Raw Intel

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $23 million contract modification adds scope for the development and stand up of the initial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter depot repair capability for the Weapon Bay Door Drive System and Hydraulic Power Generation System, as well as provides increased repair capacity for the Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System. Work will take place in the UK, California, Texas and Illinois. Estimated completion will be in April 2025. The US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) has started testing its first adaptive cycle engine, the XA100 from General Electric. This is part of the Phase 2 testing program and the first phase was car…

Americas AV Inc. won an $11.3 million contract modification for RQ-20B Puma 3 AE systems. Work will be performed in Simi Valley, California, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2023. Puma is a third-generation tactical UAS that provides precise intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance utilizing an enhanced digital data link to transmit real-time imagery. Raytheon won a $17 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure 40 learn to build AIM-9X Systems Improvement Program (SIP) III configured guidance units (GUs), and associated nonrecurring tooling and test equipment to support build and checkout of the SIP III GUs in a pro…

...and a special thanks to everyone at sea who puts in that extra effort to bring a proper Thanksgiving meal to their Shipmates. View the full article

Thailand has reportedly used its Ukrainian-made T-84 Oplot main battle tanks in combat for the first time. Local media and defense observers in Thailand say the Royal Thai Army employed the tanks during an assault on Cambodian military positions in the area near the Thai-Cambodian border. Sompong Nondhasa, a prominent Thai defense commentator, posted online: […] The post Reports: Thai Oplot tanks deployed to Cambodian border first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Finland-based arms manufacturer SAKO has announced the launch of its new Arctic Rifle Generation (ARG), a family of military rifles developed in close cooperation with the Finnish and Swedish Defense Forces. The company says the system is designed to replace aging assault rifles with a modular, next-generation platform tailored for Arctic warfare and tested to […] The post Finnish gun-maker debuts ARG next-gen rifle system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

New Delhi is reassessing a plan to buy at least two squadrons of Russia’s Su-57 fighter, not primarily for stealth but to close a shortfall in long-range strike and beyond-visual-range engagement, according to reporting from The Print. The report says India is weighing a proposal from Russia that would follow the earlier MiG-series and Su-30MKI […] The post India eyes Su-57 for long-range strike role first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Singapore seems to have made a solid decision here. They took the framework of the Danish Iver Huitfeldt and Absalon class frigates and customized the rest to meet their needs. That enabled them to do this: Now that the vessel is in the water, it will move to the Gul Yard for further outfitting, integration, and sea trials. It will then be formally commissioned. The six MRCVs are planned to be delivered progressively from 2028 onward. … The vessel was also built remarkably quickly, with just 12 months between keel laying and launch. This was aided by 3D modeling and digital twinning in the design phase. This meant that the MRCV could be ‘tested’ in a virtual environment a…

Elbit Systems Ltd. has secured new contracts worth approximately $210 million from the Israel Ministry of Defense to modernize the Israeli Army’s fleet of Merkava main battle tanks. The company announced the multi-year agreement on November 18, stating that the upgrades will extend the operational life of the armored platforms and improve their battlefield effectiveness. […]View the full article

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN )’s newest aircraft carrier, Fujian (CV-18), transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, marking the second time the carrier has passed through the sensitive waterway, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. The Taiwanese military said they monitored the carrier’s movement and responded in line with established procedures. The […]View the full article

EuroTrophy GmbH has signed a €330 million ($383 million) contract with KNDS Deutschland to supply Trophy Active Protection Systems for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks ordered by Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Croatia, the company announced on January 19, 2026. The agreement covers the delivery of Trophy APS units for the four national […]View the full article

L3Harris Technologies has received a contract valued at nearly $400 million to produce additional propulsion components for the U.S. military’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, reinforcing production of one of the nation’s primary ballistic missile defense capabilities. The award covers the manufacture of solid rocket boost motors and Liquid Divert and Attitude Control […]View the full article

The United States and South Korean militaries conducted joint river-crossing drills on Saturday in Yeoncheon County near the inter-Korean border, as part of the annual Freedom Shield exercise designed to improve interoperability between allied forces. The training brought together engineering units from both countries to practice bridging operations across complex terrain in a region close […]View the full article

The Office of Naval Research published a formal solicitation on April 10, 2026, calling on industry and government partners to submit technologies in support of the Flight Advancement of Structures for Hypersonics program — a funded Innovative Naval Prototype effort aimed at developing and flight-testing a surface-launched, tactically relevant hypersonic strike weapon. The announcement, posted […]View the full article

U.S. Army soldiers from 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, launched the Hornet one-way strike drone at Pabradė Training Area in Lithuania on May 3, 2026, as the system continues to expand its footprint across American military exercises in Europe. The same week, Hornet drones were also deployed at Bemowo Piskie Training Area in Poland during […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has opened an industry search for a new mission computer for its F-16 fleet, a move aimed at replacing aging avionics hardware that limits future upgrades to one of the service’s most widely used fighter aircraft. The program it is kicking off could define what the F-16 Fighting Falcon can do […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $12 million contract to Zone 5 Technologies to advance manufacturing technology for the Rusty Dagger program, a fast-moving effort to produce affordable, mass-scale long-range strike missiles that has moved from program launch to potential combat employment in roughly two years. The contract, awarded June 18, 2026, by the […]View the full article

The U.S. State Department approved a possible sale to Greece of Switchblade 300 Block 20 systems, a portable loitering munition built by AeroVironment (AV) that a single soldier can carry, launch from a tube in under two minutes, and fly toward a target before the drone itself explodes, destroying both the target and the aircraft […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Elroy Air a $46 million contract to develop an autonomous, hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft for modular cargo delivery, according to a Department of War contract announcement. The Phase III Small Business Innovation Research award covers development of a Group IV unmanned aircraft system, a Pentagon classification for larger drones weighing more […]View the full article

Diehl Defence and Elbit Systems demonstrated their SkyStriker loitering ‘kamikaze drone’ system in a live test in early September 2026, the companies announced Sept. 14. The demonstration focused on the weapon’s range and a “hand-over” function that worked at a distance of 80 km (50 miles). SkyStriker was launched from a canister, located a target, […]View the full article

The Spanish Army has received its first Aracne counter-drone systems, delivered to the 71st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, which serves as the army’s lead unit for defending against drones. The army announced the delivery on Oct. 8. The system is built to detect drones, identify them and choose a response, and the regiment has already completed […]View the full article