Raw Intel

A U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules refueled U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during the Advanced Tactics Aircrew Course at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Missouri, on August 13, marking the first time the joint refueling capability was integrated into a course sortie, according to the 139th Airlift Wing. The […]View the full article

Latvia’s government decided on Sept. 15 to buy Czech-made 155mm wheeled howitzers for the National Armed Forces, choosing the Morana system from Excalibur Army after Sweden’s competing Archer howitzer proved too costly and slow to deliver under the country’s current defense budget. The Cabinet of Ministers based its decision on the cost of the offers, […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps has picked SteerBridge Strategies, a small veteran-owned company in Vienna, Virginia, to work on artificial intelligence tools meant to predict aircraft maintenance needs and manage aviation spare parts, after a selection process the service said took 34 days from approved requirement to vendor notification. The Marine Corps’ aviation acquisition office at […]View the full article

Italy’s 13th military aid package for Ukraine, which is expected to include Aster 30 air defense missiles, is ready but frozen, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government appears to be waiting for the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3 before moving it forward, La Repubblica reported Tuesday. If the delay continues, Rome […]View the full article

Tiger HAP & HAC (click to view full) Eurocopter’s Tiger had always had a very odd setup in that it came in two seemingly incomplete versions (HAP scout and HAC/UHT anti-tank), whose respective deficiencies severely limited multi-role flexibility and hence exports. The new Tiger HAD (Helicoptere Appui Destruction) variant fixes those deficiencies, and looks set to become the default version for new-build EC665 Tiger exports. The HAD project began in December 2005, as the EU’s OCCAR organization for armament cooperation signed a formal contract in Bonn, Germany and set out initial procurement numbers for Spain. This was followed by the French DGA’s announcing the res…

EA-18G Growler (click to view full) The US Navy owns the only operational tactical jamming fighters in the world, but the AN/ALQ-99 pods they depend on use analog technologies, are hard to maintain, and have reliability issues. All-digital technologies and modern transmit/receive electronics offer huge leaps ahead in capability and availability, which is why the US military is working on a Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) replacement for the pods on its tactical strike aircraft. The EA-18G Growler will be the NGJ’s first platform, but the flexibility of modern technologies mean that it may not be the last. Next-Gen Jammer: The Program EA-18G systems (click to view fu…

Americas Sikorsky won a $9.5 million order, which provides systems engineering and program management services in support of CH-53K low rate initial production Lots 5 and 6 aircraft rate tooling. The CH-53K is the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) heavy lift replacement for the CH-53E. It is a new-build helicopter that will expand the fleet’s ability to move more material, more rapidly throughout the area of responsibility using proven and mature technologies. Work will take place in the UK, Washington, Connecticut and Spain. Estimated completion is in December 2024. The American MQ-25 programme has successfully conducted the first ever aerial refueling operations betwe…

Unloved logistics ... when you ignore her, she will let you stew until you need her, and then she will let you panic in flop-sweat. The Cult of Efficiency ... it make you feel smart at peace - but at war she will put you at strategic risk and deal you the unnecessary death of untold number of your people. As war comes again at scale in Europe, you have to hope that for our friends, the good people in hard jobs are quick learners and are in institutions/nations that are equally able to adjust. Germany is the key for continental NATO. Geographically, economically, and demographically - you cannot avoid that fact. While the political will and the money that follows it are an…

As we go through today's post, I'd like everyone to keep in mind an intangible that impacts not just our Navy in the eyes of the people we serve, but our government as a whole that our Navy is part of: most of our major naval bases are located in the heart of heavily populated urban areas. The Tidewater Area around Norfolk, VA; And on the West Coast, San Diego; For good and bad, what our Navy does impacts the millions of people who are our neighbors, family, and friends who live cheek-to-jowl with the fleet. When things go wrong, they are downwind. There is the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) burning two years ago and drenching the San Diego with at least two decade…

I really can't stop thinking about how smart this is. A dirty little secret is that one of the largest deltas out there in the maritime sector between what we know what will be needed in wartime vs. what we have invested in at peace is mine warfare. Since WWII more US Navy ships have been damaged by mines than any other weapon, and yet from money to promotion prospects, MIW is always put in the dusty corner. Without even diving in to the capability mire of defensive MIW - even more neglected is offensive MIW. How do you create a capability for this for the USA and her allies when it is almost non-existant? Yes, I have been a critic of mission modules the last few decades…

Americas Marvin Land Systems won a $14.7 million deal for M1 Abrams tank auxiliary power units. The ordering period end date is September 19, 2024. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan. […]View the full article

SM-2 Launch, DDG-77 (click to view larger) Variants of the SM-2 Standard missile are the USA’s primary fleet defense anti-air weapon, and serve with 13 navies worldwide. The most common variant is the RIM-66K-L/ SM-2 Standard Block IIIB, which entered service in 1998. The Standard family extends far beyond the SM-2 missile, however; several nations still use the SM-1, the SM-3 is rising to international prominence as a missile defense weapon, and the SM-6 program is on track to supplement the SM-2. These missiles are designed to be paired with the AEGIS radar and combat system, but can be employed independently by ships with older or newer radar systems. This article cove…

Fourteen years since the announced “Pacific Pivot”, the last month we’ve been subjected to a very public debate about how much support for Ukraine in her war with Russia is impacting our ability to prepare for potential war with China in the Pacific. Though history prefers to throw a curveball more often than not, the one scenario that is seen as the most likely trigger for the next Great Pacific War is Taiwan. Should this war come—and if we prepare properly for it, it very well may not—are we ready to make any attempt to take Taiwan a debacle for People’s Republic of China (PRC) a debacle, or are we under-preparing to the degree that we will slouch our way into a long dr…

The first CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) built for the Czech Army has rolled off the production line in Sweden. Representatives of BAE Systems Hägglunds formally presented the vehicle in Örnsköldsvik to Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová and Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson. The Czech acquisition of the CV9030CZ Mk.IV, widely used by NATO allies, […] The post First Czech CV90 rolls out of Swedish plant first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has signed a major contract worth more than 2 billion złoty ($550 million) for the delivery of mobile communications nodes to support the second phase of the country’s Wisła air and missile defense program. The agreement, signed on September 24, 2025, at the headquarters of Wojskowe Zakłady Łączności Nr 1 […] The post Poland signs $550M deal for mobile communications nodes first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

On Oct. 22, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) unveiled the first Changbogo-III Batch-II class submarine, the Jang Yeong-sil (SS-087), at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard, and displayed the Haeseong‑5 anti‑ship missile as a central part of the ceremony. The missile, shown alongside the new submarine, is presented as a […] The post South Korea unveils new supersonic anti-ship missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan involving air-launched munitions and related support equipment valued at an estimated $82 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the proposed transfer. According to the notification, Japan has requested up to twenty-eight GBU-53 […]View the full article

Poland has begun serial production of a new 6×6 armored tactical vehicle known as Heron, according to ZBiAM. The production launch is taking place at Huta Stalowa Wola S.A., one of Poland’s key state-owned defense manufacturers. The Heron vehicle is built on a chassis supplied by Tatra Defence, which is part of Czechoslovak Group. “Heron […]View the full article

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on January 22 that the Republic of Korea Marine Corps’ amphibious maneuver helicopters have maintained readiness levels above target requirements, following a review of operational performance and logistics support conducted in Daejeon. The meeting, held at DAPA headquarters, brought together representatives from the Marine Corps, Korea Aerospace […]View the full article

Airmen from the 102nd Security Forces Squadron conducted use-of-force training using a virtual reality system at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, on Feb. 8, 2026, employing immersive simulations designed to replicate real-world security and law enforcement scenarios, according to an official unit release. The training used the Street Smarts Virtual Reality system, which places […]View the full article