Raw Intel

Those who follow me on X know that every couple of months I remind everyone that we are gleefully training those whose life’s work is to defeat this nation. If you have been to a major top-shelf university or research institution’s graduation ceremony in the last two decades, one thing that dramatically stands out is how many People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals are receiving not just undergraduate degrees, but master’s degrees and PhDs in the most highly skilled STEM fields from biostatistics to quantum physics. From aerospace engineering to industrial design—PRC nationals are overrepresented to an outlandish degree. Don’t forget, these are the places basic researc…

Rheinmetall Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger said insufficient funding is currently limiting the volume of military aid that could be delivered to Ukraine, stating that additional weapons systems are available if financing is secured, according to remarks made in an interview with the Berlin-based media platform Table Media published Feb. 16. Speaking during the Table.Today […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has released details of a $145 million contract action to develop and integrate an Air-to-Air Dual Mode weapon based on the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) designed to counter large groups of unmanned aerial systems, according to an official Justification and Approval document published February 13, 2026. The approval […]View the full article

A top-secret United States government body called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has issued a special notice outlining new research priorities for its forthcoming Fleetwood program, an initiative aimed at developing advanced catalytic technologies to convert biomass waste into carbon-based chemicals for resilient global manufacturing supply chains. The notice, published February 13, 2026, […]View the full article

Need a moment to recover from Valentine’s Day? Of course you do! This Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern, the Midrats Podcast goes LIVE with our ever popular Free-for-All format. We have our topics, but you can join in during the show chat and offer up your own If you read this after the show, just refresh the Substack page Sunday night to find the uploaded podcast You can join the show at this link. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

The United States Air Force is confronting growing scrutiny over the cost structure of the T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft program as it approaches the Milestone C decision phase, a key acquisition step that will determine whether the aircraft moves into full-rate production. The review comes amid continued schedule delays and ongoing efforts to stabilize […]View the full article

The United Kingdom has made “significant progress” in exploring export opportunities tied to the Challenger 3 main battle tank program, a British defense minister confirmed in a written parliamentary response reported Sunday by UK Defence Journal. Defence Minister Luke Pollard disclosed the update in an official reply to Conservative Member of Parliament Ben Obese-Jecty, stating […]View the full article

The United States Department of War and the Department of Energy transported a next-generation nuclear reactor aboard a C-17 military aircraft on Feb. 15, 2026, from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah for testing under a federal nuclear modernization initiative. The compact reactor, developed by Valar Atomics, is […]View the full article

Russia’s Taganrog Aviation Scientific-Technical Complex named after Beriev (TANTK Beriev) reported a net loss of more than 5 billion rubles, or approximately $65 million, in 2025, according to financial statements published on Interfax. The results represent a sharp reversal from 2024, when the company posted a profit of 1.19 billion rubles (about $15.4 million). Financial […]View the full article

A Russian missile strike destroyed a production line for Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Feb. 14 during a briefing on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Zelenskyy said the attack targeted a major manufacturing facility connected to the domestically developed long-range missile program, temporarily disrupting production at a time when […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin successfully conducted a 112-kilometer flight test of its Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the company announced. The test marked the first time an M270A2 launcher fired the Alternative Warhead (AW) configuration of the ER GMLRS rocket, validating launcher integration, precision performance, and lethality. […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said its Alpha special operations unit destroyed roughly half of Russia’s Pantsir truck-mounted road-mobile air defense systems eliminated during 2025 operations, according to an official statement released by the agency. The SBU stated that fighters from the Alpha Center for Special Operations targeted Russian Pantsir surface-to-air missile and gun systems throughout […]View the full article

The United States Marine Corps has awarded Kodiak AI a contract to support development of autonomous military ground vehicles by integrating its AI-powered driving system into the Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) platform, according to the monitoring group Counter Unmanned Systems. Counter Unmanned Systems reported that Kodiak will integrate its dual-use autonomous […]View the full article

Turkey’s largest defense company ASELSAN displayed a trailer-mounted version of its SARP 100/35 weapon turret during a recent facility visit by Turkish official Bayraktaroğlu, according to information shared by Ahmet Alemdar, co-founder of Defence Turk Magazine, on social media platform X. Images published following the visit showed the SARP 100/35 system — previously known as […]View the full article

The United States Department of War awarded Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control a $50,5 million contract modification on Feb. 12, 2026, supporting continued procurement of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM), according to an official contract announcement. The modification (P00012) applies to a previously awarded contract identified as FA8682-24-C-B001 for […]View the full article

German unmanned systems manufacturer Quantum Systems announced that it secured a €150 million financing package — equivalent to approximately $178 million — backed by the European Investment Bank and major European commercial lenders to support industrial expansion and technology development. The agreement was presented during a joint press conference at the company’s headquarters in Gilching, […]View the full article

Australian aerospace company Hypersonix Launch Systems confirmed Feb. 13, 2026, that a launch window has been set for the first flight test of its DART AE hypersonic aircraft, with the mission scheduled to launch no earlier than late February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The […]View the full article

Valkyrie Enterprises announced on February 13, 2026, that it has received a five-year, $48 million contract to provide engineering services and technical support for multiple U.S. Navy combat systems at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity (NSWCDD DNA). According to the company, the contract covers engineering and support work across unit-level […]View the full article

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and RENK Group CEO Dr. Alexander Sagel announced on February 13, 2026, that the German defense manufacturer will invest $150 million in Michigan through 2030, expanding its industrial and research footprint tied to U.S. military supply programs. The investment includes $70 million in capital expenditures and $80 million dedicated to research […]View the full article

The Hellenic Navy has signed a contract to procure ship-based CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) for deployment aboard its new Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) Belharra-class frigates, according to a February 13, 2026 announcement by manufacturer Schiebel Group. Under the agreement, the rotary-wing unmanned aircraft will operate from three French-built frigates — HS […]View the full article