Raw Intel

What was the most unexpectedly valuable ship in the U.S. Navy over the last 12 months, as measured by the delta between what Big Navy and the usual suspects said it could do, and what the real world asked it to do? Well, of course, it was our Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB). Why? It is its inherent flexibility and “white space” that future-proofs the ship and lets it function as a multi-tool for the fleet commander to modify as needed to scratch the tactical itch at the moment. Flexibility…just a more mundane way of saying, “modular, multi-mission capable eleventy”. They are not complicated. They aren’t exquisitely designed. They don’t have some extreme requirement, like lud…

Swedish Armed Forces fighter jets intercepted a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the Kattegat on Friday, the Swedish Armed Forces announced in an official press release issued April 10, 2026. JAS 39 Gripen aircraft conducted the intercept, and Swedish forces are now monitoring the submarine’s continued route into the Baltic Sea in coordination with allied nations. […]View the full article

The United States State Department has approved a possible $2.316 billion Foreign Military Sale to Singapore for P-8A maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, MK 54 lightweight torpedoes, and associated systems, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said as it formally notified Congress of the decision. According to the certification delivered to lawmakers, the Government of Singapore […]View the full article

The U.S. government threw open its classified UFO files on Friday, releasing never-before-seen documents, videos, and photos through a new interagency program and making them freely accessible to any American with an internet connection — no security clearance required. The Department of War announced the initial release as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting […]View the full article

Huntington Ingalls Industries has secured nearly $37 million to keep its Lionfish underwater drone rolling off the production line, with the U.S. Navy exercising a contract option that locks in delivery through May 2027. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington awarded the $36,9 million modification to HII’s Unmanned Systems division on the existing contract […]View the full article

Looking back at some of the things I wrote about 15 years ago, and this caught my eye. The first decade of GWOT, everyone was reminded of the heart of a Corpsman. Almost decade into a war that a decade later would end in national disgrace, we had men raising their hand and saying, “Send me.” Time to revisit. E3 and below. Non-PO. Seaman/Airman/Fireman. Huh. Ponder. Unqual. “Hasn’t paid his dues.” etc. Well, there’s a then-Seaman in the upper-right hand corner. Where did he come from? When he decided to join the U.S. Navy, (Raffetto) was living at home and working in construction, and he craved a more structured lifestyle. His brother had been a Marine and Raffetto w…

Poland is arming its M28 Bryza light transport aircraft for drone combat, with the first prototype set for modification to carry barrel weapons after a contract between the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate and the executing contractor is signed, according to Major General Ireneusz Nowak, who disclosed the program at the Defence24 Days conference during a […]View the full article

Israeli underwater defense company DSIT Solutions unveiled a layered Underwater Domain Awareness concept at CNE 2026, introducing for the first time its BlueShield counter-UUV sonar alongside an integrated architecture designed to give naval commanders a continuous, AI-supported picture of everything moving beneath the surface from diver-range distances to the approaches of major ports and straits. […]View the full article

AeroVironment said on April 20 it has secured a $14.6 million production contract from the U.S. Army for its VAPOR Compact Long Endurance unmanned aircraft system, an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing platform built for small-unit operations. The award falls under the Army’s Company-Level Directed Requirement Small Uncrewed Aircraft System program, Tranche 2, and is […]View the full article

U.S. Army soldiers integrated the Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit onto the C100 drone during Project Convergence Capstone 6, a large-scale Army technology experiment held at Fort Irwin, California, that allows the Army, joint force, and multinational partners to test emerging capabilities and collect data supporting the service’s broader modernization push, according to the Army’s […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin has secured a $61 million U.S. Army contract to develop and demonstrate two of the most consequential near-term upgrades to the Patriot air defense system: a containerized missile launcher and a hemispherical guidance device that eliminates one of Patriot’s most significant tactical limitations, the inability to engage threats approaching from outside a fixed […]View the full article

Germany’s Bundeswehr intends to submit a budget request in the second half of 2026 to conclude a framework contract with KNDS for the procurement of up to 500 MARS 3, also known as EuroPuls, multiple launch rocket systems, according to reporting by hartpunkt journalist Waldemar Geiger. Roughly half of the systems included in the framework […]View the full article

The commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces publicly accused domestic warhead manufacturers of delivering substandard products that are forcing frontline units to expend far more drones than necessary to destroy a single target — and he used a real combat operation to prove it. Robert Brovdi, call sign “Madyar,” commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces […]View the full article

Russian forces likely shot down one of their own military helicopters in the Rostov region during a Ukrainian drone attack late on March 3, according to reports cited by the Militarnyi. The incident reportedly occurred near the town of Millerovo, where Russian air defenses were responding to a large wave of unmanned aerial vehicles. Crew […]View the full article

It has been a bit more than six years since then Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David Berger, USMC, initiated what became known as Force Design 2030 (now just known as Force Design). What followed was a controversial change to the structure of the United States Marine Corps intended to address the challenge posed by the People's Republic of China in the western Pacific. Now more than halfway to the original 2030 target, and informed by events from Ukraine and Southwest Asia since 2020, both long-standing critics of the design and other voices are readdressing the changes—and the critique—to see if it remains the right path. Joining the Midrats Podcast this Sunday…

The United States Navy has awarded Boeing a $12 million contract tied to the MQ-25A Stingray, extending work on one of the Navy’s most closely watched drone programs. The order, valued at $12,074,613, was awarded to Boeing in St. Louis, Missouri, under an existing basic ordering agreement. Rather than covering new aircraft production, the contract […]View the full article

A startup’s drone just deployed armed FPVs from the air during a live-fire exercise of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Polk. Petrel Technologies validated its AERO Sky hybrid VTOL unmanned aircraft alongside the 101st Airborne Division during a Joint Readiness Training Center exercise at Fort Polk last week, with multiple armed First-Person View drones […]View the full article

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are participating in Balikatan 26, the U.S.-Philippine hosted multinational exercise, and the capabilities they brought to the training reflect a force increasingly oriented toward the kind of joint, combined operations that the Indo-Pacific security environment demands. The Japan Joint Staff released imagery showing the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s US-2 amphibious aircraft conducting […]View the full article

Raytheon RTX picked up a $441.6 million contract modification on April 30 to build PATRIOT GEM-T missiles, with the Department of War demanding delivery by September 30 — five months from award, no extensions mentioned. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, issued the modification bringing the deal’s total cumulative value to $441,600,000, according to […]View the full article

The last four years’ conflicts from the Strait of Hormuz through the Red Sea to the Black Sea have presented a raft of lessons to the navies of Europe. How are they positioned to address the lessons, and what moves are already taking place? Returning to the Midrats Podcast LIVE today at 5 pm Eastern to discuss this and related topics will be Alessio Patalano. You can join the studio and the live chat at this link. If you’re reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page later Sunday for updated links to the uploaded audio. Alessio is a Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia and senior fellow at the Center for Statecraft and National Security at King’s College…