Raw Intel

Americas The US Army is seeking industry input on a spy aircraft that can launch unmanned aerial systems. The aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform will be based on an executive jet aircraft, such as a Bombardier G6500, and operate at medium to high altitudes. This announcement seems to attempt to expand the capabilities of the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, which is also based on the Global 6500 and operate at medium to high altitudes. The US Air Force has enhanced its forward posture in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of F-35A Lightning IIs from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter S…

We’re getting our first full look at Russia’s ‘Shturm’ robotic tank complex. The new combat system was first identified during recent field trials, where it appeared for the first time in its complete configuration—featuring both a remotely operated assault vehicle and a command-and-control vehicle based on a modified T-72 chassis. Developed by Uralvagonzavod for the […] The post Russia tests new robotic assault tank first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Satellite images have confirmed the destruction of Russian helicopters at an airbase in occupied Crimea following a Ukrainian drone strike. The attack targeted the airport near Simferopol on August 30, Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi reported. According to the report, satellite photos published by the AviaVector community showed two helicopters destroyed on the airfield. The images, comparing […] The post Satellite photos show Russian helicopters destroyed in Crimea first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Central Command is launching a new task force designed to fast-track the deployment of drones and emerging technologies to American forces operating across the Middle East. The Rapid Employment Joint Task Force (REJTF), announced Tuesday, will focus on delivering advanced capabilities to troops in as little as two months — a major shift in […] The post Pentagon launches rapid deployment unit for drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

With more news breaking since our BB-in-the-News Substack last week, we might as well start the week on the topic. In case you missed it, in Friday’s WSJ, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward let us know there is more in the wind than just our friend John Konrad’s pleadings. Senior White House and Navy officials are in early discussions to replace the current mix of warships … The new fleet would comprise a number of large warships outfitted with more powerful long-range missiles, along with smaller ships such as corvettes, the people said. The Navy has 287 ships in its current inventory, mostly destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and submarines. A new …

Teledyne FLIR is showcasing its CERBERUS XL mobile counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) at GBAD Days, a defense technology event hosted by the Finnish Defence Forces. In a message posted online, Michael Hornoe of Teledyne FLIR stated, “Teledyne FLIR is participating in GBAD Days hosted by Finnish Defence Forces. Look forward to showing our CERBERUS XL […]View the full article

KNDS France has renewed its commitment to Les Forges de Tarbes under a new long-term agreement aimed at supporting the accelerated production of 155mm artillery ammunition, as France continues to adapt its defense industry to a wartime economic footing. According to a press release from KNDS France, the company signed a three-year Long Term Agreement, […]View the full article

China has shipped a batch of Type 59 130mm towed artillery systems to a foreign customer, with images confirming the weapons loaded aboard a cargo vessel and prepared for export, according to open-source visuals recorded during offloading operations. Footage circulating on social media shows multiple Type 59 artillery pieces secured on wheeled carriages and covered […]View the full article

Israeli robotics company Macushla has developed the Shadowfax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with the SAURON Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). According to Macushla, Shadowfax was developed as a flexible robotic platform adaptable to multiple operational scenarios. The company described the system as “the new Swiss army knife that can be kitted for every operational […]View the full article

ABRIS DG said its UNEX unmanned ground vehicle was selected as one of five winners in the XTech Edge Strike Ground Competition held in Vilseck, Germany, from March 3 to 13, 2026. The event, hosted by the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, brought together finalists competing to show how their robotic ground […]View the full article

The Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation a $475 million modification to an existing prototype agreement on April 3, 2026, accelerating development of the Glide Phase Interceptor — the United States’ primary program to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles in flight. The modification pushes the total value of the agreement from $832 million to […]View the full article

Ukraine struck a major Russian oil terminal in Saint Petersburg and hit a military industrial target near the Baltic Fleet’s Kronstadt base on the night of June 2-3, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming the operations were part of his “long-range sanctions” campaign designed to make Russia’s war economy pay a direct price for its attacks […]View the full article

Thick smoke was still rising over Volgograd’s Krasnooktyabrsky District on the morning of June 27 when open-source analysts began piecing together what had just happened to one of Russia’s most critical defense manufacturing sites. According to the monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova+, FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles struck the Titan-Barrikady plant at least three times, with footage […]View the full article

Boeing and Lufthansa Technik Defense signed an agreement Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow to establish general terms for sustaining Germany’s new CH-47F Block II Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, laying the groundwork for a network of parts warehouses across the country to support the aircraft once they enter Luftwaffe service. The Bundeswehr selected the CH-47F Block […]View the full article

For me, it is funny but serious that the phrase I started saying in 2019 that we were going to keep building Arleigh Burke DDGs “until the crack of doom” has turned into prophecy. With the anticipated death of DDG(X) and FFG-62, the Burkes are about the only game in town. That fact naturally flows into a point we have raised here and on the Midrats Podcast for the last couple of decades: How are we going to conduct repair and maintenance under combat conditions should we find ourselves in a fight west of the International Date Line? Well, we’ve got the perfect intersection of both issues for the next episode of Midrats. This RAND Report from May caught my eye: The Arle…

Ukraine’s Defense Forces destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense launcher in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast on Sept. 17, using FP-1 drones, according to Fire Point, the Ukrainian company that builds the drone. Fire Point said the launcher had been modified by Russian forces to strike ground targets and had previously been used against Kyiv. The company […]View the full article

Leidos has picked X-Bow Systems, a New Mexico rocket motor maker, to develop and build the booster motors for the U.S. Army’s Low-Cost Containerized Munition, a ground-launched cruise missile the Pentagon wants to buy in large numbers. X-Bow announced the selection on Oct. 12 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington. […]View the full article

Very rarely do people talk about all the interesting things submarines do, except maybe this article. Revelations by prominent British journalist and author Gordon Thomas in his latest book, Inside British Intelligence: 100 Years of MI5 and MI6 , published last year, show Britain's foreign secret intelligence service mounted an operation to thwart the Chinese arms delivery to Zimbabwe in April 2008. "Britain's intelligence services have increased surveillance of China over the years because of China's activities in Africa. In April 2008, MI6 asked for one of the Royal Navy's nuclear Trident-class submarines to track a floating arsenal of weapons and bombs dis…

U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, receives a mountaintop brief from U.S. and Afghan special forces on Camp Morehead, Afghanistan, April 23, 2012. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen View the full article

No, I’m not going to let this go. Yes, I am going to throw this in your face. What message does this send to friend or foe? BEHOLD! Want to see the absolute state of it all, in detail? Well, in another recent pic - this just happened to be the first one I could find - you can download the hi-res here, if you zoom in to just one section, you can see the long-term damage being done to the ship. This isn't just cosmetic. This is what is being sold; This is what is actually being seen by anyone who sees this ship: "This is a slowly degrading force sent by a declining empire. They send their warships to impress us, but all I see is a nation and its nav…