Raw Intel

Vietnam has developed a new 8×8 amphibious armored personnel carrier prototype, the XTC-03, built by the Vietnam Defense Industry as a domestically designed replacement superior to the Russian BTR-80 series. The XTC-03 represents a significant step in Vietnam’s effort to reduce dependence on Soviet and Russian legacy equipment while building indigenous armored vehicle design capability. […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is pumping $20 million into expanding AeroVironment’s Huntsville, Alabama facility to accelerate production of Freedom Eagle-1, a new low-cost interceptor missile designed to shoot down drones and aircraft at a price point that makes defending against mass aerial attacks economically viable for the first time. The $20.2 million government investment, announced May […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is getting more hypersonic missiles, after the Navy awarded Lockheed Martin Space an $83 million contract modification on June 22, 2026, to procure additional All-Up Rounds under the Conventional Prompt Strike program satisfying Army requirements, with nearly the entire contract value funded by Army missile procurement appropriations and work running through June […]View the full article

Israel’s largest defense contractor is bringing a laser cannon that shoots down rockets with light, a missile precise enough to hit hardened underground bunkers, and a record-breaking $2.3 billion European air defense deal to one of the world’s biggest aviation trade shows this week. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced it will showcase a wide portfolio […]View the full article

It is easy to forget how long the China Doves and the China Lobby—wait, I repeat myself—held absolute control of power and influence over the full spectrum of the American political nomenklatura. Bush-41 and Bush-43 were both supporters of a rising China. The Clinton Administration was LITERALLY the Coffee Klatch Era. Obama “welcomed China’s rise” … and everyone this century has been too distracted to slow the creeping influence and control of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from the South China Sea to the Southwest Pacific. Only in the last decade has there been a real shift where the China Doves have lost the dominant position in most of the national security nom…

A Dutch shipbuilder has landed the job of designing where submarine crews will sleep, eat and live during long stretches under the sea. Royal IHC and France’s Naval Group signed a contract Sept. 15, 2026, covering the living quarters on board the Royal Netherlands Navy’s new Orka-class submarines. It sounds like a modest piece of […]View the full article

China’s military is training and building hardware to fight the kind of drone war seen in Ukraine, from sea drone attacks to airfield raids, and its analysts typically write up a new battlefield technique within about four months of its first use, according to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has put the Paladin, a heavy counter-drone multirotor built by California-based Zone 5 Technologies, through training with Joint Interagency Task Force 401 at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on Oct. 8, with the drone carrying a Gen12 counter-drone launcher that fires net rounds to entangle and bring down hostile drones, […]View the full article

Americas The US Air Force has awarded a contract to Silver Arrow to scale down its GD-2000 cargo delivery unmanned air system (UAS). This Small Business Innovation Research contract is to meet specific Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) operational requirements. The glider will deploy from the cargo ramp of the CV-22 and side-door of small fixed-wing aircraft. Silver Arrow says the final product will a eventually be procure on a sole-source basis by the United States government for special operations and tactical resupply as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief. BAE Systems announced a $247 million contract with the US Space Force to manufacture an adva…

In a sharp departure from the ideas that brought them to the fleet, the Navy, "...appears poised to sunset the MK VI and Cyclone-class patrol craft programs in rapid succession, with no replacements on the horizon." Why are these small craft in our Navy today, what missions are they doing, and what risk are we accepting if we let this capability go? What follow on craft could even do the job better? To discuss these and related issues this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern will be LCDR Jordan Bradford, USN. The starting point for our conversation will be his article from the May 2021 Proceedings, "The MK-VI id Dead - Long Live the MK VII." Lieutenant Commander Bradford is…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $14.8 million contract modification, which is adding scope to provide depot level repair capabilities for the F-35 gun system in support of F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production Lot 11 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. 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 NATO and US allies. Work will take place in Varmint, Texas and Maine. Expected completion will be in November 2024. AAR Services won a $14.2…

Americas Nammo Defense Systems won a $498 million contract for the full rate production of M72 Light Assault Weapon variants and components for shoulder-launched munitions training systems. The M72 LAW is a portable, one-shot 66mm unguided anti-tank weapon and was adopted by the US Army and Marine Corps as their primary individual infantry anti-tank weapon in 1963, Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Estimated completion date is December 19, 2026. The US Navy and Boeing have successfully maneuvered the T1 test asset on an aircraft carrier for the first time – an early step forward in ensuring the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler will seamlessly integrat…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $1.4 billion contract modification for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US government and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Foreign Military Sales case requirements. The THAAD Interceptors and associated one-shot devices will be procured under fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract line items. Work will take place in Texas, California, Arkansas and Alabama. Estimated completion date is August 1, 2027. Lockheed Martin Space won a $18.6 million contract modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Trident II D-5 is t…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $32 million for Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is July 21, 2025. Schutt Industries won a $49.8 million deal to procure M870A4 semitrailers, spare parts, and a government-formatted technical data package. Bids were solicited via the internet with…

Americas Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has authenticated the keel of the US Navy’s Virginia class submarine Arkansas (SSN 800). The Arkansas is the 27th fast-attack submarine of its class, being constructed as part of the navy program with General Dynamics Electric Boat. The Virginia class fleet will eventually replace the aging Los Angeles-class submarines first commissioned in 1976. The ceremony was sponsored by members of the Little Rock Nine, the first African-American students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, during desegregation in the US. Northrop Grumman Systems won a $99.4 million deal by the Air Force Life Cycle for Ac…

Americas Argentina has officially signed an agreement to acquire four P-3 aircraft from Norway. The signing ceremony, held on October 17, marks a pivotal moment in Argentina’s efforts to enhance its maritime defense and resource protection. The signing event, attended by key officials from both Argentina and Norway, saw the presence of Argentina’s Minister of […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon Missiles & Defense won a $212.5 million for an option exercise of combat system engineering, miscellaneous material, and travel supporting combat system installation, integration, development, testing, correction, maintenance, and modernization of ZUMWALT class mission systems and mission system equipment. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (40%); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (33%); San Diego, […]View the full article

A South Korean Air Force C-130 transport aircraft prompted a response from Japanese fighter jets earlier this month after it entered Japanese airspace without prior authorization, according to South Korean defense officials. The incident occurred on July 13 as the aircraft was en route to Guam for training. Military officials said the crew encountered severe […] The post South Korean C-130 plane triggers Japanese jets scramble first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The US Navy is deploying to the Caribbean? Been there, done that, came back disappointed. We’ve been doing these deployments since before we were even a nation, so pardon me if this didn’t raise too much of an eyebrow. On the 20th, The United States has ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump's effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the deployment said on Wednesday. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the USS San Antonio, USS Iowa Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale could arrive off the coast of Venezuela as early as Sunday. The ships are carrying 4,500 service …

AM General LLC of South Bend, Indiana, has secured a contract modification worth $50,974,838 for the production of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), the U.S. Department of War announced. According to the Pentagon, the modification covers the procurement of an additional 112 M1152A1B2 and M1165A1B3 Humvee variants. This action brings the total cumulative face […] The post U.S. Army buys 112 more Humvees from AM General first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article