Raw Intel

Peace is the ultimate goal and is a wonderful thing – but what makes it so special is that peace is not the natural state of things for our species. If you are lucky, you might get a couple of decades of peace before the next conflict of significance. More than that is a blessing few get to enjoy. That is the human benefit of peace, but peace also has a heavy price. As eventually wars come, nations have to be ready for them. From the time the first band of men walked in to your valley, you heard the horses of the steppe archers in the distance, or the tank rumbled through your local gas station – war comes and demands you join it immediately. You go to war with the peopl…

AEGIS-BMD: CG-70 launches SM-3 (click to view full) The AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System for missiles, the SM-3 Standard missile, and the ship’s command and control system, in order to give ships the ability to defend against enemy ballistic missiles. Like its less-capable AEGIS […]View the full article

Americas All Clear Repair Services won a $15 million firm-fixed-price contract for UH-60 Black Hawk maintenance and overhaul. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting […]View the full article

Americas After years of testing and refinement, the US Air Force’s microvane program is nearing full implementation across it’s C-17 fleet. These small, strategically placed devices are set to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase fuel efficiency by redirecting airflow around the aircraft’s fuselage, proving that even the most mature aircraft designs can be enhanced. Air Force Operational Energy and Air Mobility Command are now in the final stages of evaluating the microvane technology. The microvanes themselves are deceptively simple: small, 3D-printed devices, measuring approximately 4 x 16 inches, and shaped like a thin blade. These are attached to the rear of the C-17’…

Israeli-based Skana Robotics, a defense technology firm founded by naval special operations veterans and robotics experts, announced September 1 the launch of its first two autonomous maritime platforms: the Bull Shark, an autonomous surface vessel (ASV), and the Stingray, an autonomous underwater vessel (AUV). The company said the systems mark a shift toward scalable, software-defined […] The post Skana introduces scalable autonomous maritime platforms first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine expects to receive additional fighter jets from its Western partners in the near future, including Swedish Gripens, French Mirages, and American F-16s, a senior defense official has confirmed. The deliveries, once completed, will mark a new stage in Kyiv’s efforts to modernize its air force and strengthen its ability to counter Russian air superiority. […] The post Ukraine to receive Gripen fighter jets first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S.-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has announced a new strategic partnership with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) aimed at accelerating the development of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) technologies for U.S. and allied forces. According to a press release, the collaboration will combine the company’s experience in autonomous tactical aircraft—including the XQ-58A Valkyrie, Mako, and Tactical Firejet—with […] The post Kratos taps Korean expertise for next-gen MUM-T aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division are conducting intensive armored training in Poland under late-autumn conditions that mirror the challenges of Eastern Europe. On November 18, 2025, crews maneuvered an M1A2 Abrams tank through a water obstacle and mud fields at the Bemowo Piskie Training […]View the full article

India’s Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that the Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully completed user evaluation trials of the Next Generation Akash surface-to-air missile system. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Akash-NG missile system demonstrated high accuracy against a range of aerial threats during the trials. These included high-speed targets, low-altitude […]View the full article

The United States Navy’s Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) arrived at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base for a temporary port visit on January 24, 2026, marking the first visit by a U.S. warship since the base was expanded with Chinese support. According to the U.S. Navy, USS Cincinnati docked at the base in […]View the full article

Start the week with a short video and a French map to set your thinking in the right direction. Issue-1: The People’s Republic of China (PRC), having drained as much as she can from nearby seas, has decided to strip-mine life from the most remote corners of our shared oceans. All I can think about is how reckless and unsustainable this is. It all comes from a mix of greed and worries about internal security from a poor and malnourished population—a not uncommon historical Chinese problem Issue-2: China, even as she has grown powerful, remains an incredibly insecure nation against the rest of the world. Creating land around your sea lines of communication so you can claim …

Russia’s state-owned Rostec said its High-Precision Systems holding has delivered a new batch of Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems to the Russian Defense Ministry under the state defense order. The company said the combat vehicles completed required testing and were accepted by military inspectors. The delivery matters because the Pantsir family remains one […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted the vast majority of a 703-target barrage on April 16, but missiles and drones still broke through — killing civilians in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro in the third consecutive day of large-scale Russian aerial bombardment. Ukraine’s Air Force reported Thursday morning that Russian forces conducted two waves of combined aerial attacks […]View the full article

The U.S. government threw open its classified UFO files on Friday, releasing never-before-seen documents, videos, and photos through a new interagency program and making them freely accessible to any American with an internet connection — no security clearance required. The Department of War announced the initial release as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting […]View the full article

Finland is set to begin manufacturing a new class of affordable surveillance and drone-detection aircraft at the country’s only aircraft factory, with the first prototype test flight scheduled within days, Titta Puurunen of Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported June 3. The program belongs to Sensofusion, a Finnish defense technology company that employs more than 100 […]View the full article

Two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers have completed a comprehensive mid-life modernization that gives them the most advanced shipborne electronic warfare capability the Navy has ever fielded, making them significantly harder to kill with anti-ship missiles and dramatically more capable of disrupting enemy radar and communications at the same time. The Navy confirmed the completion of […]View the full article

A military aircraft has crashed in Russia’s Moscow region near the town of Zvenigorod, with the pilot reportedly ejecting before impact, according to Russian local media and Telegram channels reporting from the scene. Footage circulating from the crash site shows wreckage and emergency response activity near Zvenigorod, roughly 40 miles (65 km) west of central […]View the full article

Austal USA delivered LCU 1710 to the U.S. Navy on August 14, 2026, the first vessel completed under the Navy’s LCU 1700-class program and the first steel-hulled ship the shipbuilder has ever delivered to the service. Austal USA, based in Mobile, Alabama, has built its Navy business primarily on aluminum vessels, including Independence-variant littoral combat […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded a $10.6 million contract for Raybird unmanned aircraft hardware and services to Skyeton Inc., the American arm of Skyeton, a Ukrainian company that has spent the past several years proving the drone in combat over Ukraine. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, issued the firm-fixed-price contract after soliciting bids […]View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense is considering leaving the Type 10 main battle tank out of its fiscal 2027 budget request, after a shell exploded inside one of the tanks in April and killed three soldiers, according to Japanese defense newspaper Asagumo. Gen. Masayoshi Arai, chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, disclosed the […]View the full article