Raw Intel

The “Out Years” is fantasy. It is a place where people wishcast the future they want. Let’s take a quick look at this gem from the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for FY 2007. How'd that work out for us? From that report looking forward nine years to 2016, it shows us having spent money on building in that time period … what exactly? Seven (7) DD(X), aka DDG-1000, and six (6) CG(X). Yeah … so be careful trusting these documents. That is why I simply refuse to listen to anyone’s pontifications on 2040 or 2045. Come on people. It’s insulting. Let’s stick with that template of 9-years above, it's bad enough. From today that window would get us to 20…

Americas Rolls-Royce won a $74.7 million deal, which procures 28 V-22 AE1107C engines (24 for production aircraft and 4 spare engines) in support of the V-22 Osprey for the Navy and Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed in December 2023. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities. Bell Helicopter Textron is responsible for the wing and nacelle, propulsion, rotor, empennage (complete tail system), ramp, overw…

Boxer MRAV (click to view full) Wheeled armored vehicles have become much more common, but the Dutch-German Boxer stands out from the crowd. Its English acronym is “Multi Role Armoured Vehicle” (MRAV), but rather than being a family of different vehicles, the Boxer will use a single chassis, with snap-in modules for different purposes from […]View the full article

Americas South Korea is offering its K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer to the US Army to fill the capability gap created by canceling the Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) program. Launched in 2018, the ERCA program aimed to provide the service with a long-range artillery strike capability by having a Paladin M109 howitzer mounted with a 30-foot […]View the full article

Americas Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has christened the US Navy’s 14th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock vessel, the USS Harrisburg, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The hull was named after Pennsylvania’s capital city to honor the region’s continuous support for the US armed forces as well as its critical role in the country’s industrial history. Notable contributions by the Harrisburg were recorded throughout the Westward Migration, the American Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution. At the ceremony in Pascagoula, US Navy Ships Program Executive Officer Rear Admr. Tom Anderson provided the keynote address for the event. The first F-15E Strike Eagles equi…

Lockheed Martin has received a $2.06 billion contract modification to produce additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors for the U.S. government, the Department of Defense announced. The new award raises the total value of the current production contract from $8.35 billion to over $10.4 billion, with work set to continue through December 1, […] The post Lockheed secures $2B deal to rebuild THAAD stockpile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Defense analyst Fabian Hoffmann has released a detailed study tracing the trajectory of Ukraine’s missile programs from 2014 to 2025, highlighting the country’s efforts to transition from limited post-Soviet capabilities to a diverse but still developing long-range strike arsenal. In his latest Missile Matters post, Hoffmann examined the rise, setbacks, and future of Ukraine’s deep-strike […] The post Analysis: Ukraine builds future strike arsenal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Pentagon announced that Maryland-based defense contractor Mistral Inc. has been awarded a $982 million contract to supply lethal unmanned systems to the U.S. Army. According to the Department of War, Mistral Inc., headquartered in Bethesda, was awarded the hybrid cost-no-fee and firm-fixed-price contract to “provide Lethal Unmanned Systems.” Work locations and funding will be […] The post U.S. Army buys kamikaze drones in nearly $1 billion contract first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Flowcopter announced Tuesday that it has completed a full week of flight testing under Project MORRIGHAN, a jHubMed initiative focused on uncrewed logistics support and casualty evacuation capabilities for the United Kingdom’s defense community. According to the company, the tests marked an important milestone in demonstrating the FC100 heavy-lift drone’s operational potential. In a statement […]View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has been awarded a $1.7 billion foreign military sales contract to supply Spain with four Patriot air and missile defense systems. According to the company, the contract covers a complete Patriot configuration, including radars, launchers, command-and-control stations, and training equipment. The package is intended to modernize Spain’s air and missile defense […]View the full article

Taiwan has begun the first dive tests of its domestically built submarine Hai Kun (SS-711), marking a new phase in the island’s indigenous submarine program. According to Taiwan’s Liberty Times and other local outlets, the submarine conducted its initial submersion test on Sunday, moving beyond surface and harbor trials that have taken place over the […]View the full article

The United States Army, through Army Contracting Command–Detroit Arsenal, published a Sources Sought Notice on February 20, 2026, seeking industry input for the potential future production of a firing mechanism gun component used in 60mm mortar systems. The market research effort is intended to support acquisition planning for a possible procurement tied to operational sustainment […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded Skydio a contract exceeding $52 million for more than 2,500 X10D drones, marking the largest small unmanned aircraft system procurement from a single manufacturer in the service’s history. The order was placed through Atlantic Diving Supply and moved from bid to award in less than 72 hours. According to […]View the full article

Finland’s transition to the F-35 reached a key milestone this week as a Finnish Air Force pilot completed the first flight by a Finnish aviator in the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. The flight took place on April 15 from Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Finnish personnel are carrying out […]View the full article

San Diego drone startup Firestorm Labs has secured a $30 million contract under the Pentagon’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program to deploy its 3D-printed Tempest Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and the containerized microfactories that produce them into the Indo-Pacific, the company announced in an exclusive release to Tectonic. The APFIT award, […]View the full article

Two of the U.S. defense industry’s most closely watched companies announced they are joining forces to compete for one of the Army’s most significant ground combat modernization programs, pairing a combat-proven Israeli-American cannon system with Silicon Valley’s most prominent defense technology firm. Elbit Systems of America and Anduril Industries announced a strategic teaming agreement on […]View the full article

Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Denys Brasheuk told Kyodo News in an exclusive interview that Japanese-manufactured components have been identified in approximately 90 percent of the cruise missile and drone types Russia has used in its invasion of Ukraine, Kyodo News reported on June 28, 2026. Brasheuk presented internal Ukrainian government documents during the interview, including materials […]View the full article

It was only 2019 that I first posted this…but given the news about the UK defense cuts…now is a good time too. How do you protest draconian defense cuts? Well, this is one way. Alan loved the RAF and felt its 50th anniversary should be celebrated with a flypast over London. There had been an official dinner and a few parades — but no flypast. This, he felt, was a terrible slight. ‘One thing that was in the Air Force’s blood was that you celebrated in the air, not on the ground,’ Alan, now 82, says at his home in Surrey. He was serving at the time in No. 1 Squadron. This is the RAF’s oldest unit and as such he believed it had a responsibility to take the lead in ensurin…

While the consensus opinion is the DDG-1000 is going to be this impossibly expensive warship, Chris Cavas has an article up on Defense News noting that the first Zumwalt class destroyer is on cost and on schedule. It is still early, but apparently the Navy is willing to demonstrate some confidence regarding the ship, because from whatever quiet cubicle they have been hiding the DDG-1000 program manager, Captain James Syring, apparently he has been given permission to do an interview. As far as I know, at least the rumor on the street has been... Captain Syring has not allowed to give interviews since at least March of 2008, some 16+ months ago. There is no point i…

Sandstorms settled in the south of that sour place, and terror-men opened wide a mouth etched in a hate-filled face. The rifle-spit struck down Malone and he in a moment gave a life well-lived, alone, to set men free of the grave. In later days men drew down statues from on high; they struck Iraqi ground so dust and cheer could fly. What, one Irish fighting man to free millions from cold chains? Not noble words, not gracious plan could make real such gains. Or--Is our time so coy, so wild and free a thing? Not Harvey nor Kelly, boy of Killarn, not the Brian King Freedom bought at such a cost, where glory's priced so steep: Where the name of each good man lost Can mem…