Raw Intel

POLARIS Spaceplanes has flown its COBRA prototype for the first time, covering more than 20 km in what the German company described as a smooth flight. The German aerospace firm announced the milestone in a social media post, saying additional test flights are planned in the coming months and that video footage would follow in […]View the full article

A new automated security system helped Marines detect and track a vehicle that strayed toward a live-fire range during a training exercise at Twentynine Palms, California, on Aug. 19, the U.S. Marine Corps said, marking one of the first real-world uses of a system built to replace hours of manual guard duty with radar and […]View the full article

Israel Aerospace Industries will show a new radar carried by a small tethered balloon at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington this week, aimed at giving ground forces a mobile, elevated view of low-flying drones, aircraft and other targets. The system, called POINT@AIR, puts an active electronically scanned array radar on […]View the full article

BAE Systems has completed the first live-fire test of its Adaptable Deck Launcher, a deck-mounted missile launcher that lets U.S. Navy and allied ships carry more Evolved SeaSparrow air defense missiles and reload them at sea with standard shipboard equipment. The company announced the test on Oct. 27 from China Lake, California, home of the […]View the full article

A little different DivThu today. I’m not going to cover a specific outrage or Orwellian program, no, something different but more important. Consider this a war warning. Firstly, I need to repeat something for my Trump supporters here; until the Summer of 2020, he completely failed in this area. As people are policy, he failed in that he did not appoint people who understood what was going on in the larger culture. He finally caught on to what was going on and acted, specifically on Critical Race Theory, but that was him. He quickly saw what it was and took action. He needed dozens to hundreds of political appointees to see the problem and act on their own as he did, b…

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $128.7 million contract to support the integration of the Trident II (D5) Missile and Reentry Subsystems into the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the US/United Kingdom Columbia/Dreadnought Submarine construction programs. The Trident II D-5 is a three-stage, solid propellant, inertially guided FBM with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles (4,600 statute miles or 7,360 km). Work will take place in Florida, Colorado, California, Utah and Tennessee. Estimated completion date is February 28, 2027. According to the US Navy, Sailors aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg are among the first to test a stress-mitigation in…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $191.2 million contract modification for the US and United Kingdom to provide strategic weapon system Trident SSI Increment 8 production of inertial navigation systems and associated inertial spares for the Ohio and Columbia ballistic missile submarine shallow water submersible platforms for the fleet ballistic missile program. The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of the USN’s submarine-launched fleet ballistic missiles. First deployed in 1990, the Trident II D5 missile is currently onboard the US Ohio Class and UK RN Vanguard Class submarines. Work will take place in Ohio, California, New York and Virginia. Estimated completion date i…

Americas The F-15E has a new bunker buster added to its arsenal, the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator. The new weapon was tested at the Eglin Air Force Base range by the 96th Test Wing. A joint-direct-attack-munition (JDAM) tail kit from a GBU-31 was modified so that it would fit and guide the 5,000-pound weapon. The first weapons load, flight and release took place on July 23. The Strike Eagle’s existing bunker busting weapon is the laser-guided GBU-28. According to Defense News, the US Army and Lockheed Martin have worked out a way to accelerate the delivery of the latest variant of Sentinel air and missile defense radar by six months. At the AUSA 2021 annual conference o…

Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan managed to bring the national security eyeballs back to the Western Pacific after half a year in Eastern Europe. The People’s Republic of China has not been distracted by the Russo-Ukrainian War any more than she was with our two decades distraction in Central and Southwest Asia. She remains focused on two things: - Pushing America to her side of the Pacific. - Establish herself as the primary regional and then global power. Where does China stand today, and where is she heading for the rest of the decade? We have a great guest this Sunday at 3pm Eastern to dive in to these and related topics, James E. Fanell, Captain, USN (Ret.) Jim concl…

F-35B: off probation (click to view full) The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. […]View the full article

Americas The Royal Canadian Navy has commissioned its fourth Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and offshore patrol vessel, the HMCS William Hall, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Hall was built under Ottawa’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy to amplify the country’s naval forces against evolving threats in North America. The US Army is collecting feedback from its soldiers regarding the […]View the full article

Ukrainian military-affiliated sources report that Russia has begun using its newest air-to-air missile, known as Izdelie 180 or the K-77M, in combat operations over Ukraine. The missile, a modernized variant of the earlier Izdelie 170 (R-77), is believed to feature a two-mode propulsion system, enhanced aerodynamic control surfaces, and a new active radar seeker. According […] The post Russia fields new long-range air-to-air missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A second B-21 Raider nuclear-armed stealth bomber could fly before the end of the year, according to a Defense One report. “I believe it will happen before the end of the year, but we’re not going to ever give them an artificial date that they have to make if it doesn’t bring the test program […] The post Second B-21 stealth bomber poised for test flight in 2025 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Raytheon Co., Woburn, Massachusetts, a $15,165,090 firm-fixed-price contract to deliver a major software enhancement for Taiwan’s early warning radar system, strengthening the island’s ability to track and display launch objects amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The new software build will upgrade Taiwan’s ground-based radar network, which serves as […] The post Raytheon wins deal to strengthen Taiwan’s missile detection first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Turkish defense firm STM Defense Technologies Engineering has delivered its domestically developed Alpagu loitering munition system to Turkish security forces. Known as a fixed-wing “kamikaze drone,” the Alpagu is part of STM’s broader initiative to supply locally engineered UAVs capable of enhancing national defense capabilities through lightweight, precision-guided strike systems. STM General Director Özgür Güleryüz […] The post Turkish forces field new indigenous kamikaze drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

DRS Sustainment Systems has been awarded a $12.6 million delivery order to provide engineering, logistics, and parts support for the Tunner aircraft cargo loader, a key asset in U.S. Air Force global mobility operations. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, has awarded DRS Sustainment Systems Inc., based in […]View the full article

Lithuania has approved plans to acquire 100 Swedish-made CV90 MkIV infantry fighting vehicles as part of a joint procurement with five other NATO allies, a move aimed at modernizing its ground forces and expanding regional industrial cooperation. The decision was approved by Lithuania’s State Defense Council, which also instructed officials to give special attention to […]View the full article

NATO defense officials have confirmed that European allies, led by the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries, currently carry the primary responsibility for Arctic military operations, as the United States lacks sufficient forces and experience for sustained activity in the High North, according to The Times. The assessment follows recent allied exercises and internal NATO evaluations […]View the full article

The United States Air Force used the Skiron X hybrid unmanned aircraft as a simulated enemy drone during counter-UAS training at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany on Feb. 19, 2026, according to a statement from the 7th Army Training Command. Instructors supporting the Air Force’s Joint Multi-Domain Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator Course flew […]View the full article

NATO has launched its first Testing, Evaluation, Verification and Validation (TEVV) campaign focused on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies at the Sēlija Military Training Area in Latvia. The testing activity took place from March 9 to 13, 2026, bringing together defense industry companies from NATO member states and Ukraine, alongside operational users and […]View the full article