Raw Intel

Block IV Cutaway (click to view full) Block IV Tomahawk is the current generation of the Tomahawk family of cruise missiles. The BGM-109 Tomahawk family began life in the 1980s as sub-sonic, low-flying nuclear strike weapons, before being developed into long-range RGM/UGM-109 conventional attack missiles. They’re most frequently launched from submarines and surface ships, and have been the US Navy’s preferred option for initial air strikes in Iraq, Libya, et. al. Britain has also bought Tomahawk missiles, and launches them exclusively from submarines. Block IV is the latest variant. It adds innovative technologies that improve combat flexibility, while dramatically red…

Redacted to protect the ... well ... you know. The answer appears to be, "In the finest traditions of the Naval service." Side note: you can add this to your file that, yes, what the Admiral is interested in, the Fleet will be interested in. It matters. That is why, in the end, if you are happy or unhappy with our Navy ... that is where you start to look for answers to the question, "why?" 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=EK3z1xbOwFA:e3zsmdfORs8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=EK3z1xbOwFA:e3zsmdfORs8:-…

Americas Llamas Plastics won a $14.2 million deal for V-22 windscreens. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft. The aircraft operates as a helicopter when taking off and landing vertically. The nacelles rotate 90° forward once airborne, converting the aircraft into a turboprop aircraft. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion date is October 28, 2026. Raytheon won a $48.2 million contract modification to exercise options for DDG 1000 class engineering support, material and other direct costs in support of the engineering efforts. Developed under the DD(X) destroyer program, the Zumwalt class destroyer (DDG 1000)…

Americas General Dynamics won a $47.7 million deal for a dry-docking selected restricted availability in support of the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) to accomplish maintenance, repair, and modernization of the ship prior to the its next deployment. The USS Curtis Wilbur is the 4th Arleigh Burke Class missile destroyer. The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the USN’s first class of destroyers built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion will be by September 2023. Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $92 million contract modification for StormBreaker (SDBII, GBU…

Americas Boeing won a $313.4 million modification, which increases the ceiling to provide non-recurring engineering, system engineering program management, and additional aircraft inductions in support of extending the service life for up to 25 F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from 6,000 flight hours to 10,000 flight hours and incorporating Block III avionics capabilities. Work will take […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $41.1 million for the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block (BLK) one spare parts for sustainment and support of in-service ESSM BLK 1 Guided Missile Assemblies. This delivery order includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this delivery order to $49,251,821. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. […]View the full article

Americas AAR Supply Chain Inc.won a $46 million contract for V-22 Osprey Black Hawk aircraft repair and replacement parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year base contract with three three-year option periods. The performance completion date is June 29, 2027. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia. Sierra Nevada won a $11 million for a firm-fixed-price, spares delivery order under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement for the purchase of four communication interface units used in support of the F/A-18 …

Americas General Dynamics Bath Iron Works has received a $21.7 million contract modification for DDG-1000 Class Planning Yard requirements, extending its role in maintaining and modernizing the Zumwalt-class destroyers. Key points include: The contract covers tasks such as Ship Change Document development, technical problem resolution, and integrated logistics support. Most work will be done in Bath, Maine, with completion expected by March 2026. Funding sources include fiscal 2024 and 2025 Navy procurement and research funds. The contract was awarded without competition due to the need for a specific source under 10 US Code 3204(a)(1). This modification supports the ongo…

South Korea’s domestically developed KF-21 Boramae is emerging as a potential candidate for India’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) program, as New Delhi looks to address ongoing gaps in its combat air fleet. According to Indian defense media reports published on August 1, the KF-21 is being evaluated amid growing interest from the Indian Air Force […] The post India may buy South Korea’s KF-21 fighter jet first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines carried out reloading drills with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, on September 3, 2025. The exercise was designed to strengthen their ability to rapidly rearm the system in expeditionary conditions. According to the Marine Corps, the NMESIS is a ground-based offensive anti-ship missile system intended for […] The post U.S. Marines practice NMESIS reloads on Okinawa first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Northrop Grumman is advancing U.S. homeland defense with its new “Golden Dome for America,” built around the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) — a mobile, ground-based sensor designed to detect, track, and respond to evolving threats with speed and precision. “Threats to our homeland are growing faster, more complex and more unpredictable,” said Roshan […] The post Northrop Grumman highlights features of ‘Golden Dome’ radar network first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A Chinese electronic surveillance vessel was spotted tracking joint U.S. and Australian naval exercises inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone this week, according to images released by the U.S. Navy and highlighted by open-source defense observers. Photos published by the Navy show sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) operating a […]View the full article

The United States Navy has awarded Pratt & Whitney a contract worth up to $1.6 billion to sustain the F135 propulsion system used across all variants of the F-35 fighter jet. The undefinitized contract covers a broad range of support activities through November 2026, including global maintenance, spare parts, software updates, and depot repair for […]View the full article

Saudi Arabia carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s Mukalla Port after determining that ships carrying armored vehicles and weapons for UAE-backed separatist forces were present at the facility, according to a report by Clash Report. The strike targeted vessels described as transporting military equipment from the United Arab Emirates intended for the Southern Transitional Council, […]View the full article

The United States State Department has approved a possible $1.98 billion Foreign Military Sale to Israel for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and related equipment, with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency formally notifying Congress on January 30. According to the notification, Israel has requested to purchase 3,250 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) in multiple variants, including […]View the full article

Preparing for future military and humanitarian operations across vast oceanic regions, United States military planners and their partners are exploring the potential use of the Squire Autonomous Seaglider as a fast, low-signature platform for cargo delivery and multi-mission support with a high degree of autonomy and operational safety. Developed by U.S.-based innovation company REGENT, the […]View the full article

One of the many lessons of the modern air threat against surface ships in the last few years is simple: we need more of everything. It isn’t really a new lesson. It is an old lesson that our peacetime accountants convinced us to pretend we didn’t know. Since the first war in which the threat from the air targeted the surface fleet, what was a common thread after D+0 from WWII to the Falklands War? After cursing those responsible for preparing the fleet for the next war, those tasked to fight the war in front of them would, at the first chance, put every possible weapon possible on their warships. My favorite example is what the U.S. Navy did with its old battleships the …

Swedish fighter jets were scrambled Monday to intercept two Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers flying over the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Air Force said. The bombers were accompanied by two Su-30 fighter jets, and the mission was carried out under Sweden’s Quick Reaction Alert system in coordination with NATO allies. The aircraft were operating in international […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded a San Diego defense contractor a contract to deliver command, control, communications, and cybersecurity capabilities to Taiwan, with the work conducted both on the island and in the continental United States under the framework of U.S. government international agreements with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. Naval Information Warfare […]View the full article

British infantry soldiers are training 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Russian border in Finland, practicing how to kill enemy targets with Anduril’s autonomous drones without ever exposing themselves to direct fire — and doing it alongside Finnish troops who have spent decades preparing for exactly the kind of war now grinding through Ukraine. Around […]View the full article