Raw Intel

The U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division completed a live-fire counter-drone exercise from April 7 through 9 at Fort Hood, Texas, evaluating a range of unmanned aerial system defeat capabilities under its “Golden Shield” counter-drone concept for armored formations. Among the systems tested was the Harpe missile, a micro-missile interceptor developed by Perseus Defense, a San […]View the full article

Turkey’s ASELSAN unveiled two new unmanned naval systems at SAHA 2026 in Istanbul on May 5, expanding the country’s autonomous warfare portfolio into both underwater strike and surface vessel domains with platforms designed for swarm operations, covert missions, and asymmetric combat at sea. The company introduced the KILIÇ family of autonomous underwater strike systems and […]View the full article

Armenian Su-30SM fighter jets flew over Yerevan’s Republic Square on May 28, 2026, carrying what open-source analysts identified as Iranian-made precision-guided glide bombs, presenting the clearest public evidence yet that Armenia has armed its Russian-built fighters with weapons from Tehran rather than Moscow, resolving a procurement scandal that had dogged the aircraft since their arrival […]View the full article

The experimental aircraft that could change how every future military jet is built just cleared another milestone, after Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the triangular wings for its X-65 demonstrator have arrived at its Virginia integration facility and are now being mated to the fuselage, bringing the program a significant step closer to a first […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $73.9 million contract modification to procure, test and deliver Indra Rigel radar electronic countermeasures systems for four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships being built for Saudi Arabia, according to a Department of War contract announcement. The award modifies an existing contract and will be funded entirely through Foreign […]View the full article

Denmark accused a Russian warship of firing two emergency flares at one of its military helicopters over the Baltic Sea, the government said Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. The helicopter was tracking the vessel as part of what Denmark described as a routine monitoring operation when the flares were fired. The Danish government summoned the Russian […]View the full article

TOTE Services has signed a contract with the U.S. Maritime Administration to manage construction of a new missile-tracking ship for the Missile Defense Agency, and has subcontracted Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia to build it. The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 2030. The vessel is the first of the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel […]View the full article

Hypersonic missile startup Castelion has received a contract modification from the Air Force Research Laboratory to begin integrating its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon onto the F-16 fighter jet, the company announced on Oct. 26, bringing the missile one step closer to the U.S. Air Force after earlier work for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. Castelion […]View the full article

HH-60G, Afghanistan (click to view full) In 2006 the US Air Force awarded Boeing a contract worth north of $10 billion for 141 HH-47 combat search-and-rescue helicopters, but by mid-2009 the CSAR-X program was cancelled during its System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase by the Pentagon. At the time Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote that this program had “a troubled acquisition history and raises the fundamental question of whether this important mission can only be accomplished by yet another single-service solution.” That cancellation may have been warranted, but the underlying operational constraints are increasing as years go by, with a tentative repl…

We’ve been doing the Long Game series on China here since 2004. The “why” then is the same as the “why” now; the Chinese Communist Party has a plan, has the economy to feed this plan, and is building a military to execute this plan. It was clear well before 2004. Any student of history could see it. I was firmly in, and remain, of the school that it is only a matter of “when” and not “if” the Chinese will decide to challenge the United States on the battlefield again. They did once after WWII and fought us to a tie. They are preparing to do it again, somewhere. The key, if you desire peace, is to not give them a window – to provide them no easy opportunity to challenge …

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $172.4 million contract modification for procurement of spare hardware in association with Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability (PAC-3) FY21 missiles and command and launch system. The PAC-3 serves as an endoatmospheric point defense system with a capability to intercept short-range tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and military aircraft. Unlike earlier Patriot missile defense systems, the PAC-3 interceptor relies on hit-to-kill technology whereby the interceptor uses kinetic energy to destroy its target on impact. Work will take place in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Texas and Massachuse…

Americas Boeing won a $16 million deal for spare parts in support of the AH-64 Apache weapon system. The Apache is a twin-engined army attack helicopter. The Apache attack helicopter can be equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral and Sidearm) and the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS), formerly known as Hydra, family of guided and unguided 70mm rockets. Boeing won a $158.3 million contract modification for VC-25B Spares Phase 1 – Long Lead Parts. This contract modification is for the VC-25B initial spares with a production lead time of greater than 12 months that are required for the initial support period, which is the first 18 m…

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