Raw Intel

The United States Navy has issued a request for proposals for its Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS), seeking a new jet trainer aircraft and associated training systems for Navy and Marine Corps aviators, according to a March 26 solicitation from the U.S. Department of War. Proposals are due by June 29, 2026. The program is […]View the full article

Austin-based defense startup Aeon has carried out another successful test of its Zeus advanced tactical weapon system, the company announced, continuing a rapid development cycle that has seen the small firm push its guided mini-missile through repeated build-and-iterate testing rounds. Aeon founder and CEO Naweed Tahmas confirmed the test in a public statement: “Another day, […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has officially codified and cleared for service the Pliushch, a ground-based unmanned reconnaissance and relay platform developed by Ukrainian defense technology company Robotic Complexes, the firm announced Thursday. The certification opens the door to formal procurement by Ukrainian armed forces units and marks another milestone in Kyiv’s effort to field domestically […]View the full article

Russia’s official position on negotiations with Ukraine hardened further on Monday when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it is “difficult to imagine” how talks with what he called the “current Kyiv regime” could take place, adding that Kyiv was taking every possible step to obstruct the peace process. The statement arrived three days […]View the full article

Ukraine’s most powerful long-range strike weapon, a six-ton cruise missile capable of hitting targets 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) away, runs on the same free, publicly available flight software that hobbyists use to fly camera drones. French science outlet Futura reported that its journalists identified ArduPilot, an open-source autopilot system widely used across the unmanned aircraft […]View the full article

A second prototype of France’s next military helicopter just left the ground for the first time, and it did so wearing an all-black paint job that makes the aircraft look considerably more menacing than the calm, ambulance-style rescue helicopters most people associate with the civilian version. Airbus Helicopters announced that Prototype 2 of the military […]View the full article

Over the past two years, the debate over U.S. military options for defending East Asian allies from potential Chinese aggression has primarily been between proponents of the Air-Sea Battle operational concept and proponents of the Offshore Control strategic concept. The conventional wisdom appears to be that the two concepts are mutually exclusive. Such a view makes no sense. Simply put, there is no reason why key elements from both cannot be integrated within a single holistic strategic concept that provides circumstance-based flexibility in covering the entire spectrum of potential Sino-American conventional conflict. In order to see why this is so, let’s first ex…

Over the last few years, I have come to the firm opinion that both structurally and culturally, the US Navy is incapable of fixing itself. We have run out of time and are actually past time. To continue to work inside the same infrastructure, policies, laws, and personalities and expect a different result is insanity. We need relief from Congress. Yes, that Congress. We need a new law and mindset towards acquisition and program management in line with a Goldwater-Nichols replacement. The latest datapoint is the absolute state of our cruiser fleet. Like so many of the problems we have with the quality, quantity, and utility of the fleet we have today, this was all una…

Prince Philip passed today after a long and full life defined by service and duty. I first posted this years ago when he left his official duties, but thought it was the right thing to do to bring it back. As a nod to his service - serving as men of privilege and education should - let's take a moment today to recognize a good XO. Hargreaves was a yeoman aboard the destroyer HMS Wallace on which Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, had been appointed first lieutenant - second-in-command - at the age of 21. In July 1943, engaged in the Allied landings in Sicily, the ship came under repeated bombardment at dead of night and its crew realised that they would probably …

Americas Five defense contractors have been awarded contracts for the second phase of development of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, which is planned to replace the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Point Blank Enterprises, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems and Land Armaments, General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Industries will share a $299.4 million deal to develop digital designs of the new IFV. President Joe Biden told US intelligence officials that he thinks a cyber breach could lead to a “shooting war” with a major global power. “I think it’s more likely we’re going to end up—if we end up in a war, a real shooting war, with a major power—it…

Americas Raytheon won a $10.8 million delivery order for deploy and retrieve systems in support of the AN/AQS-20 mine-hunting program. The AN/AQS-20C sonar mine-hunting system is the U.S. Navy’s latest mine-hunting technology, which is integrated into the littoral combat ship mine countermeasures mission package. Work will take place in Washington and Those Island. Estimated completion will be by December 2023. DARPA has announced its new X-plane concept, a low-cost long-range seaplane that can fly up to 10,000ft. However, the aircraft will utilize the “wing-in-ground effect” to extend its range so that it can serve as a strategic or tactical transport. Middle East &amp…

Americas Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky has delivered its 5,000th Hawk medium-lift helicopter to the US armed forces. The chopper is a variant of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter deployed for international military and civilian operations. “For more than 40 years the Black Hawk has remarkably supported Soldiers in every major contingency operation the Army has […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon Missiles & Defense Naval Surface & Undersea Systems won a $34 million contract action for production and engineering support for common parts related to the MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo. This contract will purchase parts for the Navy. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island; and Poulsbo, Washington, and is expected to be […]View the full article

Americas Canada has awarded GM Defense a contract to deliver 90 Light Tactical Vehicles (LTVs) for the army. The $25.9 million deal covers 54 personnel and 36 cargo variants of the LTV. It will also supply training, logistics support, technical manuals, and spare parts sourced from other local companies. Additionally, this agreement offers an option for up to 18 more LTVs depending on the army’s requirements in the future. The first five systems are expected to arrive in Canada this month. The US Air Force has conducted the final flight of the T-1 Jayhawk medium-range trainer jet, marking the aircraft’s retirement after three decades. The aircraft flew from Joint Base San…

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has received a $100 million contract modification to improve and maintain H-53 helicopters. The work includes software updates, cost reduction analysis, and extending the helicopters’ service life. This project will benefit the Marine Corps, Navy, and foreign military customers. The work will mainly take place in Stratford, Connecticut, and is set to finish by March 2028. Tyonek Technical Services LLC has been awarded a $46 million contract to provide on-site depot maintenance for Air Force Special Operations Command’s C-130 fleet. The work, which includes support for weapons systems and subsystems, will take place at Hurlburt Field, Flori…

Poland has signed a new contract with South Korea for the supply and local assembly of K2 and K2PL main battle tanks. Under the agreement, the modernized K2PL variant will be produced at the Bumar-Łabędy plant in Gliwice, a facility operated by the state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ). Bumar-Łabędy last produced tanks in 2009, delivering […] The post Why Poland gave up on its own tank ambitions first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia plans to manufacture hundreds of new tanks, aircraft, and missile systems by the end of 2025 despite having reportedly depleted a large portion of its Soviet-era weapons stockpiles, according to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official. In an interview with Ukrinform, Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), outlined Moscow’s current weapons production […] The post Russia ramps up production of new weapons first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China’s aerospace industry is laying the groundwork for a new generation of strategic transport aircraft designed to expand the People’s Liberation Army’s global reach. A recently published technical paper describes the conceptual design and performance requirements of a future heavy-lift cargo plane featuring a blended-wing-body (BWB) configuration — a radical departure from the conventional designs […] The post China develops next-generation heavy-lift cargo plane first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is developing what appears to be a new generation of combat vessel that may operate without a crew, according to the report from Naval News. The mysterious ship, currently under construction at the Huangpu shipyard in Guangzhou, is believed to be a trimaran-style, semi-submersible missile carrier. Satellite images reviewed by defense analysts show a […]View the full article

Rostec, a Russian-owned arms and technology company, says its High-Precision Systems holding has delivered a new batch of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles to Russian units, adding protective kits and electronic warfare systems that the company describes as upgrades shaped by battlefield use. The announcement comes as the platform continues to draw criticism inside Russia and […]View the full article