Raw Intel

French drone maker Cavok UAS is developing a containerized launch system designed to deploy swarms of its Skydart5 interceptor drones, an effort flagged by Counter Unmanned Systems on X after Cavok UAS described the concept. Cavok UAS, based in Sainte-Menehould in France’s Marne region, posted a schematic image of the dispenser alongside a description of […]View the full article

While some military hardware ages out quickly, the Army’s Avenger air defense system has instead spent nearly four decades getting upgraded piece by piece, and this week it received another one: a new contract worth up to $25.2 million for infrared sensors that let its crews spot targets in the dark. The Defense Logistics Agency […]View the full article

Six Turkish military drones flew into Greek-claimed airspace over the Aegean Sea on Oct. 10, Greece’s Hellenic National Defense General Staff said, the latest in a run of near-daily incidents this month. The Greek military recorded eight infringements of air traffic rules inside the Athens Flight Information Region and five violations of Greek national airspace […]View the full article

The story of Europe's growing struggle with its intentional own-goal of importing a critical mass of people who will not simply, "become European," will be an ongoing story this century. Especially in France. Outsiders also misunderstand the situation on the ground in France as it deals with radical Islamism. After the recent attacks, the government chose to close a mosque and an NGO suspected of ties with radical groups. But more consequential legislative action was initiated this fall, when the French government proposed a bill seeking to fight “separatism.” Building on months of dialogue with religious organizations like the French Council of the Muslim Faith, Mac…

We started the "Keeping and Eye on the Long Game" over a decade and a half ago. Many of you have been loyal members of the Front Porch since that time, so I know you are not surprised where 2021 finds us. Look at it. Don't avert your eyes. You ... yes you ... allowed this to happen because you elected the people you elected and promoted those you promoted. You allowed other priorities to creep in where maintaining the world's dominate navy should have been #1. Sadly, many are either refusing to accept this fact or are acting as if it all of a sudden snuck up on them. Fire them all. China was already in the midst of a shipbuilding spree like few the world has ever…

Why are Naval Academy football players dying? In the last seven years, three Midshipmen who played at least two years of football at the US Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Prep School have died of natural causes. 2014: Will McKamey, 19, 5-9, 170-pounds: died after collapsing and falling in to a coma during practice. History of brain injury. 2020: David Forney, 22, 6'3" 305 pounds: died of cardiac arrest in his room. 2021: Michael Myles James, 22, 5'11" 230 pounds (2018): unspecified natural causes in his sleep. Recruited to play football, went to NAPS, played freshman year. I have kids the same age as these MIDN, that is what first caught my attention. I cannot…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $79.9 million contract modification to definitize the task order for the fire control components development and flight test support for Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, PATRIOT advanced capability and PAC-3 missile segment enhancement integration with lower tier air and missile defense sensor. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion date is December 31, 2023. Safran has opened a second assembly line at their facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, for the Arriel 2E engine. The first assembled and tested Arriel 2E engines have been delivered to Airbus. These engines power the UH-72B delivered to the US Army as…

Americas Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division launched the amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) being built for the US Navy. Richard M. McCool Jr., the 13th LPD in the San Antonio class of amphibious assault force ships, will support US amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century. The Argentinian Ministry of Defense has approved the purchase of two Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters for the Argentinian Navy. The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by …

If you want to get past the press releases, spin, and general garbage takes about who is doing what to help Ukraine, the Kiel Institute should be one of your first stops. Their Ukraine Support Tracker is heavy on facts and light on what you don't need. If like me you like to see the dataset, they've posted it in the raw or a smoother form. They are doing this right. I especially like how they break out aid as a percentage of GDP, the Salamander Approved™ way that smaller nations show they are giving a fair-share effort. Dig in to the data. Talk is talk; action is action; money speaks. Remember. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds…

Americas Bath Iron Works won a $35.4 million contract modification for lead yard support effort for the DDG-51 Class Guided Missile Destroyer program. Work will take place in Maine. Estimated completion will be in June 2023. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics won a $59.8 million modification for multiple items used in the Abrams Main Battle Tank, Stryker Family of Vehicles, Light Armored Vehicle Family of Vehicles, Cougar, Buffalo and RG-31. The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense and named for General Creighton Abrams. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated c…

We started doing the "Long Game" series about the rise of the People's Republic of China to challenge American's place in the world. At the end of that first post in the series in July of 2004, I wrote; Say what you want about the Chinese, they are very focused on their long term strategic needs. They will continue to study the way we do business at sea, and they will make sure they are ready when the call comes. Are we? A lot of folks hear rustling in the woods behind us. There were a lot of us, but few were listening. 18.4 years later, they are now. That is part of the reason it has been since May of this year since I did a Long Game post. I've written a fair bit abou…

RIM-162: sections (click to view full) The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft, and is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. Compared to the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, ESSM is effectively a new missile with a larger, more powerful rocket motor for increased range, a […]View the full article

Elbit Systems has secured a $260 million contract from Airbus Defence and Space to deliver its J-MUSIC Directed Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) system for the German Air Force’s A400M transport aircraft fleet. According to a press release from Elbit Systems, the six-year contract follows a procurement decision by Germany’s Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology […] The post Germany taps Elbit for A400M missile defense deal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on August 31 inspected a newly built missile production complex and signed three new plans to expand the country’s missile manufacturing capacity, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the visit, Kim toured an automated assembly line, which state media described as capable of dramatically increasing […] The post North Korea ramps up ballistic missile production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian troops have carried out an unconventional special operation on the Kharkiv front — evacuating a cat from near the line of contact using a ground robotic vehicle. The unusual mission, conducted by the “Khartia” Brigade, highlights the growing use of unmanned ground systems (UGVs) in Ukraine not only for combat tasks but also for […] The post Ukrainian troops use ground robot to rescue cat from frontline first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea and Malaysia have signed a new defense cooperation agreement aimed at expanding their collaboration in arms development, procurement, and joint production, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Monday in Kuala Lumpur by DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun and Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled […] The post South Korea, Malaysia expand military industry cooperation first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A U.S. Navy vessel operating as part of a coalition task force in the Caribbean issued multiple radio warnings on November 24 to an unidentified aircraft approaching its position in international waters south of Puerto Rico. The aircraft, flying at 18,300 feet and traveling at approximately 278 knots, was tracked on a course of 085º—moving […]View the full article

President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping naval construction plan centered on a new class of nuclear-armed battleships, a move that would revive a ship type absent from the U.S. Navy for more than three decades and reshape future surface warfare. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Florida alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco […]View the full article

The United States is preparing Misawa Air Base in northern Japan to support the future deployment of F-35A stealth fighter aircraft, as part of a broader effort to modernize U.S. air power in the western Pacific. According to the report by Newsweek journalist Ryan Chan, the Pentagon plans to deploy 48 F-35A Lightning II jets […]View the full article

The United States Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on February 21, 2026, beginning a scheduled major overhaul intended to extend the submarine’s operational life and upgrade its combat capabilities. The nuclear-powered submarine, crewed by more than 120 Sailors, will undergo extensive modernization work designed to prepare […]View the full article