Raw Intel

This reeks of a poorly thought out PR stunt. Navy officials in the Pentagon and Fleet Forces Command are studying the possibility that the Navy’s first littoral combat ship, Freedom, could make a short deployment earlier than planned, on the orders of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, the Navy confirmed Friday. Roughead ordered the studies after Freedom finished the second half of its acceptance trials May 22, Navy spokesman Lt. Clay Doss said. “The CNO is interested in employing the unique capabilities of this new class of warship as soon as practical, taking into consideration the milestones associated with a first-of-class warship,†Doss…

ID contributor Robert Farley has posted his thoughts on the BMD decision over at the Guardian. Rob mentions something in his article that I've been thinking about for awhile regarding the Eastern European missile shield floated by the Bush administration. The reaction in Poland and the Czech Republic clearly illustrates that the purpose of the ballistic missiles in those countries was to influence Russia, yet the Bush administration always sold the concept domestically from the political position that the shield protects the US from Iranian ballistic missiles, an obvious disingenuous position. To me, that indicated Bush was sending a signal to Russia that the ballisti…

The Navy wants to talk some more about unmanned systems, the unknown war we have been fighting for years along the bleeding edge of Islam in Africa seems to be going nowhere we want it to go, China decides to let the mask slip at last, in the mandated extremism training The Pentagon realized the military reflects the nation it serves and not the readers of The Washington Post ... and we still don't have any Service Secretaries nominated. This week produced more news than can be covered in one Midrats, but we're going to try. This Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern come join us for a Midrats free for all. Open topic, open chat, open phones. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrat…

Americas General Dynamics Electric Boat won an $11.5 million contract modification to support the Virginia Class Common Weapon Launcher (CWL) technology insertion advanced processor build efforts for all variants. The Virginia Class submarine is the Navy’s latest fast-attack submarine and is capable of targeting, controlling, and launching MK 48 torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack missiles (TLAMs). Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion will be by September 20, 2022. The US Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $22.2 million deal for additional labor hours for smart start maintenance, repair, and modernization efforts in support of the USS Hartf…

Americas Lockheed Martin Corporation won a $204.7 million deal for production of High Mobility Artillery Rock Systems M142 launchers and support requirements. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. HIMARS carries a single six-pack of rockets or one ATACMS missile on the Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) 5-ton truck, and can launch the entire MLRS family of munitions. Work will take place in Texas, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, New Jersey and Mississippi. Estimated completion date is April 29, 2025. Bell Boeing won a $302.2 million contract modification by the US Navy. The modification provides for the production and delivery of…

Americas Oshkosh Defense won a $22.6 million deal to exercise available options to support the fielding of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, packaged and installed kits, and trailers. Work will take place in Wisconsin. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2024. The US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. The Chilean Air Force has inducted into service two Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning Mk 1 (AEW1) aircraft from the UK Royal Air Force. The two operational Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft were acquired along with a third aircraft to be used for spares, earlier in 2022. Middle East & Africa …

Americas The US Army has awarded Oshkosh Defense a $102-million contract to produce Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) for its international allies. The tactical vehicles will be handed over to the armed forces of Romania, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Brazil, and Montenegro to bolster their ground mobility. According to the American defense firm, the contract reflects […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed won a $13 million modification, which dds scope to provide reach back support for sustainment of all Norway and Italy Reprogramming Laboratory systems, as well as associated consumables and spare material/tooling support in support of the F-35 program for non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Eglin, Florida (80%); […]View the full article

Americas Austal USA, Mobile won a $47 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and cost-only modification for Littoral Combat Ships class design support, and integrated data and product model environment support. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama and Pittsfield, Massachusetts and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will deliver over 1,500 Zetros logistics trucks to the Canadian Armed Forces. The delivery includes 1,000 light Zetros (two-axle …

The U.S. Space Force is preparing to launch its eighth X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission on August 21, 2025. According to the service, the unmanned X-37B spacecraft, operating under the designation USSF-36, will be carried aloft by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission will be conducted in partnership with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities […] The post U.S. Space Force prepares next X-37B spaceplane launch first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has introduced its new generation of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) during the Victory Day parade, highlighting advances in autonomous maritime combat and signaling their future role in contested waters. According to information presented at the event, the USVs are designed for “covert deployment and blockade, autonomous detection and identification, and networked swarm attacks, providing […] The post China displays new unmanned warships first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Cyprus’ National Guard has unveiled its newly acquired Tamnava multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) for the first time during a recent military parade. Developed by Serbia’s state-owned defense company Yugoimport, the Tamnava is a self-propelled, modular system capable of launching both 122mm Grad and 262mm rockets. According to Yugoimport, the Tamnava MLRS was designed as […] The post New Serbian rocket system debuts in Cyprus first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Philippines hosted its first-ever Drone Warfare Summit this week at Subic Bay, bringing together defense officials, manufacturers, and military representatives to discuss the evolving role of unmanned systems in modern warfare. The three-day event, running from October 27 to 29, highlighted the growing strategic importance of drones across air, land, sea, and underwater domains […]View the full article

U.S. Air Forces Southern said that long-range B-52H Stratofortress bombers from Minot Air Force Base carried out a Bomber Attack Demonstration over the Caribbean Sea on November 24, supporting Operation Southern Spear. According to the service, the mission was part of ongoing efforts to “bring Hemispheric security & stability,” and included integration with U.S. fighter […]View the full article

Finnish company Summa Defence Plc has launched production of Zeus FPV drones in several configurations, with the systems primarily supplied to Ukraine’s defense forces, according to reporting by Defense Express. The Finnish defense group Summa Defence Plc said in a press release dated December 23 that it delivered the first batch of Zeus FPV drones […]View the full article

Russia’s state defense corporation Rostec confirmed it has delivered new Zubr short-range air defense systems to military units, deploying them to protect critical infrastructure from unmanned aerial threats, the company said in a statement. According to Rostec, the newly delivered systems were developed by its High Precision Systems holding and are now entering operational duty. […]View the full article

The United States Army’s Chief Scientist for Ground Vehicle Systems visited MSI Defense Solutions’ headquarters and production facility in Mooresville, North Carolina, last week to review the company’s vehicle integration and counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities, the company confirmed Monday. The visit by Dr. David Gorsich, who serves at the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development […]View the full article

The United States has approved a Foreign Military Sales case valued at up to $1 billion to provide submarine combat systems support, technical assistance, and embedded personnel to the United Kingdom as part of the AUKUS security partnership. The notification, released by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on March 20, 2026, expands a previously approved […]View the full article

American forces deployed Hornet strike drones during the Balikatan 2026 exercise in the Philippines, using the small pneumatic-launched weapons to destroy maritime targets simulating Chinese ZBD-05 amphibious assault vehicles in live-fire drills — marking one of the first confirmed appearances of the system in the Indo-Pacific theater. Balikatan 2026, the annual U.S.-Philippine bilateral exercise, ran […]View the full article

The United States Air Force’s newest special operations aircraft is a lean, rugged turboprop built for long loiter times, precision strikes, and operations from remote airstrips in some of the world’s most austere environments. There is just one problem: it has nowhere to put anything and the 17th Special Operations Squadron, the only OA-1K flying […]View the full article