Raw Intel

Canada announced on June 2 that it finalized a deal in January 2026 to purchase 26 HIMARS rocket artillery systems from the United States for approximately $1.9 billion, giving the Canadian Army its first long-range precision strike capability and a weapon that Ukraine has used to devastating effect against Russian logistics, ammunition depots, and command […]View the full article

The CEO of AM General stepped into a rapidly widening political fight on June 26, publishing a public statement defending his company’s handling of the JLTV A2 program as Congress moved to slash funding, the Marine Corps hunted for a backup supplier, and lawmakers in Washington called the program a readiness crisis in the making. […]View the full article

GE Aerospace and Magellan Aerospace Corporation announced Wednesday they have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities in Canada for the F414-GE-39E engine that powers the Saab JAS 39 Gripen E fighter, an agreement the companies explicitly tied to whether the Canadian government actually decides to buy the Gripen for […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Accrete a contract to deliver an artificial intelligence platform designed to track and analyze narratives across social media, broadcast outlets, and messaging platforms in near real time. The contract covers Argus for Cognitive Advantage, a system built on Accrete’s Knowledge Engine platform. Accrete describes Knowledge Engines as tools that […]View the full article

The Battle of Leyte Gulf. The world's largest naval battle. Every type of action, night and day, for days, from air-to-air to battleship action. No one did it better than The History Channel, back in its prime (imagine this using modern computer simulation), in taking the time to put the battle into context. Get a cup of coffee. It is a two-part series, and in the opening of Part 1, as they describe the state of the Imperial Japanese Navy, ponder a bit if, in 2026, looking toward the next Great Pacific War, we are preparing ourselves to be the U.S. Navy of 1944, or the Imperial Japanese Navy of 1944. If you build yourself for a short war—founded on a hope/cope of Deterr…

Korea Aerospace Industries has flown its FA-50 light combat aircraft in formation with a jet-powered drone for the first time, a test the company says is the first real manned-unmanned formation flight in South Korea. The flight took place on Oct. 8 over the sea south of Goheung, in South Jeolla Province, KAI said on […]View the full article

Can't think of a better name for this lovely. The Pentagon said Thursday that it intends to spend $400 million to develop a giant dirigible that will float 65,000 feet above the Earth for 10 years, providing unblinking and intricate radar surveillance of the vehicles, planes and even people below. "It is absolutely revolutionary," Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said of the proposed unmanned airship -- describing it as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane. Actually, evolutionary - but I won't quibble. View the full article

Americas The US Air Force decided to relocate the AC-130J Ghostrider Formal Training Unit from Hurlburt Field, Florida to Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. This is done so that the Air Force Special Operations Command to realign its training mission under Air Education and Training Command and consolidate AC-130 initial and mission qualification training at Kirtland AFB. According to the service, the AC-130J is a highly modified C-130J capable of extremely accurate navigation due to the fully integrated navigation systems with dual inertial navigation systems and global positioning system. The US Air Force announced on November 20 that it has selected Maxwell Air Forc…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $38.7 million contract modification, which exercises an option for ordering emerging capabilities and analysis systems engineering to include programmatic and logistics tasks that will analyze the F-35 air system’s ability to meet future operational requirements, investigating cost and weight reduction program options and conducting modeling and simulation activities. Additional assessments may include such efforts as analyzing changes to design life, operational readiness, reliability and air system design and configuration. Work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas. Estimated completion is in December 2021. The 85th Test and Evaluation Sq…

Americas Members of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade got a look at development of the SB-1 Defiant vertical lift helicopter, the Army said. The active duty and National Guard soldiers of the brigade, headquartered at Fort Campbell, visited the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida., to learn about the design of the medium-lift helicopter destined to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk, which first saw service in 1974. Northrop Grumman will install an upgraded Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) system that includes the new Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) on aircraft and helicopters under a $146 million order from the US Air Force. Th…

Afghanistan is a land locked nation, but in the USA’s two-decade presence in that country, her Navy was there from the beginning to end serving along with her sister services. Many are familiar with the untold number of Individual Augmentation (IA) assignments Navy active duty and reserve component personnel filled, Navy Corpsmen serving with USMC units, and even SeaBee deployments to Afghanistan, but there were other units with a large US Navy presence, a few of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT). This Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern we’re going to take a snapshot of this part of the Afghanistan conflict from its high-water mark - 2010 and 2011 - with our guests Captain…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $12.9 million deal for AEGIS design agent field engineering services. Aegis is an integrated missile guidance system used on US Navy and allied ships to protect the battle group. Work will take place in Virginia, California, Hawaii, Japan, Washington and California. Estimated completion date is in September 2023. The US Army is integrating a 20 kW-class laser weapon system into its new Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) to help soldiers down smaller unmanned aerial systems (UASs), according to the director of the service’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office Lieutenant General Neil Thurgood. The three-star general spoke at the Spa…

I lived and worked with Germans for years. In their young years, my children's second language - mostly to help their father shop - was German. I have a great affection for Germany and Germans - but with great affection comes great expectations. I know that my expectations for Germany is not that out of alignment with many Germans, however those Germans and their view of Germany are not presently holding power. As one does with things one values yet does not meet their potential, honest affection requires one to speak up and if needed take action. The final part of the Merkle administration was problematic, but under the present SDP government led by Olaf Scholz - the Col…

Americas Sikorsky won $1.1 billion to build 12 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters. The contract with the Lockheed Martin subsidiary, issued by the Navy will include programmatic support, logistics support and peculiar support equipment. Under the terms of the contract, known as Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 2 and 3, Sikorsky will begin deliveries of 12 CH-53K […]View the full article

Australia has test-fired its newest long-range missile for the first time, launching the U.S.-made Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) from the Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory. The missile traveled more than 300 kilometers in four minutes and three seconds, reaching speeds exceeding 4,000 kilometers per hour before striking its target with high accuracy. […] The post Australia tests long-range PrSM missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian forces are adopting a new infantry doctrine that places greater reliance on drones and robotic systems due to manpower challenges, according to an analysis by the DeepState OSINT project in cooperation with the Telegram channel Mannerheims son. The report said the Russian military is increasingly turning to unmanned ground systems, loitering munitions, and heavy […] The post Russia adopts new infantry doctrine amid manpower strain first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

One of Britain’s leading defense analysts has called for a sweeping reform of the Army Reserve and a substantial increase in the size of the British Army, warning that the current structure leaves the country unprepared for future conflicts. Writing on his X page, defense commentator Nicholas Drummond argued that the Reserve is being used […] The post U.K. needs 90,000 regular personnel and 30,000 reservists, analyst warns first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia has conducted a new test of its nuclear-powered cruise missile known as Burevestnik, or SSC-X-9 “Skyfall” in NATO designation, President Vladimir Putin confirmed following a briefing with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. According to Gerasimov, the test took place on October 21 and saw the missile cover 14,000 kilometers over a 15-hour […] The post Russia tests nuclear-powered cruise missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Estonian Ministry of Defense said Monday that six new K9 “Thunder” self-propelled howitzers have arrived in the country as part of Estonia’s ongoing effort to expand its long-range artillery capabilities and strengthen its defense posture. The systems, produced in South Korea by Hanwha Defence, are being integrated into Estonia’s growing artillery fleet as regional […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has officially designated YFQ-48A as the Mission Design Series for Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon, a semi-autonomous prototype aircraft developed under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. According to an Air Force announcement, the assignment of the YFQ-48A designation represents a key step in the service’s effort to field next-generation semi-autonomous aircraft […]View the full article