall amount to the Leidos subsidiary for fiscal 2024 research, development, testing, and evaluation. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of October 2029. Teledyne FLIR has been selected by Red Cat Holdings to provide advanced thermal imaging cameras for the US Army’s new short-range reconnaissance (SRR) drone. Under the agreement, Teledyne will integrate its Hadron 640R+ longwave infrared camera module into the Bl…

On today’s Midrats, we have returning guest Craig Whiteside and his co-author Ian C. Rice joining us to discuss one of the nightmares we all have in the new book coming out this month. He co-authored it with Ian Rice, Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects. From the abstract: Building on previous research on Islamic State special operations, the book develops a theoretical framework surrounding a typology of VNSA (militants, proxies, criminal/cults, and mercenaries) to explore variations of non-state special operations, with multiple cases for each category of actor. Understanding when and why VNSA use special operations provides insights into the inner w…

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has undergone two decades of transformation, trading sheer numbers for advanced technology and shifting its force structure to confront new security challenges. A study from the National Defense University revisits earlier forecasts about the “right size” of China’s air force and evaluates how modernization since 2007 has reshaped […] The post China builds smaller but more capable air force first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Reports that India may seek to acquire Su-57 stealth fighter jets from Russia have sparked reactions across South Asia, where long-standing tensions continue to shape defense planning. In a conversation with Defence Blog, Pakistani military analyst Zarvan Ali described how such developments are viewed in Islamabad. “Everything India procures is considered a danger due to […] The post Pakistan analyst: India’s Su-57 interest is a catch-up move first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Hanwha Aerospace this week presented a new mobile rocket artillery concept, the High-Performance Launch Rocket System, or HPRS, at ADEX 2025. Military expert Mason Yonhak reported that the HPRS was shown for the first time, and that the system represents a lighter, more transportable adaptation of the Chunmoo family intended for coastal defense and expeditionary […] The post Hanwha unveils new HPRS rocket system at ADEX 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

If you want to get an otherwise reserved and laconic farmer to get excited and talkative about a subject, ask them about the issue of “right to repair.” …Wilson and others accuse John Deere of blocking farmers and everyday mechanics from fixing equipment without going through John Deere dealers. Although the company doesn’t prohibit users from fixing equipment themselves, the lawsuit claims it locks users out of repairs because of the limited access to software that only dealerships can access. The lawsuit says that makes most fixes nearly impossible.A lot like cars, the farming equipment is equipped with sensors. The John Deere tractors, for instance, run on firmware tha…

Schiebel has completed the first flight test campaign of its CAMCOPTER S-300 unmanned helicopter in France, a step forward in the development of the next-generation rotary-wing unmanned air system for military and government use. According to a statement from the company dated December 18, 2025, the flight activities were conducted at the CESA Drones test […]View the full article

A new variant of China’s ZBD-04 infantry fighting vehicle has been spotted during transport at an undisclosed location, showing the platform fitted with an automated, unmanned weapon turret, indicating a possible shift in the Chinese Army’s approach to infantry vehicle design. Images circulating online show a modified ZBD-04 chassis equipped with a lighter, remotely operated […]View the full article

Raytheon has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to establish a domestic production capability for thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) wafers, a material used in high-speed communications and advanced sensing systems critical to defense technology, the company announced. The effort aims to create a secure U.S.-based supply chain for TFLN, […]View the full article

Here we find ourselves approaching the fifth spring of the Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022. As the rest of the world’s geopolitical landscape changes dramatically, Russia’s “friend group” shrinks, and Ukraine’s friends grow weary and distracted, where is the war moving and where could we expect Russia to adjust for another year of conflict? Returning to Midrats again to discuss this and related issues is Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg, a Senior Research Scientist in the Strategy, Policy, Plans, and Programs division of CNA, where he has worked since 2000. You can listen live at this link from 5-6 PM Eastern. If you are reading this after then, refresh the Substack Sunday night for the …