Raw Intel

Americas Sikorsky won a $94.3 million deal to support an option exercise of six Program Year 5, Lot 45 HH-60M aircraft. The HH-60M Black Hawk features an integrated MEDEVAC equipment package kit intended to support casualty evacuation missions at daytime or nighttime or even in extreme weather conditions, according to the service branch. The branch exercised an option under a previously awarded contract to procure lot 45 HH-60M choppers for the fifth year of the aircraft procurement effort. Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2022. Rockwell Collins won a $16.9 million order, which upgrades the E-6B Mercury mission computer from a 32…

If it is early summer in the Black Sea, it is time for the annual Ukrainian hosted international exercise Sea Breeze. Why is this exercise important, who came along, and what does it tell us about the state of the Ukrainian Navy, maritime security in the contested eastern Black Sea, and some interesting responses from the Russians? Recently returning from the exercise and joining us for the full hour this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern will be returning guest, Captain Chris Rawley, USNR CAPT Rawley is the Reserve Chief of Staff for US. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. Over his 29 year career, he has deployed to the Persian Gulf, Western Pacific, Iraq, Afghanistan, and across…

Americas A US Air Force KC-46A crew has flown the aerial refueling aircraft for 24.2 hours in a mission to gather human factors data on long-duration flights. The aircraft was flown by four pilots working on four-hour shifts with another two pilots acting as backup. They were joined by three boom operators, a photojournalist, and a physician assistant. Taking off from McConnell Air Force Base on May 5, the jet landed back at McConnell Air Force Base the next day with just one refueling from a KC-46A. Korte Construction Co., doing business as The Korte Co. won $37 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and construct an operations and test facility. Bids were solicite…

Americas Sikorsky won a $36.4 million order, which procures spare parts and provides repair and maintenance support for the Lot 6 CH-53K low rate initial production configuration aircraft. Work will take place in Connecticut, Canada, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, West Virginia and California. Expected completion will be in December 2025. Boeing won a $12.4 million deal to procure upgraded flight control computer operational flight program with automatic ground collision avoidance system capable software for the F/A-18C/D aircraft. The F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather jet aircraft that is used b…

It appears that the recruiting and retention challenges are breaking above the ambient noise at the start of 2QFY23. We go through these cycles, but if things seem a bit different to you this time, your instincts are right. The ebb and flow of manning the Navy is a regular story - but there is one major cause that is different this time around and is beyond the control of anyone - it is an almost geographic or structural in nature as will be outlined later in the post. Layered on top of this structural challenge to recruiting and retention are challenges of our own creation and are fully in our control - a headwind of our own creation via decisions and policies that even …

Americas Boeing won an $8.1 million deal, which provides for the manufacture, assembly and delivery of various peculiar support equipment in support of the F/A-18E/F program for the Navy. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. The US Air Force has announced the selection of […]View the full article

Americas The Boeing Insitu Integrator drone demonstrated the dropping of a pair of GPS-guided Shryke munitions. It is part of a program to add strike capability to Integrator, with Corvid Technologies’ Shryke one of several kinetic payloads the drone offers its customers. A NATO Class 1 small uncrewed aircraft system, Integrator has an endurance of 24 […]View the full article

Americas The Thor unmanned aerial system is part of the US Department of Defense’s Medium Range Reconnaissance effort, which seeks Group 2 drones weighing between 9.5 to 24.9 kilograms for the army. Thor is designed with targeting, dropping, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for multi-domain operations. It is capable of lifting 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of cargo, can be folded, transported via backpack storage, and deployed in under two minutes. Thor can fly autonomously for up to 70 minutes with its integrated electro-optical infrared sensor enabled. Mitsubishi Electric has signed a pilot contract with Raytheon to repair transmitters used in …

Americas The Colombian Air Force (FAC) is evaluating the potential inclusion of the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB3 drone into its fleet in an ongoing effort to modernize its capabilities. High-ranking FAC officials reportedly traveled to Ankara to assess the operational capabilities of the long-endurance drone and determine whether it aligns with the country’s strategic needs. As part of its modernization, the FAC is exploring options to upgrade its unmanned aerial systems (UAS) fleet, transitioning away from its current Israeli-made Hermes 900 and 450 drones. The US Marine Corps conducted the maiden test launch of a new Long Range Precision Fire (LRPF) capability in November…

In the early hours of August 2, a wave of explosions rocked several Russian regions as Ukraine launched a retaliatory drone strike against military and strategic industrial targets deep inside Russian territory. The operation, reportedly in response to a deadly Russian missile barrage on Ukrainian cities on July 31, targeted oil refineries, electronics manufacturing sites, […] The post Massive Ukrainian strike hits deep inside Russia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia is accelerating efforts to transform Iranian-designed Shahed drones into jet-powered, remotely controlled weapons aimed at devastating cities and overwhelming air defenses, according to a new report from UNITED24. The Shahed drone, first developed in Iran and transferred to Russia in 2022, has become one of the Kremlin’s most […] The post UNITED24: Russia adds remote control to Shahed drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has reached a new milestone in its long-range fires modernization effort, successfully completing the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 1 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) on September 26, 2025, at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. According to the Army, four PrSM Increment 1 missiles were launched against targets positioned […] The post U.S. Army’s cutting-edge missile system moves closer to service first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) is evaluating the U.S.-developed Chaparral unmanned aerial system for logistics operations between islands, a move aimed at strengthening Japan’s ability to support remote units across its maritime domain. Developed by California-based Elroy Air, the Chaparral is a hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) cargo drone designed to perform autonomous […]View the full article

France has presented the newest evolution of its next-generation loitering munition capability, showcasing the MUTANT XL system at the Defense Innovation Forum 2025 held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The system is being developed under the French Larinae program through a partnership between MBDA and Delair. According to Delair, the MUTANT XL is designed […]View the full article

China’s People’s Liberation Army on Monday launched the “Justice Mission-2025” military drills around Taiwan without prior warning and announced upcoming live-fire exercises that will restrict air and maritime traffic in five designated areas starting Tuesday, prompting immediate condemnation from Taiwanese authorities. Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Foreign Ministry, and Ministry of National Defense responded within hours, describing […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded Raytheon a $1.03 billion contract modification to continue production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), according to a contract announcement released this week. The modification covers Year Two production requirements for the LTAMDS program and brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $1,025,100,000. […]View the full article

The Italian Army’s 187th Paratroopers Regiment “Folgore” has begun operational integration testing of the IMRS “Wild Goose” Infantry Modular Robotic System, a remotely controlled robotic transport platform developed by Marom Dolphin. The evaluation phase focuses on assessing the system’s performance in supporting infantry operations across complex and difficult terrain. The testing effort aims to improve […]View the full article

An Iranian-backed militia carried out a drone strike on Camp Victory in Iraq, targeting a United States military installation and hitting multiple assets, according to video released on March 24 and open-source analysis. Footage shows a first-person view (FPV) attack drone striking a parked Black Hawk helicopter within the base perimeter. Open-source imagery from the […]View the full article

Videos and images circulating on the Chinese social media platform Weibo show a convoy of multiple mobile missile launchers traveling through what appears to be a Chinese city, with open-source analysts identifying the vehicles as probable transporter-erector-launchers associated with the DF-27 anti-ship ballistic missile system fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle. The footage, captured by […]View the full article

Ethan Gossrow over at Naval News did a detailed look at the carrier portion of the 30-year shipbuilding plan that gives some texture for those who, like myself, are concerned about the slow approach to bringing new carriers online. Even though today is no different from any other day over the last half decade, there are those who will continue to try to explain why the USN’s CVNs are “obsolete” and not worth the investment. However, reality continues to get in their way, as he quotes from the Plan: “Underpinning Expanded Maritime Maneuver (EMM) the CVN serves as a persistent, survivable, mobile sea base that enables the Navy to dominate contested environments and deliver …