Raw Intel

"Hey, we have this bizarre operation that has a shoestring budget, is in the middle of nowhere, and is asking for something to be done that has never been done before. Most likely, if the people sent are ever seen again, it will end in abject failure and humiliation for the officer leading it. Who should we send?" "Hey, who is that weird 40-yr old LCDR down the hall with all the strange tattoos and whose uniform is all out of wack? I have no idea what he does at that desk, I won't miss him." "Oh, you mean LCDR Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson?" "Yes, that chap. He has an eclectic background fitting his personality. I think he just might be the fit." And so starts a story …

Americas BAE Systems has inked a $92-million deal with the US Navy to continue providing logistical services for its air traffic control and landing systems. The five-year indefinite-delivery-and -quantity contract covers fleet services, technical support, and operational software development with maintenance for capabilities in the US Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and […]View the full article

Americas GE Aerospace has demonstrated a dual-mode Ramjet (DMRJ) engine that could enable the development of more efficient long-range hypersonic aircraft and missiles. A threefold airflow increase was demonstrated by the engine compared to previous hypersonic demonstrators, according to the company. Testing began at an Evendale, Ohio, testing facility in March just 11 months after the launch of design efforts. Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards has joined a trilateral project between the US, Canada, and Finland to create icebreaker vessels that will help secure the Arctic region. Revealed by the White House during the 2024 NATO Summit, the Icebreaker Collaboration Effor…

Americas The recent opening of the US Army’s Theater Readiness Monitoring Facility (TRMF) at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP) has shed light on the extensive efforts to inspect HAWK missiles for the support of Ukraine’s war efforts. A key revelation from the opening is the sheer scale of HAWK missile inspections being undertaken. As of 2025, MCAAP has inspected a total of 2,751 HAWK missiles. Furthermore, the facility has received 825 missiles and other equipment donations from six countries. These missiles and equipment are likely to be transferred to Ukraine. The US Coast Guard received its 18th HC-130J Combat King II airplane from Lockheed Martin. This is pa…

Despite acquiring hundreds of M1 Abrams main battle tanks over the past two years, Poland currently lacks the infrastructure to maintain the fleet’s gas turbine engines—a critical shortfall that defense officials now acknowledge was not fully addressed during the procurement process. In an interview with Gazeta Prawna, Dr. Jacek Goszczyński, Director of Military Aviation Plant […] The post Poland faces Abrams engine maintenance gap first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force is seeking new technological solutions to coordinate swarms of small unmanned aircraft in contested environments where traditional satellite navigation is compromised. A new request for information (RFI) released by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) outlines plans to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems for drone swarms operating in […] The post U.S. Air Force eyes atomic clock tech for drone swarms first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

During NATO counter-drone trials in France, an interceptor built on Ukrainian technology became the only system to successfully neutralize a target drone amid storm conditions, Militarnyi reported. The testing took place at the Biscarrosse range operated by the French defense procurement agency, where multiple interceptors were evaluated under live conditions. Although the exercise had been […]View the full article

Axon Vision has entered into a new strategic cooperation agreement with Leonardo DRS to jointly pursue opportunities in advanced situational awareness, lethality, and survivability technologies for the U.S. defense market. The companies made the announcement on Monday, outlining their intention to co-develop next-generation combat systems with a strong focus on Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS). According […]View the full article

As the final post of 2025, let’s look at the warships the U.S. Navy commissioned this year. Carriers: None. Next scheduled in 2027. Amphibious Ships: None. Next LHA expected in 2026. Destroyers: None. Two expected in 2026. Frigates or Other Small Surface Combatants: USS Pierre, LCS-38 Attack Submarines: USS Iowa, SSN-797 So, a LCS and a SSN. 2026 should be a bit better, but it is what it is. Two. As Sal pointed out, we have had a few auxiliaries as well, but this is about warships. Meanwhile, how is the largest Navy in the world, the navy of the People’s Republic of China doing? Via SomePLAOSINT - some great graphics. Using the same format as we did for the U.S. Navy, w…

The United States Army has awarded Overland AI a $2 million contract following the xTechOverwatch competition to deliver autonomous ground vehicles to troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division, the company confirmed in a public statement posted three days ago. The award follows a series of soldier-run operational missions conducted under xTechOverwatch, a competitive Army program […]View the full article

U.S. Forces Korea conducted military training flights over waters west of the Korean Peninsula on Feb. 18, prompting Chinese aircraft to scramble and leading to a brief aerial standoff near China’s air defense identification zone, according to defense sources and official statements released following the incident. The episode has drawn attention because it exposed coordination […]View the full article

The United States Army Europe and Africa command awarded Dan Rice, president of American University Kyiv, the Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service during a ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, recognizing his actions in Ukraine between March 2022 and March 2023. According to a statement shared by American University Kyiv, Rice received the award from General Christopher […]View the full article

Kirkland-based Echodyne announced Monday at the Counter UAS Technology Europe 2026 conference in London that its EchoShield radar has been selected as the primary radar system within Trust Automation’s Small-Unmanned Air Defense System, known as SUADS — a counter-drone platform being delivered to the U.S. Air Force under a $490 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract awarded […]View the full article

Ukrainian defense company Fire Point has joined an anti-ballistic missile coalition and unveiled a pan-European ballistic missile defense project called Freya, presenting a system architecture built around a domestically developed interceptor missile and designed to integrate with NATO-standard protocols and existing Western and Ukrainian air defense infrastructure. “Despite attempts to interfere and many distracting factors, […]View the full article

A Russian drone struck a building at Ukraine’s centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the early hours of Sunday, June 7, 2026, in an attack that Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom says caused structural damage but left radiation levels within normal limits. The strike hit the container reception building at the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel […]View the full article

Russia has begun using a new autonomous version of its Molniya strike drone in Ukraine, a cheap fixed-wing attack UAV now being adapted to hit targets without the control antenna that made earlier models vulnerable to electronic warfare. The new variant was identified after a Russian Molniya struck a Ukrainian facility and was found without […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps has closed the book on one of its most consequential and controversial aircraft programs in decades, taking delivery of the final MV-22B Osprey after nearly two decades of production, the V-22 Joint Program Office reported July 28, 2026, in a story by Neil Lobeda. The milestone, marked in Amarillo, Texas, where […]View the full article

ESOX Group has completed development of its X2 unmanned ground vehicle and opened the platform to client pilot programs, the company announced this week. The X2 uses four in-wheel electric motors, called Theron motors, delivering a combined 1,000 newton-meters of torque directly to the wheels. ESOX said the design eliminates the gearbox and driveshaft found […]View the full article

If you are an old NATO hand, you are very familiar with the struggle to fill the Combined Joint Statement of Requirements (CJSOR), which is where you try to find the actual military units to fill the requirements of your Operational Plans (troops-to-task). Once you finally get some troop-contributing nation (and yes, this is a bunch of land-centric verbiage, but welcome to NATO) to pony up for a specific line, you then have to review the National Caveats that will come with the offer. More often than not, we would be better off not having them arrive at all. A few real world reasons: They can come with so many restrictions (our company of security personnel cannot condu…

South Korea’s Cheongwang laser air defense weapon and a 30-kilowatt vehicle-mounted laser shot down all three target drones flown against them during a South Korean Army exercise on Oct. 14, manufacturer Hanwha Systems said. The demonstration took place during the Army TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise hosted by Republic of Korea Army headquarters, in […]View the full article