Raw Intel

SM-2 Launch, DDG-77 (click to view larger) Variants of the SM-2 Standard missile are the USA’s primary fleet defense anti-air weapon, and serve with 13 navies worldwide. The most common variant is the RIM-66K-L/ SM-2 Standard Block IIIB, which entered service in 1998. The Standard family extends far beyond the SM-2 missile, however; several nations still use the SM-1, the SM-3 is rising to international prominence as a missile defense weapon, and the SM-6 program is on track to supplement the SM-2. These missiles are designed to be paired with the AEGIS radar and combat system, but can be employed independently by ships with older or newer radar systems. This article c…

Americas The Coast Guard received its newest Sentinel Class fast response cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Hatch, from Bollinger Shipyards in Key West, Florida. The Frederick Hatch will be the third FRC stationed in Guam, and will arrive in Santa Rita during the summer. The Frederick Hatch, which will support a crew of 24, was placed in commission, special status, and will remain in Florida while the crew completes pre-commissioning trials and maintenance. Ultra has announced a contract award to commence work on the key Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) system for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme, named the Towed Low Frequency Active Sonar (TLFAS). This su…

Americas The USS Paul Ignatius fired two Standard Missile-3 interceptors at the end of May in order to engage ballistic missile targets launched from the Hebrides Guided Weapon Range off the west coast of Scotland, the Navy announced. The test was carried out as part of a cooperative engagement with the Royal Netherlands Navy, which used its advanced combat system suite to warn the maritime task group of a threat, allowing the Ignatius to fire missiles and negate it, officials said. US B-52H Stratofortress aircraft flew over all 30 NATO allied nations in North America and Europe Monday. B-52s currently deployed to Morón Air Base, Spain, and US-based aircraft planned to f…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $49.3 million deal. The contract provides for overhaul of the B-52 Counter Measure Receiver. The B-52H is the US Air Force’s long-range, large-payload multirole bomber. The B-52H Stratofortress is equipped with a range of electronic warfare equipment. The ITT AN/ALQ-172(V)2 electronic countermeasures system features multi-band threat recognition and multiple threat jamming. Work will take place ein New York. Estimated completion date is September 19, 2026. The US Air Force has started flying operational missions with the Collins Aerospace’s MS-177 multi-spectral imaging (MSI) sensor on the RQ-4B Block 30 aircraft. The MS-177 is derived from…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $92.5 million contract modification for Aegis Combat System Engineering Agent efforts for the design, development, integration, test and delivery of Advanced Capability Build 20. The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system. It uses powerful computers, radar and digital signal processing algorithms to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. Work will take place in New Jersey. Expected completion is by December 2022. The Canadian government has decided that it will buy the Lockheed Martin F-35 to replace its CF-18s, in a joint announcement by Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defe…

Americas DARPA’s Operational Fires (OpFires) ground-launched hypersonic missile system has successfully executed its first flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Lockheed Martin built the system, which includes a Northrop Grumman rocket motor, and conducted the test. Lockheed Martin won a $23.4 million contract modification to exercise options for the engineering, design, and technical services in support of the MK 41 Vertical Launching System electronic systems and computer programs. The deal combines purchases by the US and the governments of Japan, Spain, Canada, and Chile under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Maryland, New…

Americas General Atomics won a $46.9 million contract modification by the US Navy, which exercises an option to provide spares necessary for the successful operational capability of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper air vehicles, ground control stations, and ancillary equipment. Work will take place in California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina. The US Navy awarded Sikorsky a $14.1 million modification, which exercises an option to provide non-recurring engineering, supplies and support necessary for the low rate initial produ…

Americas General Dynamics won a $967.2 million modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia Class submarines. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut; McLeansville, North Carolina; Newport News, Virginia; and Newport and Quonset, Rhode Island, and is expected to be completed by October 2024. The US Navy has […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $46 million order by the US Navy, which provides non-recurring engineering for the development, integration, testing, and deployment of the MH-60 aircraft product line system configuration 26 fleet release for all MH-60 air platform variants, to include baseline management integrated management planning, integrated development environment support, support equipment baseline management, […]View the full article

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has finalized the qualification trials of its new 200-horsepower heavy fuel engine (HFE 2.0) for the Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aerial system in El Mirage, California. HFE 2.0 provides a 40 percent increase in the drone’s service life, 50 percent more power to mission payloads, and longer maintenance-free, low-sustainment capability — all required to meet the user requirements in multi-domain operations. NATO member Romania inked a deal with Washington to buy 32 F-35 jets, an unprecedented expenditure for the country neighboring Ukraine. Romania is the latest to acquire the combat jets, more than two and a half yea…

German-based ARX Robotics has introduced its first combat-capable unmanned ground vehicle, developed with Ukrainian partners and designed to increase soldier survivability on the modern battlefield. According to a press release from ARX, the new system, called Combat Gereon, is built around the company’s “Unmanned First Contact” concept. The approach places unmanned platforms at the front […] The post ARX and Valhalla develop armed ground drone for Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has released the first official footage of flight operations from its newest aircraft carrier Fujian, now in the final stages of sea trials before entering service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The images, published by the PLAN, show not only takeoffs and landings of the older carrier-based fighter J-15T but also the […] The post China’s carrier program enters new phase first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

L3Harris Technologies has secured a contract to deliver modified Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft configured for airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) missions to the Republic of Korea Air Force. The program, valued at over $2.26 billion, is part of a strategic initiative to enhance South Korea’s air surveillance and command capabilities amid rising tensions in […] The post South Korea orders AEW&C aircraft in $2.26B deal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $2.28 billion contract modification to support advance procurement and advance construction of additional Columbia‑class ballistic missile submarine hulls, according to a contract announcement. The modification applies to the previously awarded contract N00024‑17‑C‑2117 and covers work for hull numbers SSBN 828–832, representing upcoming submarines in […]View the full article

A transport company operating in Oman has inadvertently revealed the movement of a Chinese-made integrated counter-drone and laser air defense system, offering a rare public glimpse of a capability that is typically kept out of view. Photos published by Al Badr Transport LLC showed the transportation of several specialized military vehicles arriving at an Omani […]View the full article

Lebanon-based manufacturer Frem has revealed new images showing development progress of its next-generation tactical vehicle, Venom, as the company continues work on a prototype designed for special operations missions, CEO David Frem confirmed. The images, shared by Frem, show the vehicle under construction in its Special Operation Vehicle (SOV) configuration, a lightweight variant focused on […]View the full article

Rheinmetall Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger said insufficient funding is currently limiting the volume of military aid that could be delivered to Ukraine, stating that additional weapons systems are available if financing is secured, according to remarks made in an interview with the Berlin-based media platform Table Media published Feb. 16. Speaking during the Table.Today […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.34 billion contract modification to support the development of the E-7A Rapid Prototype Airborne Mission Segment, part of the service’s effort to field the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. The modification exercises an option under a previously awarded contract and supports continued […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Defense Forces are now deploying 30 percent more strike drones per day than Russian troops across the front line, according to a senior official in Kyiv — a reversal from the significant disadvantage Ukraine faced just over a year ago. The figures, released April 8, came from Brigadier General Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of […]View the full article

A drone pilot operating somewhere in the Washington D.C. area recently had no idea he’d been found, until a military police vehicle with a small detection kit on its roof had already pinpointed his location, pulled his grid coordinates, and displayed them on a tablet inside the cabin. The system that did it was DZYNE […]View the full article