Raw Intel

Ukraine’s defense industry has introduced a new 4×4 tactical armored vehicle designed for frontline operations. According to the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, the newly developed DESNA armored vehicle has been created by the private company UkrArmoTech as a direct response to battlefield requirements. DESNA was built to meet the military’s need for a multi-purpose, high-mobility […]View the full article

A Russian defense analyst has publicly proposed leasing North Korean Su-25 ground-attack aircraft for use in the war in Ukraine, citing the weapons configuration displayed on the aircraft during a recent North Korean military event. The proposal was outlined by Vladimir Khrustalev, a Russian expert on North Korea’s military-industrial complex and nuclear weapons, following celebrations […]View the full article

Elmer Royce Williams, Captain, USN (Ret.). Every Naval officer should know his name, but few do. He was born in 1925, and he is still with us. What a story. Imagine you are just your standard-issue U.S. Navy fleet Lieutenant in your late 20s. You missed the big war, but you are ear deep in the next one, the Korean War. You know, on paper at least, you are flying a plane outclassed by your opponent. Doesn’t matter. Then one day you find yourself facing not just a better aircraft—but outnumbered by them. To make it even worse, you find out after the merge that you are not facing the JV team, but the varsity. Before it is all said and done, you finish what has been called, "…

Hopefully, everyone here knows what the Davidson Window is about and all the concerns about the People’s Republic of China (PRC) being ready to go to war by 2027. While I can argue the point, I am more inclined to stress that it doesn’t mean the PRC is going to take that risk, especially if we increase the risk for them. However, were I a Chinese planner, if the Chairman tells me to do something, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do a damn good job of it, and I’m going to have recommendations that have been going back years on things we need to do. It won’t just be things the military has to do either. Oh, no. We would need to expect that it may evolve into a global war t…

While the Maduro snatch-n-grab focused everyone’s attention on the Western Hemisphere for a moment, once again, global events moved attention elsewhere. Regardless of where the news of the moment may be, the economic and political situation in Central and South America is getting renewed attention on a scale not seen in a long time. On this week’s Midrats Podcast, we’re going to dive right in with our guest, Colin Dueck. We go live at 5 PM Eastern for a full hour. You can listen live and join the live chat at this link. If you’re reading this after the show, check the Substack later Sunday for podcast links. Colin is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise …

German electronic warfare technology company Aaronia AG will make its first public presentation of the AARTOS DF2 direction-finding solution at AOC Europe in Helsinki from May 19 to 21, 2026. The AOC Europe conference, organized by the Association of Old Crows and described as the leading European electronic warfare symposium, brings together decision-makers from armed […]View the full article

Six defense technology companies walked into a demonstration event with separate products and walked out days later with a fully integrated autonomous hunter-killer ground vehicle system, presenting it directly to the Secretary of the Army in what participants described as proof that the American defense industry can move at a speed the Pentagon’s traditional procurement […]View the full article

New footage from American Rheinmetall shows the company’s XM30 infantry fighting vehicle concept in greater detail, giving the clearest promotional look yet at the front profile, main gun, turret sensors and running gear of one of two vehicles competing to replace the U.S. Army’s Bradley. The video arrives as the Army’s XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat […]View the full article

Rocket Lab Corporation, the publicly traded space company known primarily for its small satellite launch vehicles, announced a $266 million multi-launch contract with the U.S. Space Force, the branch of the Department of War responsible for military operations in and through space, marking the largest single launch agreement the company has ever secured. The deal […]View the full article

Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec has delivered a new batch of Su-35S multirole fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces, the company said Thursday. It is the third such delivery of 2026. The aircraft, built by Rostec subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) at the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, completed a full cycle of factory […]View the full article

BAE Systems said it has delivered two AMPV 30 prototypes armed with Kongsberg’s Medium Caliber Turret to a U.S. Army Transformation in Contact 2.0 unit, funding the six-month development effort itself with $17 million in internal research money. The company disclosed the delivery in a Sept. 22 release, though the vehicles reached the Army’s 1st […]View the full article

German startup Reactive Dynamics says combat troops have put its RDX 1 tracked unmanned ground vehicle through its first tactical trials, using it to haul supplies and carry soldiers, evacuate casualties and run reconnaissance patrols by day and night. The company said the tests took place last week with frontline units and also covered using […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control won a $2.8 billion contract for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead rocket pods, GMLRS Unitary Warhead rocket pods, Low-Cost Reduced Range Practice rocket pods, cybersecurity services, integrated product support and other services. The company describes the Guided MLRS as a “rapidly-deployable, long-range, surface-to-surface, precision-strike capability.” It is fired from both the MLRS M270 family of launchers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers. Six Guided MLRS rockets per launch pod, with 2 pods carried by the M270 launchers and 1 pod carried by the HIMARS launc…

Americas Mint Turbines won an $11.4 million deal for the T-53 depot-level engine maintenance, which provides for maintenance, repair and overhaul repairs of the T-53 engine. The T53 powered the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) and AH-1 HueyCobra helicoptersWork will take place in Oklahoma. Expected completion date is November 30, 2031. The US Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters are testing WC-130J aircraft – designed to provide data vital to tropical cyclone forecasting – equipped with new satellite communications capabilities. Hurricane Hunters are stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. As one of their WC-130J Super Hercules powers through a hurric…

All month I tried to ... no ... I asked myself to come up with something good at the 1-yr anniversary of the national humiliation that was our negotiated retreat/surrender of Kabul a year ago, but here I am the night of the 30th and the morning of the 31st ... and I have pretty much nothing. "Good?" No. I failed you and myself. I'm not all that happy about it either - but that kind of fits the moment. I looked at the subtitles of the posts I did a year ago on the 31st of August, 5th of September, and 7th of September of 2021; - the fault, shame and humiliation is all ours; all red, white, and blue; - the good in the shadows; - the people, promises, and reputation we le…

Americas Bell Boeing won a $23.4 million modification, which exercises options to provide continued flight test support for the V-22 aircraft in support of the Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Fort Worth, Texas; and Hurlburt Field, Florida, and is expected to […]View the full article

Americas Alabama Shipyard won a $22 million deal for a 123-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry docking of the Military Sealift Command’s dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). This contract includes a base period and options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $22,163,078. Work will […]View the full article

The KHAN ballistic missile system, developed by Türkiye’s Roketsan, was spotted at an Indonesian Army installation in East Kalimantan. The missile platform, identified as the ITBM-600, was seen at the Raipur A base of the 18th Field Artillery Battalion (Yonarmed 18/Buritkang Tenggarong) on August 1, 2025. This was first reported by the defense-focused platform Sahabat […] The post Indonesia receives first KHAN ballistic missile system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Falkland Island War. 1982. HMS COVENTRY (D118) from peacetime to sinking. First things first; don't let the fact this was 43 years ago fool you. Even though it is as far away from today as the events below were to the start of WWII in Europe, from a technology standpoint, the fundamentals are the same and the challenge is greater. There are two big takeaways from this story that still require our attention today. From the outstanding Sea of Fire that you will find at the bottom of the post, this story should be seen by anyone who goes to sea. I want you to focus on two things though. Two things, IMAO, that get fairy-dusted, happy-talked, best-cased, and downright i…

The Pentagon’s research and technology arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has released a sweeping new funding solicitation through its Biological Technologies Office (BTO), calling on industry, academia, and research institutions to propose breakthrough solutions that harness biological processes for national security applications. The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), designated HR001126S0003, outlines a multi-year initiative […] The post Pentagon seeks AI-driven bio solutions to protect troops first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article