Raw Intel

Pakistan’s Navy confirmed plans to expand its fleet to 50 ships during a 2021 address by then–Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, formally outlining one of the country’s largest long-term naval force development programs, according to defense analyst Zarvan Ali. Abbasi stated that the Pakistan Navy intends to induct 20 major surface combatants, including corvettes, […]View the full article

BAE Systems announced successful trials of its Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) uncrewed ground vehicle, confirming testing of a combat-capable autonomous platform designed to support main battle tank and combat reconnaissance operations. The trials evaluated the ATLAS Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), a fully functional prototype demonstrator first introduced at the Land Forces exhibition in […]View the full article

The United States Army’s 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was spotted using a sniper rifle equipped with a futuristic muzzle device during a validation exercise at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana. According to the official caption accompanying the image, “Green Berets with the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) provide security from […]View the full article

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has unveiled a new counter-drone combat vehicle being prepared for Ukraine, combining the Ukrainian-made Inguar-3 armored vehicle with the Norwegian company’s latest counter-UAS technology. The vehicle was presented during a visit to Norway by a Polish delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. People familiar with the […]View the full article

Otto Aerospace has completed a flight-test campaign for an unmanned aircraft built around laminar-flow aerodynamics, validating in actual flight the drag-reduction performance the company has been modeling for years and generating data with direct implications for long-endurance drone design. The tests were conducted at Spaceport America in New Mexico, within White Sands Missile Range airspace, […]View the full article

With so much else going on, it is easy to forget that the Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022 is still ongoing. It has always been true that if you want to better prepare your nation for its next war, watch closely what works or does not work in other people’s wars. We’ve seen a cottage industry build around this concept when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine. Some of it gets rather tiresome as people try to directly translate what works on the Ukrainian steppe to a potential Taiwan conflict, for just one example. Much of this pontificating and projecting is firmly where most people are comfortable, the Tactical level. We’re not going to do that today. Recently, breaking above…

Polish, Lithuanian, and French troops are conducting a large-scale military exercise in northeastern Poland focused on defending one of NATO’s most vulnerable geographic chokepoints, deploying unmanned ground robots alongside tanks, artillery, and infantry fighting vehicles in scenarios designed to test whether allied forces can hold a 65-kilometer (40-mile) land corridor that military planners have identified […]View the full article

As regulars here know, there are two defining cultures that shaped who I am. First, both sides of my family are Old Line Southern families who have been in the South for four centuries. Second, I grew up in Florida with the children of Cuban and Iranian refugees. The former, especially, shaped my view of the greatest cancer on this planet in the last two centuries—Communism. As a fellow Floridian of the same age, I just nodded and smiled when Secretary of State Marco Rubio's State Department published, Cuba: the Capital of 21st Century Communism. It pulls it all together. It is a document that serves as a marker, a Ref. A, and a testament. I encourage you to put it on you…

The U.S. Navy launched an Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle Six (ARAV-6) target from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii, on August 6 as part of Pacific Dragon 2026, according to U.S. 3rd Fleet. Pacific Dragon is a biennial exercise hosted by U.S. 3rd Fleet in the Hawaiian Islands Operating Area, designed to improve how participating forces […]View the full article

Americas Honeywell International won a $72.9 million deal for the repair of six weapon repairable assemblies in support of the V-22 aircraft. The V-22 Osprey aircraft, made by a joint venture between Boeing and Bell, is a multirole model designed for both vertical and short takeoff and landing. The V-22 operates as a helicopter when taking off and landing vertically. The nacelles rotate 90° forward once airborne, converting the aircraft into a turboprop aircraft. The Navy will use its annual working capital funds to finance task orders under the contract, as work runs through November 2025. Work will take place in California and Arizona. Estimated completion will by by No…

Americas Boeing won an $11.6 million contract modification, which adds scope for engineering services in support of Next Generation Jammer software development. Next Generation Jammer, an external jamming pod, will address advanced and emerging threats alike, as well as the growing numbers of threats. NGJ uses the latest digital, software-based and Active Electronically Scanned Array technologies and will provide enhanced airborne electronic attack capabilities to disrupt and degrade enemy air defense and ground communication systems. Work will take place in St. Louis, Missouri. Expected completion will be in December 2021. The first Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demons…

No, this isn't Rep. Luria (D-VA) week on CDR Salamander, though it is playing out as such ... but my post that was going up today is going on the back burner so we can bring up this jewel ... dare I say a Salamanderesque episode as uploaded by our friend Herb Carmen from today's HASC hearing. I'll let Rep. Luria take it from here. If we could have another dozen or so like this on The Hill, that would be great. Thanks. Now, dig deep in to the point she's making here. Our Navy got in the pickle it is right now from overpromising and underdelivering; by acting like a salesman for the defense industry, vice a customer of same. More of this is needed ... and on THU w…

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $8.4 million delivery order for support of the E2-D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft program avionics flight management computers. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is the newest variant of the E-2 aircraft platform. In December 2020, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $13.1 million order to provide new computers and displays for the E2-D Hawkeye. The new contract is a 42-month contract with no option periods. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion date is February 5, 2025. Boeing won a $26.8 million delivery order for F/A-18 aircraft spare parts, according to the Defense Department. Work will take place in Missouri. Estimated complet…

Americas General Electric Aviation won an $18.4 million order, which provides engineering and engine system improvement services for F414 engine component improvements in support of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.The engine is a 22,000-pound class afterburning turbofan engine. It features an axial compressor with 3 fan stages and 7 high-pressure compressor stages, and 1 high-pressure and 1 low-pressure turbine stage. At a weight of 2,445 pounds, the F414-GE-400 has a thrust-to-weight ratio of nine. Work will take place in Massachusetts. Estimated completion will be in December 2022. BAE Information and Electronic Systems Integration won a maximum $42 million contract …

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $261.4 million contract modification, which increases scope for the procurement of long lead-time materials, parts, components, and efforts for the production of nine Lot 17 F-35C aircraft for the Navy, 13 Lot 17 F-35A aircraft and two Lot 17 F-35B aircraft for non-US Department of Defense participants. Work will take place in Texas, California, Maryland and Japan. Estimated completion is in May 2026. Boeing won a $55.5 million deal in support of the KC-46 program. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Boeing will deliver the entire KC-46 tanker fl…

Unless you live in a highly isolated environment where you don't spend too much time reading and understanding the nation you serve & live amongst others in the military in these co-ed quasi-monastic cloisters known as government quarters (yes, I'm looking at you DC GOFO community), you are well aware that the last place to look for any advice on issues of "gender" related issues is academia. Only a fool would ask academia for advice here, or someone who was a true believer and wanted a club to beat the pagans with until they convert. Maybe a bit of both. Of course, just like in corporate America where the weakest senior leadership fears their HR department more than …

Americas Raytheon won a $24.5 million modification for the procurement of components for Megatron obsolescence in support of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) production requirements. Work is expected to be completed by February 2027. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. American defense firm Kratos has reportedly completed the first flight of its “Thanatos” combat drone. Thanatos is expected to integrate advanced artificial intelligence tools designed for high-risk missions traditionally undertaken by crewed aircraft. These capabilities aim to reduce risks for human pilots in combat situations. Middle East & Africa Bahrain has purchased…

The Senate Armed Services Committee has published the advance policy questions, with answers, for the nominee for appointment to be our next Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl L. Caudle, USN. If you want to know where he stands or where the center-mass of consensus thinking on topics are, this is about as good of a source as any. Yes, there is a fair bit of boilerplate, but there are some solid answers as well. Even better, it is a serious set of questions. I did word searches for some of the socio-political garbage previous CNOs invested their personal capital in, and none of it is there. To keep things short, I do have a list of Top-5 quotes for you to consider.…

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and related equipment to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) on behalf of Belgium, Italy, and Romania. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible $103.9 million deal on Tuesday. According to […] The post U.S. clears $104M Sidewinder sale to NATO allies first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has deployed its new Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) system to South Korea, the first time the advanced air defense platform has been stationed outside the United States, Korea Bizwire reported. According to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George visited the 35th Air […] The post U.S. deploys new IFPC missile defense system to South Korea first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article