Raw Intel

A congressman whose own military career started at Fort Campbell has had four of his ideas written into the bill that funds and governs the entire U.S. military for the next year. Rep. Matt Van Epps, a Tennessee Republican representing the state’s 7th District, announced Wednesday that four of his amendments were included in the […]View the full article

Back during the previous Cold War, we knew that range was life. We had a heavy fighter in the F-14 built around a beast (for its day) of an air-to-air missile, the AIM-54C Phoenix with its 99.4 nautical mile (nm) range. A few years ago, we found a stopgap with a modified SM-6 called the AIM-174B Gunslinger, but it wasn’t quite what we needed in the long term—though it did get us 150+ nm. Via Carter Johnson at Naval News: The U.S. Navy’s newest air-to-air missile, the AIM-424 Malice…is capable of hitting targets over 250 nautical miles (463 kilometers) away, leveraging a 13.5″ diameter and aerodynamic profile that appears to have been built for range. That range would exce…

ScanEagle launch (click to view full) ScanEagle’s base Insight UAV platform was originally developed by Washington state’s Insitu, Inc. to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, in order to ensure that the fish you buy in supermarkets is “dolphin-safe”. It turns out that the same characteristics needed by fishing boats (able to handle salt water environments, low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automated flight patterns) are equally important for naval operations from larger vessels, and for battlefield surveillance. A partnership with Boeing took ScanEagle to market in those fields, and the USMC’s initial buy in 2004 was the…

Americas Sikorsky won a $735.9 million modification, which increases the scope for nine Lot Five low rate initial production CH-53K heavy-lift aircraft and associated aircraft, programmatic and logistical support. The Lot 5 contract contains an option for Lot 6 award for another nine helicopters. While each helicopter cost $97.6 million under the Lot 5 contract, the price will decrease to $94.7 under Lot 6. Work will take place in Connecticut, Kansas, Utah, Missouri, West Virginia, Washington, Canada, the UK, Wisconsin and Florida. Estimated completion date will be in December 2024. A Canadian board of inquiry has released its report into the crash of a CH-148 off Greece…

Americas General Dynamics won a $269 million contract 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 ocean anti-submarine warfare and shallow water operations. Work will take place in North Carolina and Virginia. Estimated completion date is October 16, 2022. Boeing won a $14.5 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide test and engineering support necessary to complete the development of the Next Gen Jammer-Mid Band system in support of the phased replacement of the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jammi…

A little different topic this Fullbore Friday as ... I want to make you mad. I won't be subtle or clever here ... thanks to a simple tweet from The Other Sal, I am just going to hit you right in the forehead with it. Here we are at the dawn of 2022 and all over the spectrum of American maritime "thought leaders" from the SECNAV, CNO, Congress, and ostensibly pro-Navy institutions - we have excuses, squid-ink cover stories, and simple defeatism flavored with a machoistic lust for decline. Decline is a choice, and bullsh1t to all that. We are a maritime and aerospace power by geography, economy, and national interest even if those who are trusted to maintain and leverage t…

Sunday evening, the first pics came out of the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Slava Class cruiser Moskva. As we know this Monday AM ... this is her. No photoshop or spoof. If you need to brush up on your RECCE: Good news here is that as you can see in the green rectangle above, the life rafts have been deployed. As there were almost 500 Sailors assigned to her, that may be a secondary indication, along with the good weather, that those not killed on impact or in the following fire and secondaries were most likely able to get off the ship and as such, loss of life less. More to follow on that I hope. I'm sorry, I don't care what nation's flag they fly under; once…

The legal system works at the speed of smell, but we are getting closer to what may be one of the most important civil rights cases to come in front of the Supreme Court in the last half century. There are new readers coming to CDRSalamander every day, so once again let me set the foundation. The cornerstones are rather simple but essential for our wondrously polyglot experimental republic to survive; persons deserve to be judged as individuals; individuals deserve equal opportunity; people deserve to be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin; no favor should be given to nor ill-favor placed on any person based on something they can do nothi…

Building a coherent intellectual foundation of an effective military force to be ready to defend the nation and its interests never ends. As a levee against a large and turbulent river must be constantly monitored, maintained, and reinforced – so too must support for reasoned, reality-based, up-to-date, and sound arguments continue against the constant erosion from doe-eyed “war is new” and sharper “this is my hobby horse” idea/concept sellers looking to grow an empire or to reinforce their world view. For every “New Model Army,” “AirLand Battle” or “War Plan Orange,” there is a “New Look” or “Transformationalism.” Let me just put this marker out there: what we call “Ir…

Americas Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $50 million contract modification to exercise options for fiscal 2022 design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) upgraded MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System Improvement Program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by July 2023. The Naval […]View the full article

Americas Sikorsky has announced the start of flight testing for its new unmanned aerial system (UAS) that features a novel “rotor blown wing” design. Developed on behalf of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the drone can take off and land vertically like a rocket from a seated position on its tail. It can then […]View the full article

Americas The US Army is seeking industry input on a spy aircraft that can launch unmanned aerial systems. The aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform will be based on an executive jet aircraft, such as a Bombardier G6500, and operate at medium to high altitudes. This announcement seems to attempt to expand the capabilities of the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, which is also based on the Global 6500 and operate at medium to high altitudes. The US Air Force has enhanced its forward posture in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of F-35A Lightning IIs from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter S…

We’re getting our first full look at Russia’s ‘Shturm’ robotic tank complex. The new combat system was first identified during recent field trials, where it appeared for the first time in its complete configuration—featuring both a remotely operated assault vehicle and a command-and-control vehicle based on a modified T-72 chassis. Developed by Uralvagonzavod for the […] The post Russia tests new robotic assault tank first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Satellite images have confirmed the destruction of Russian helicopters at an airbase in occupied Crimea following a Ukrainian drone strike. The attack targeted the airport near Simferopol on August 30, Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi reported. According to the report, satellite photos published by the AviaVector community showed two helicopters destroyed on the airfield. The images, comparing […] The post Satellite photos show Russian helicopters destroyed in Crimea first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Central Command is launching a new task force designed to fast-track the deployment of drones and emerging technologies to American forces operating across the Middle East. The Rapid Employment Joint Task Force (REJTF), announced Tuesday, will focus on delivering advanced capabilities to troops in as little as two months — a major shift in […] The post Pentagon launches rapid deployment unit for drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

With more news breaking since our BB-in-the-News Substack last week, we might as well start the week on the topic. In case you missed it, in Friday’s WSJ, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward let us know there is more in the wind than just our friend John Konrad’s pleadings. Senior White House and Navy officials are in early discussions to replace the current mix of warships … The new fleet would comprise a number of large warships outfitted with more powerful long-range missiles, along with smaller ships such as corvettes, the people said. The Navy has 287 ships in its current inventory, mostly destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and submarines. A new …

Teledyne FLIR is showcasing its CERBERUS XL mobile counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) at GBAD Days, a defense technology event hosted by the Finnish Defence Forces. In a message posted online, Michael Hornoe of Teledyne FLIR stated, “Teledyne FLIR is participating in GBAD Days hosted by Finnish Defence Forces. Look forward to showing our CERBERUS XL […]View the full article

KNDS France has renewed its commitment to Les Forges de Tarbes under a new long-term agreement aimed at supporting the accelerated production of 155mm artillery ammunition, as France continues to adapt its defense industry to a wartime economic footing. According to a press release from KNDS France, the company signed a three-year Long Term Agreement, […]View the full article

China has shipped a batch of Type 59 130mm towed artillery systems to a foreign customer, with images confirming the weapons loaded aboard a cargo vessel and prepared for export, according to open-source visuals recorded during offloading operations. Footage circulating on social media shows multiple Type 59 artillery pieces secured on wheeled carriages and covered […]View the full article

Israeli robotics company Macushla has developed the Shadowfax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with the SAURON Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). According to Macushla, Shadowfax was developed as a flexible robotic platform adaptable to multiple operational scenarios. The company described the system as “the new Swiss army knife that can be kitted for every operational […]View the full article