Raw Intel

Americas Lockheed Martin has announced the first-ever launch of a Patriot PAC-3 missile segment enhancement (MSE) interceptor using the Virtualized Aegis Weapon System. Conducted in collaboration with various US Department of Defense components, the test saw the advanced missile engage and neutralize a cruise missile target mid-flight. It utilized a ground-based MK-70 containerized launch platform from […]View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $615.8 million contract for the F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System full rate production. This deal provides for procurement of Group A and Group B kits, system engineering program management, and interim contractor support lay-in material. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; and Nashua, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2030. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas bid farewell to its last T-1A Jayhawk last month, as the Air Force continues its drive to retire the heavy aircraft trainer. …

Ukrainian drone operators with the Security Service’s “A” Center for Special Operations (CSO “A”) have intercepted a Russian Orion unmanned aerial vehicle in what appears to be the most advanced drone-on-drone engagement recorded to date. The intercept, reported by the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, was confirmed through video footage published by the SBU. The Orion […] The post Ukrainian drone intercepts Russian Orion first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense is considering an unprecedented move to use armored civilian vehicles as replacements for the Ground Self-Defense Force’s (GSDF) aging light armored fleet. Officials say the plan involves testing modified commercial models, including vehicles produced by major Japanese automakers, to determine their suitability for future military use. According to officials cited by […] The post Japan plans to use civilian SUVs to replace aging military vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

BAE Systems is advancing a new vision for combat air support where autonomous drones fly ahead of helicopters, identify threats, and execute electronic or kinetic strikes — a model the company says could become operational in the near term. In a recent article, Robert Merryweather, Group Technology Director at BAE Systems, outlined the company’s roadmap […] The post BAE Systems maps future where drones lead the fight first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

If you need to take a break from getting the house ready for Thanksgiving (well, I do), then I’ve got just the thing for you … a LIVE Midrats Podcast Free for All! Sunday from 5-6 pm Eastern, Mark and I will be going live to cover the national security waterfront. You can join us live at this link. If you are reading this after the show or on email, just refresh the Substack page later on Sunday night, and all the links for the recorded podcast will be here. Better yet, if you don’t already, follow one of the links on the page to subscribe to the Midrats Podcast so it is always available for you. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new post…

History isn’t just about the past; it’s a guide for today! On this episode, we unravel the myths surrounding Pearl Harbor and what they teach us about current global tensions with returning guest, John Keuhn. Dr. John T. Kuehn is Professor of Military History at the Army Command and General Staff College. He served in the US Navy as a naval flight officer flying in EP-3s and ES-3s, retiring in 2004. He has authored or co-authored seven books and was awarded a Vandevort Prize from the Society for Military History in 2023 for his article “Zumwalt, Holloway, and the Soviet Navy Threat Leadership in a Time of Strategic, Social, and Cultural Change.” His latest book from is S…

The United Kingdom has deployed Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar as part of a defensive mission in response to regional tensions, the British government said in a press release on Friday. The deployment involves 12 Squadron, the joint RAF–Qatar Emiri Air Force Typhoon unit, which has moved aircraft to the Gulf region […]View the full article

Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern presented a range of weapons and mobility systems currently in demand in combat operations in Ukraine during a defense exhibition hosted by state corporation Rostec, where company representatives demonstrated new electric military transport platforms alongside small arms and reconnaissance equipment. The presentation was shown to Rostec chief executive Sergei Chemezov as part […]View the full article

The United States Department of State has approved a series of Foreign Military Sales to Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan, covering air-to-air missiles, precision-guided munitions, missile defense radars, and counter-drone systems. The approvals come amid heightened regional tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, with Washington moving to reinforce […]View the full article

The U.S. Army and Day & Zimmermann have inaugurated a new artillery Load, Assemble, and Pack facility in Parsons, Kansas, dedicated to the production of 155mm M795 artillery projectiles. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted by Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, marking what Army officials described as a […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is evaluating a low-cost counter-drone system developed by SAIC in collaboration with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, installed on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle chassis during Project Flytrap in Lithuania. The system, known as the Reconfigurable Air Defense system or RAD, is being tested as part of Project Flytrap, a counter-UAS exercise running […]View the full article

Before any American strike package enters defended enemy airspace, an EA-18G Growler goes in first to blind the radars, jam the communications, and break the targeting chain that would otherwise kill the jets behind it. The Navy invested $61 million to significantly improve that aircraft’s ears. The Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval […]View the full article

The U.S. Army and the Defense Logistics Agency have placed more than $40 million in new helmet orders with Team Wendy Ceradyne, the American helmet division of British protective equipment company Avon Technologies, under a contract that has been equipping American soldiers with next-generation head protection since its original award in September 2021. The delivery […]View the full article

NODA AI announced Wednesday it has secured a $10 million contract from the Department of War, the current name for the Department of Defense, to develop software that lets American military drones and autonomous vehicles keep executing a commander’s orders even after enemy jamming or cyberattacks cut off their communications links. The contract funds an […]View the full article

A second Boeing KC-46 “Gideon” aerial refueling aircraft landed at Nevatim Airbase and joined the Israeli Air Force’s 46 Squadron, the service said Friday. The aircraft is the second of six KC-46 tankers Israel’s Ministry of Defense has purchased through the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales process. It joins the “Gideon” Squadron, formally Squadron 46, which […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Sikorsky a $234.5 million contract modification to build 16 new UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, bringing the total value of the underlying contract to $356.3 million. The fixed-price-incentive modification adds to contract W58RGZ-26-C-0008, which the Army and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, first signed earlier this year. Work will take place […]View the full article

South Korea’s military has concluded that North Korean troops deliberately planted the land mines that wounded three South Korean soldiers inside the Demilitarized Zone last month, and it has removed the remaining mines, but President Lee Jae Myung’s description of the blast as an “unfortunate accident” has drawn sharp criticism at home. The explosion happened […]View the full article

ASELSAN, Türkiye’s largest defense electronics company, ended the third quarter of 2026 with a record order backlog of $30.7 billion, after adding $7.5 billion in a single quarter and passing the $30 billion mark for the first time in its history. The Ankara-based company reported its results for the first nine months of the year […]View the full article

Do you ever listen to someone from this think tank or that, or read one of their reports and wonder, "Where do they get their funding?" Some think tanks are quite open on where their funding comes from, many are not. Does that matter? I'm pondering over at USNIBlog. Come by and ponder with 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=hgcN6EQgR0g:m9CTKAdfoE8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=hgcN6EQgR0g:m9CTKAdfoE8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=hgcN6EQgR0g:m9CTKAdfoE8:V_sGLiPBpWU http…