Raw Intel

Are we really using the right numbers when it comes to the PLAN"s amphibious capabilities? Are we paying attention to not-so-subtle capabilities? I'm pondering the topic over at USNIBlog. Come on by and join me. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=yn6zH4CQkls:bHcijtQDbmw:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=yn6zH4CQkls:bHcijtQDbmw:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=yn6zH4CQkls:bHcijtQDbmw:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=yn6zH4CQkls:bHcijtQDbmw:F7zBnMyn0Lo http:/…

The only logical question for us is, "What are we going to do about it?" On Sunday, H.I. Sutton and Sam LaGrone over at USNINews brought a few visuals that should grab your attention; The Chinese military has built targets in the shape of an American aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships in the Taklamakan desert as part of a new target range complex, according to photos provided to USNI News by satellite imagery company Maxar. The full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are part of the target range that has been built in the Ruoqiang region in central China. The site is near a former target range China used to test early v…

Americas Sikorsky won a $40 million modification, which adds scope to provide production and installation of a VH-92A Flight Training Device (FTD) and updates to a previously delivered VH-92A FTD for the Marine Corps. The new Marine One, also referred to as VH-92A, is the next-generation presidential transport helicopter being developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC). Work will take place in New York, Florida, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah and various locations within the continental US. Expected completion will be in March 2024. The US Air Force Research Laboratory recently carried out an in-flight vapor purge test in a F-15E last month. The objective of the test by the 7…

The whole World Economic Forum/Davos experience is one part Bond villain parody, one part clout seeking billionaires, one part megalomania, a heaping cup of greed, and a dash of rent seeking. In 2023 things have reached the point where any association with Davos should put an individual or organization under notice of suspicion. Amazing to see people who claim to be American conservatives or lovers of liberty attending in an non-ironic, non-protesting capacity. This wannabee gaggle of quasi-oligarchs and autocrat throne sniffers represents everything that is wrong with the human desire for control, power, and to crush the individual for fun and profit. They pretend to be…

MH-60Rs fire Hellfire (click to view full) Australia’s AIR 9000, Phase 8 project aimed to buy 24 modern naval helicopters to 16 existing S-70B-2 Seahawks, along with the disastrous A$1.1 billion, 11-helicopter SH-2G “Super Seasprite” acquisition attempt. With a total sales and support value of over A$ 3 billion, it was a highly coveted award. […]View the full article

Americas The US Navy has accepted the 72nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer from Bath Iron Works as part of a deal awarded in 2013. The USS John Basilone is a Flight IIA guided missile destroyer incorporating an advanced mine countermeasure solution, helicopter hangars, blast-hardened bulkheads, and additional electronic and networked systems. A keel-laying ceremony for the ship was held in 2020, followed by its christening two years later. In June 2024, during a joint training exercise at RAAF Base Tindal, Australia, two United States Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B pilots from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214 successfully flew Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A air…

South Korea’s Army has conducted a live demonstration of an airborne FPV kamikaze drone launch from a KUH-1 Surion helicopter, testing its ability to intercept aerial targets in flight. The drill involved ejecting an FPV (First-Person View) drone, equipped with a live explosive charge, from a Surion utility helicopter. Once airborne, the drone was remotely […] The post South Korea tests kamikaze drone launch from helicopter first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Amid ongoing instability in Europe and the war in Ukraine, naval forces from the United States, Germany, and Norway conducted joint anti-submarine warfare drills in the Barents Sea, an area marked by increased Russian undersea activity. According to the Royal Norwegian Navy, the frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F314) joined the German Navy Sachsen-class frigate FGS […] The post NATO warships hunt Russian subs in Arctic first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army is moving quickly to modernize its heavy-lift aviation fleet, authorizing rapid procurement and fielding of the CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter beginning in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The decision will deliver the upgraded aircraft to two Combat Aviation Brigades, enhancing operational reach and readiness for large-scale combat operations. The CH-47F Block […] The post U.S. Army speeds up CH-47F Block II fielding first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Open-source intelligence analysts have noted unusual flight activity involving several Brazilian military and government aircraft, with multiple air assets tracked heading north toward areas closer to Venezuela’s border, according to data from Flightradar24 and posts by the monitoring group Aviation and Naval Assets. The observed movement, which includes Brazilian Air Force transport and patrol aircraft, […]View the full article

China has developed a new “Meyu Arrow” high-altitude unmanned helicopter and confirmed that the aircraft recently completed its first live-fire missile trial at an altitude of above 4,000 meters. According to China Central Television (CCTV), the “Meyu Arrow” high-altitude unmanned helicopter, developed by Sichuan-based Tengden Technology, is now entering a new phase of flight-test expansion […]View the full article

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team conducted a week of day and night live-fire gunnery at Yakima Training Center, Washington, using an experimental Stryker vehicle equipped with a 30mm autocannon, the U.S. Army confirmed. The training event, held in a full operational environment, focused on live-fire qualification with the Stryker-mounted 30mm […]View the full article

The United States Navy’s first operational MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft has completed its first autonomous taxi test, Boeing Defense confirmed on January 30. According to the company, the MQ-25A taxied from Boeing’s new production facility in Mascoutah, Illinois, to the taxiway at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport after air vehicle pilots initiated the movement from the […]View the full article

A debate among Russian military commentators intensified this week after a widely circulated analytical study by defense researcher Jarold McWilliams prompted public responses from prominent Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky regarding the future of armored warfare in Ukraine. The discussion emerged following renewed attention to McWilliams’ 2025 analytical paper, “The Future of Armored Assault Operations,” […]View the full article

Mexico has selected the Canadian-made Roshel Senator MRAP armored vehicle following successful trials conducted by its armed forces and federal police at the end of last year. The decision reflects Mexico’s growing need for protected mobility platforms as security forces confront escalating threats from organized criminal groups. Authorities are seeking armored vehicles capable of operating […]View the full article

Leonardo DRS has successfully integrated its Maritime Mission Equipment Package onto an autonomous unmanned surface vessel, delivering a new counter-drone capability designed to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial unmanned threats in the maritime domain. The company announced the integration ahead of its showcase at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Symposium, where the M-MEP will be […]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

The United States government has approved the sale of seven surplus Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles to Italy in a $30.6 million deal that will help Rome maintain the ability to put troops ashore from the sea as NATO faces growing pressure to expand its expeditionary capabilities. The U.S. Department of State notified Congress of […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has told the defense industry it wants an alternative to its own primary radar-killing missile, and it wants companies capable of building as many as 600 of them every year. The Naval Air Systems Command, the branch of the Navy responsible for developing and buying naval aircraft and weapons, published a Request […]View the full article

The nuclear missiles sitting in underground silos across the American heartland run on hardware that is more than five decades old, and keeping the parts flowing to maintain them received a $12 million boost in software support. Carahsoft, a government technology reseller based in Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract worth up to […]View the full article