Raw Intel

French Rafale fighters scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania to intercept two Russian Su-30SM fighters that entered Baltic airspace without a flight plan, with France’s Armed Forces General Staff publishing footage of the intercept and confirming the alert launched on very short notice. The post from the official French military described the aircraft entering […]View the full article

A Russian military-affiliated Telegram channel claims Ukraine used U.S.-supplied AGM-188 Rusty Dagger cruise missiles to strike the Sborka semiconductor plant in Voronezh, a claim that, if confirmed, would represent the first documented combat use of a weapon system the United States designed from scratch specifically to give Ukraine a mass-producible long-range strike capability at a […]View the full article

Mack Defense announced that the U.S. Army placed an order for 115 additional Heavy Dump Trucks, known as HDTs, under the M917A3 program supporting the National Guard, a purchase that brings the combined value of this and a related truck order from last month past $84 million. An HDT is exactly what it sounds like, […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Textron Systems a $231.5 million contract modification to build two more Ship to Shore Connector hovercraft, according to a Department of War contract announcement. The modification adds two LCAC-100-class craft to an existing contract and is funded entirely through fiscal 2026 Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds. Textron will perform most […]View the full article

MK 41s in action (click to view full) The naval MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) hides missiles below decks in vertical slots, with key electronics and venting systems built in. A deck and hatch assembly at the top of the module protects the missile canisters from the elements, and from other hazards during storage. Once the firing sequence begins, the hatches open to permit missile launches of various types. It is also being adapted for land use, as part of the USA’s plan to forward-deploy ballistic missile defense in allied countries. The Mk.41 is the most widely-used naval VLS in the world, in service with the US Navy and with many countries outside the United …

After a week moving from the warm embrace of Valentines Day to the cold jolt of a nation wide arctic freeze, come join us this Sunday at 5pm Eastern for a live Midrats Free For All! Open chat room, open phone, and open topic on the - mostly - maritime national security front. From the new Biden DOD and State Department's first moves, to the ongoing efforts of the USA and our allies as we try to figure out what we need to do to ensure the global system that serves us all. Come join us and if you don't like these topics, join in the live chat or even give us a call. We’ll be live and hope you’ll join us this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. DON’T MISS IT! If you use iTunes,…

When something you know is mundane, ordinary, and clearly unclassified is all of a sudden stamped with a classification, your first reaction should be, “What are they hiding?”, not, "What neat things are they doing!" Know your history. I have spent a week waiting for someone to tell me the latest on NGAD isn’t exactly what I think it is, and no one even tries to explain it away. They know. Via Mallory Shelbourne at USNINews; The Navy is keeping classified the amount of Fiscal Year 2022 money it wants to develop the next-generation fighter aircraft set to replace the fleet of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, according to service budget documents. The Navy’s FY 2022 bud…

Air Force One (click to view full) The USA’s fleet of 2 “VC-25” 747-200 derivatives is unique in several respects. It’s more popularly known as the latest incarnation of the “Air Force One” fleet that transports the President of the United States around the world, though the planes themselves only acquire the “Air Force One” call sign when the President is on board. The VC-25 can also serve as a secondary command post, thanks to a suite of advanced communications and electronics gear that’s both highly encrypted, and protected from the Electro-Magnetic Pulse effects of nuclear detonations. The 89th Airlift Wing operates them from Andrews AFB, MD. During the Cold War, i…

Desire and will are powerful things. With luck, hard work, and good timing ... really wanting something enough can be the key to making things you desire come to pass. Little warning though ... wanting something by itself is not enough. It has to match with reality. Few things are more real than being cold, being able to produce products at market prices, and to be in control of the energy you need to be a modern nation. Germany is about to see if desire - to be a "green superpower" fully dedicated to the carbon-neutral pagan god - is enough. Germany is set to close almost half of its nuclear power capacity before the end of the year, putting further strain on European g…

It's been a couple of years since we visited Peter Zeihan, and two weeks ago he posted a video that just pulls it all together to make a solid point about the pivot point the Russo-Ukrainian war is ... at least for the Russians. The Ukrainian economic and demographic numbers are a nightmare on their own, but let's put that struggling people to the side for a moment and look at the Russians. As interesting and informative are the tactical level efforts and changing "supply convoy" of the day pictures, the real interesting and informative to ponder are the larger movements in play; economics, geography, and demographics. The real frightening part is at the end as it cover…

Yesterday’s article by Seligman, Hudson, & McLeary over at Politico created a nice buzz in the navalist chatterati over the weekend and for good reason – it is a solid summary of a core dysfunction in our nation’s inability to properly provide and maintain a navy. When you see such dysfunction, it is easy to blame individuals or this political party or that, but this dog’s breakfast stewardship of our nation’s maritime legacy is a symptom, not a cause of failures such as this; The Navy of the future needs 316 ships. Actually, make that 327. No, more like 367. You know what? Let’s make it 373, or maybe even 500. At different points this year, the Pentagon and Navy lea…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $47.3 million contract modification, which exercises an option to procure Ancillary Mission Equipment in support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lot 17 production aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers, and non-US Department of Defense participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) is a stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and programme partners from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) and US al…

Americas Mills Marine and Ship Repair LLC won a $48.5 million deal to support in-service Carriers Refueling Complex Overhaul fire watch support for the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Refueling and Complex Overhaul availabilities. This contract will include the identification of fire hazards and the safe response […]View the full article

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won an $8 million order provides engineering and logistics sustainment support in support of the E-2D Hawkeye aircraft transition from production to sustainment. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida and is expected to be completed in April 2025. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The […]View the full article

Dassault Rafale (click for cutaway view) Will Dassault’s fighter become a fashionably late fighter platform that builds on its parent company’s past successes – or just “the late Rafale”? It all began as a 1985 break-away from the multinational consortium that went on to create EADS’ Eurofighter. The French needed a lighter aircraft that was suitable for carrier use, and were reportedly unwilling to cede design authority over the project. As is so often true of French defense procurement policy, the choice came down to paying additional costs for full independence and exact needs, or losing key industrial capabilities by partnering or buying abroad. France has generally o…

Denmark has purchased MBDA France’s VL MICA air defense system, according to a statement released by the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (FMI). The contract, signed as part of the Danish military’s accelerated investment strategy, will deliver two “fire units” of the VL MICA surface-to-air missile system. The acquisition is part of an early-phase […] The post Denmark buys VL MICA air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is preparing to unveil three new high-power microwave weapon systems during its upcoming military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025. The huge truck-mounted platforms, designed to counter drones with directed energy, were observed during recent parade rehearsals and are expected to draw international attention when they roll across Tiananmen Square. According to open-source […] The post China to unveil microwave guns at parade first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

United Aircraft Corporation has delivered new Su-35S fighter jets to the Russian Armed Forces after completing ground and flight testing, the company announced. The Su-35 is designed to establish air superiority in difficult weather conditions and at long distances from its home base. Russian industry presents the aircraft as a bridge to fifth-generation platforms, combining […] The post Russian military receives new Su-35 fighter jets first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has unveiled an upgraded generation of its unmanned maritime strike platforms known as “Sea Baby,” which have already played a role in high-profile operations in the Black Sea. The drones were shown publicly for the first time in footage released by the SBU, which emphasized their combat-tested effectiveness and […] The post Ukraine unveils new Sea Baby naval drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Peru has chosen Israel’s Plasan Sasa Ltd. to supply 56 Sandcat EX12 armored vehicles to the National Police, according to a report from Defensa. The contract was awarded under International Competition No. 003‑2025, launched by the Ministry of the Interior for a multipurpose 4×4 armored vehicle program aimed at strengthening riot‑control and public‑security capabilities. According […]View the full article