Raw Intel

Americas Raytheon has proven that its High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) can pair with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to defeat drones. During a demonstration at White Sands, the NASAMS Fire Distribution Center provided cues to the HELWS which then track, identify and quickly take down drones using its electro-optical/infrared sensors. Nine Group 1 and Group 2 drones were taken down in the demonstration. Northrop Grumman won a $65.3 million contract modification, which exercises options to provide continued operation, logistics and sustainment engineering support, to include training, supply chain and spares management for Global Hawk p…

If you believe the threat from China is overblown, our Navy is well led, and that our fleet is big enough, then this is not the post for you. If you are concerned for all of it, grab a fresh drink and dive right in. We are facing of something our nation has not had to seriously consider in well over three decades; we do not have free and unfettered access to the sea. Even when Soviet submarines roamed the world’s oceans at will – though closely watched – and the Red Banner Fleet could send battle groups on cruises through the Gulf of Mexico, we had fair confidence in one thing – the Pacific was an American lake. No more. Even when the Soviet Union’s navy gave the US Navy …

Americas Raytheon, an RTX business, has showcased its cutting-edge Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defense System (LIDS) during the US Army’s annual summer test period. The event attracted the attention of international allied ground forces, underlining the significance of LIDS as a counter-drone solution. LIDS leverages Raytheon’s Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS) and the Coyote […]View the full article

Americas BAE Systems Land & Armaments won an $18 million deal to exercise options for MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems Mechanical Design Agent. This modification combines purchases for the Navy, the government of Australia; the government of Japan; the government of Germany; the government of the Netherlands; and the government of Korea, under the Foreign […]View the full article

Americas Argon St Inc. won a $18 million deal for the repair of the communications interface unit for the support of operations of the MQ-4C Triton aircraft. All work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by November 2026. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Technologies Corp’s Pratt and Whitney Military Engines has secured a substantial contract modification valued at up to $1.3 billion to support the F-35 Lightning II aircraft’s propulsion systems. The contract amends a prior agreement, extending services such as depot level maintenance, repair, and vario…

Russia has sharply increased its production of Garpiya-A1 attack drones despite Western sanctions, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and cited by European security officials. The documents show that Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol (IEMZ Kupol), a sanctioned Russian defense manufacturer, boosted its annual output of the Garpiya-A1—Moscow’s domestically produced version of the Shahed-class drone—from 2,000 […] The post Russia ramps up kamikaze drone production with Chinese help first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, and the U.S. Navy have successfully conducted the first live maritime test of the AN/SPY-6(V)4 radar. The test took place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, Hawaii, where the Advanced Radar Detection Laboratory hosted multiple trials over open water. During the events, the radar tracked air and surface […] The post U.S. Navy conducts first maritime test of SPY-6(V)4 radar first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Show LinksTrump says he now thinks Ukraine can win back all territory taken by Russia Operation Granby and stockpiles SummaryIn this episode, the host discusses various pressing national security issues, including the implications of air-launched cruise missiles, the ongoing Gaza conflict, and the historical context of political violence. The conversation… Read more View the full article

Russia carried out a series of nuclear-capable missile launches on Wednesday as part of a large-scale strategic forces exercise overseen by Vladimir Putin in his role as commander in chief, according to a statement from the Kremlin. The training involved the launch of multiple intercontinental and cruise missiles designed to test the readiness of Russia’s […] The post Russia simulates “response” in nuclear drill first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Belgium has selected the BLAZE autonomous interceptor, developed by Latvia-based Origin Robotics, as part of a newly approved €50 million ($58 million) national counter-drone package aimed at immediately reinforcing the country’s ability to detect and neutralize aerial threats. According to Origin Robotics, the selection comes in response to “several weeks of escalating drone incursions over […]View the full article

One thing I’ve heard my whole life, from my father, my coaches, to my professional mentors, and now from me to my children: Always finish strong. She was commissioned on May 3rd, 1975, less than a week after the fall of Saigon. Nine more ships of her class would follow. If you’re looking for a ship that defined an era for her nation and Navy, I think the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) would be a perfect example. 1975-2025. This week, more than 50 years after her service began, she finished her last deployment. Nimitz departed Bremerton as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), Mar. 21, 2025. The nine months underway included three months in the U.S. Indo-Pacific C…

A Ukrainian defense company, CENTRE ZAKHYST, has announced the successful development and combat testing of its ODIN counter-unmanned aerial systems, a domestically produced solution designed to intercept attack drones, according to a statement released by the company. CENTRE ZAKHYST said the system has been implemented in combat conditions and tested both at training grounds and […]View the full article

Israel’s defense company Elbit Systems reported record global demand in 2025 for its Laser Target Designator (LTD) systems across both land and airborne military platforms, reflecting growing reliance on precision targeting and networked battlefield operations, according to company statements and The Jerusalem Post. The company said its LTD portfolio, compliant with NATO laser-coding standards, is […]View the full article

A Russian-affiliated analytical channel has published a cost comparison showing how many heavy FPV drones could be purchased for the price of key armored vehicles, highlighting the growing role of low-cost strike systems in modern combat. According to the published data, the analysis is based on an estimated unit cost of about $1,200 per heavy […]View the full article

Bell Boeing Joint Program Office has been awarded a $157 million order to deliver nacelle and pylon upgrades for the U.S. Navy’s MV-22 and CMV-22 Osprey fleets, the Department of War announced April 10, 2026. The contract was placed against a previously issued basic ordering agreement and covers ten Nacelle Improvement Kits along with three […]View the full article

During the U.S.-Philippines “Shoulder-to-Shoulder” exercise, allied forces used a simulated target ship near Bataan Island featuring a Chinese ZBD-05 amphibious assault vehicle as a dummy target for live-fire shooting. The exercise brought together approximately 800 personnel from the United States, the Philippines, and Japan for combined amphibious denial training on the coast of Laoag in […]View the full article

A $48.5 million contract awarded to L3Harris to produce proximity fuzes for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System is the latest signal that the U.S. military has found its answer to the drone swarm problem, and is now scaling that answer as fast as American manufacturing can deliver it. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has committed $8.4 billion to expand production of its next-generation Precision Strike Missile, awarding Lockheed Martin one of the largest ground-launched missile contracts in years and locking in a manufacturing pipeline that runs through the end of fiscal year 2032. The modification, signed June 23, 2026, expands an existing contract with Lockheed […]View the full article

A satellite photograph taken Sunday appears to confirm what Ukraine’s president claimed just two days earlier: a Russian strategic bomber sitting at Engels air base did not survive a recent drone strike. The open-source monitoring community AviVector published commercial satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC, dated July 19, showing what the group identified as a […]View the full article

Australia and Japan have completed the first successful field trials of a jointly developed high-energy laser system, called Boobook, at test sites in South Australia, Australia’s Department of Defence announced Tuesday. The trials took place at the Cultana Training Area and the Defence Science and Technology Group’s Edinburgh facility. Boobook is the first co-development project […]View the full article