Raw Intel

Poland’s defense industry has taken a bold step into the future of land warfare with the development of GNOM, an innovative wheeled loitering munition designed to deliver precision strikes against armored targets. Developed by MACRO-SYSTEM and tested during the recent “Iron Gate 25” exercise with the 18th Mechanized Division, GNOM is emerging as one of […] The post Poland trials GNOM drone built to break armored assaults first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a $68.3 million contract under the Department of War’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program to design and construct a next-generation facility for testing hypersonic materials, the company announced Thursday. The new facility—internally known as Project Helios—will feature a mid-tier arc jet system coupled with a high-powered […] The post Kratos wins $68M deal for hypersonic test site first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian defense robotics company Air3F has launched full-scale production of its VARKHAN unmanned ground platform, designed for logistics, evacuation, and frontline support under extreme battlefield conditions. Ihor Berehovenko, Co‑founder and CPO of Air3F, announced that the company’s latest robotic ground system, known as VARKHAN, has entered serial production following a demanding period of development and […]View the full article

Egypt has reportedly signed a contract worth about $400 million to acquire 10 Chinese-made WJ-700 unmanned combat aerial vehicles. According to information circulating in Chinese and Arabic defense reporting, the agreement was signed in June 2025. If the deal is fully implemented, Egypt would become the second operator of the WJ-700 following Algeria, marking another […]View the full article

Textron Systems said on January 20, 2026, that it has been awarded a $163.4 million contract to deliver 65 COMMANDO Select Mobile Strike Force Vehicles to support Ukraine under the U.S. Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, using the Foreign Military Sales mechanism, according to a company announcement. The three-year, firm fixed-price contract was awarded through the […]View the full article

Florida-based Petrel Technologies announced new performance results for its AERO Sky hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, confirming the unmanned system achieved six hours of flight endurance and extended reconnaissance reach during recent testing, the company said in a statement released in February 2026. According to the company, the hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrated sustained airborne […]View the full article

The Royal Netherlands Navy has acquired 12 V-BAT unmanned aerial systems following operational testing, including trials conducted during the Cold Response exercise off Norway. According to the Dutch Navy, the V-BAT drones are equipped with radar and camera systems designed to conduct reconnaissance and gather intelligence over extended periods. The platform can operate for several […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that American forces would begin enforcing a full naval blockade of all Iranian ports effective April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, acting under a presidential proclamation issued by President Donald Trump. The operation is narrowly focused on Iranian ports and coastal areas, while allowing international shipping to continue transiting the […]View the full article

General Dynamics Mission Systems has won a contract worth up to $69.7 million to produce the KIV-78A cryptographic device, a piece of hardware that sits at the heart of how allied military aircraft identify each other in contested airspace, with the contract covering Foreign Military Sales to 18 countries across NATO, the Indo-Pacific, and the […]View the full article

Pakistan’s Chinese-made J-10CE fighter jets went undefeated against Qatar’s Eurofighter Typhoons in nine simulated air combat engagements during a joint exercise in 2024, with China’s state broadcaster CCTV confirming the result last week without identifying the specific drill or the countries involved, according to an analysis by Harrison Kass published by The National Interest. Pakistani […]View the full article

DARPA, the Pentagon’s advanced research agency responsible for some of the most consequential technological breakthroughs in American military history, has issued a request for information targeting metals producers, ceramics manufacturers, and composites makers with an unusual proposition: share your production data, and we will give you AI tools that make your factory perform better than […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps’ Program Manager Light Armored Vehicles held what the service calls a Marine Touchpoint event last month for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, letting Light Armored Reconnaissance Marines get hands-on time with the new vehicle, including a test drive, months before the program reaches its next major design review. The Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, […]View the full article

No more complaining about a long Sea & Anchor detail. What a great story about a frigate ... and three hurricanes. Read the full thing, but here is how it starts; THE 24-gun frigate H.M.S. Experiment was built in 1740 by Henry Bird of Rotherhithe. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 21 July 1740 from Spithead to join Vice-Admiral Vernon’s squadron in the West Indies. Her captain was James Rentone, who had piloted Vernon’s squadron into Portobello Harbour and had been given the honour of bearing the news of Vernon’s victory to the king. George II had rewarded him with a present of 200 guineas and the promise of a 6o-gun ship. Under his command H.M.S. Experiment had n…

If you are a regular in the chat room during the live airing of Midrats or EagleOne's homeblog - then you know who Saturn 5 is. He even visits here now and then. Though most may not know it - he is also one of the few regular commenters from Turkey in the Navy milblogosphere. After my post earlier this week - I asked if he wanted to offer up a guest post here on the topic of Turkey today, Kemalism, and where things are headed - from the Turkish perspective. BZ to S5 - he dove right in with a quick response. Thanks S5! The rest of this post is from Saturn5.While the dust cloud around Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla last week is settling down, informed minds…

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces that Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn will leave the post later this year. A replacement is expected to be found by the autumn. Two House Foreign Affairs sub-committees held a joint session to consider the extent of Somalia’s piracy and crime networks, the influence of the Islamist al Shabaab group and the growing humanitarian crisis affecting almost 3 million Somalis. More and more shipping companies are ignoring the UN’s IMO, and hiring armed guards to fight pirate attacks. The IMO is expected to cave soon, and introduce vetting procedures for guards. Following Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s dem…

MC-12 arrives (click to view full) Despite all of the high-tech fighter hours flown in theater, Hawker Beechcraft’s twin-propeller King Air 350 continues to gain traction as an affordable, long-endurance option for light cargo delivery in remote areas – and effective manned battlefield surveillance and attack. Iraq’s Air Force was the first to order them, and an initial 6-plane UC-12W order from the US Marines/Navy followed in July 2008. Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pushed hard to improve ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) capabilities on the front lines, and one of those planned purchases involved about 30 King Air 350/ C-12 aircraft …

Americas CAE USA-Mission Solutions won a $10.8 million contract modification for the F-15E, F-16 and F-22A contract aircrew training and courseware development contract. The modification is for exercising Option Year Four. The Boeing F-15E dual-role fighter is an advanced long-range interdiction fighter and tactical aircraft. The F-15E is the latest version of the Eagle, a Mach 2.5-class twin-engine fighter. The F-16, the mainstay of the Air Force aerial combat fleet, has been adapted to complete a number of missions, including air-to-air fighting, ground attack and electronic warfare. The F-22A Raptor is an advanced tactical fighter aircraft. Work will be performed at Jo…

Americas During a ceremony held on October 6 at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, the US Army unveiled the newest variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the UH-60V. As part of their preparation for beginning instruction, EAATS instructor pilots have been training on six UH-60Vs they received from the Utility Helicopter Program Office in July. General Dynamics won a $482.1 million contract modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia Class submarines. The Virginia Class new attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep oce…

Elite failure. I guess this is German week, but so be it, they're in the news. For those who follow me on twitter, you are familiar with the #WeNeedNewElites hashtag. I started using it as a reference point on the American issue with the serial elite failures that are putting our nation at strategic risk, but it applies throughout the West. The problem is dangerous to our collective security with our allies, especially Germany. More than anything else, Germany just frustrates me. Maybe I'm the problem as I expect more from her than she seems to want to give. I feel like a track coach who has a promising athlete that is so racked with self-doubt, conflicting priorities, a…

Most who have had their kids enter college in the last couple of decades - especially the last decade - have seen the sociopolitical indoctrination of our kids in the world view of the diversity industry. They don't just get informed about how racist their nation is, they are told that their college, their classes, even they themselves are "problematic." For many who have not been in the military recently, you might think that this issue is mostly a problem at civilian liberal arts colleges and maybe it creeps in to STEM programs at public universities, but surely our nation's service academies are not wasting time injecting disunity and division in to our military's next…