Raw Intel

Americas Boeing won a $21.6 million contract modification, which exercises an option to procure 104 proprotor hub spring and drive link kits for the V-22 Osprey aircraft, to include 60 for the MV-22 aircraft; 10 for the CV-22 aircraft; 29 spare kits for the MV-22 aircraft; and five spare kits for the CV-22 in support of proprotor hub spring and drive link improvement efforts to improve safety, reliability, and maintainability of MV and CV V-22 Osprey aircraft. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities. …

The People's Liberation Army Navy has her capital ships underway and under construction. The Japanese Navy continues her plans to grow in a way not seen in a century, and the lessons on the other side of the Eurasian landmass in Ukraine are shuffling long held assumptions concerning food, fuel, demographics, and economics. We're going to cover this and more Sunday from noon to 1pm Eastern with returning guest Dean Cheng. Dean is the Senior Research Fellow for Chinese political and security affairs at the Asia Studies Center of The Heritage Foundation. He specializes in Chinese military and foreign policy, and has written extensively on Chinese military doctrine, technolog…

The Navy's tale of woe in trying to force the acquisition system to actually produce something besides process is almost too painful to recall, especially on the surface side of the house. We have the walking wounded of LCS, the squib DDG-1000, the gilded promise Ford CVN, and the never-was-has-been CG(X). We have hope that we can't screw up the existing Franco-Italian FREMM in the upcoming modified to American requirements Constellation Class FFG, but we shall see if our optimism is well placed. As we all wait with bated breath and gritted teeth on what may be with DDG(X), we should look around to see if there is a benchmark recently that did work. On the surface side o…

Americas General Electric Aviation won a $683.7 deal for the production and delivery of 169 T408-GE-400 (T408) turboshaft engines, to include 65 full rate production Lot 8 (54: Navy, 11: government of Israel); 51 full rate production Lot 7 (39: Navy, 12: government of Israel); and 53 low rate initial production Lot 6 (36: Navy, […]View the full article

Americas The US military is looking for new ways to navigate without using GPS. A company called Xona might have a good solution. Xona just got $4.6 million from the Air Force to show how their navigation system could help the military. Xona’s system, called PULSAR, uses small satellites that orbit close to Earth. It can help with navigation when GPS doesn’t work or when someone is trying to block GPS signals. Saab has secured a contract to equip the Colombian Navy’s new frigate with advanced systems. The deal includes Saab’s 9LV Combat Management System, 9LV Fire Control System, and cutting-edge sensors and radars like the Ceros 200 radar and Sea Giraffe 4A radars. The f…

The Australian Army is moving closer to fielding its new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, with the first four units currently in final assembly at Boeing’s production facility in Mesa, Arizona. The helicopters are part of a broader acquisition program that will see 29 Apaches delivered to Australia, replacing the Army’s aging fleet of Eurocopter Tiger […] The post Australia prepares to receive first Apache gunships first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s air defense forces are facing mounting challenges as Russia modifies its ballistic missiles to evade Western-made Patriot systems, a senior Ukrainian Air Force official said on Sunday. Yurii Ihnat, chief of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, confirmed during a national television broadcast that intercepting Russian ballistic missiles has become more difficult. The change, […] The post Ukraine: Russian ballistic missiles now harder for Patriot to hit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has conducted new trials with an unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Hårsfjärden, south of Stockholm, as part of a three-year research and technology program commissioned by the Swedish Armed Forces. According to FMV, the tests focused on the vessel’s software, range, maneuvering, and emergency stop systems. “We have purchased […]View the full article

China and Egypt have agreed to cooperate on the local production of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), signaling a new stage in bilateral defense ties. The deal was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed today between Egypt’s Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) and China’s NORINCO, officially known as the China North Industries Corporation. According […]View the full article

Last week was the story of the HMS JERVIS BAY and her crew during the Battle of Convoy HX84. When we finished last week, HMS JERVIS BAY was out of the fight and the convoy was scattered - but she did her job. By the time they realized that the Jervis Bay had been terribly alone, an hour had been lost. The convoy had been given time enough to break up and begin to flee. ...and so the pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER, unopposed now, closed in. However, there was a Canadian ship, the SS BEAVERFORD, armed with one 4 inch & one 3 inch gun who turned towards the SHEER and her six 11 inch, eight 5.9 inch guns and eight 21 inch torpedo tubes. What was the BEAVERFORD? Beave…

Show LinksThe Congress, the Golden Fleet, and the Shipbuilding Industrial Base in 2026 You can listen at this link, subscribe to the podcast, or via the Spotify widget below. SummaryIn this episode of Midrats, Sal and Mark engage with Eric Labs, a senior analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), to discuss the complexities of shipbuilding costs, the role of the CBO in providing independent estimates, and the challenges faced by the U.S. Navy in maintaining and expanding its fleet. Eric shares insights on the differences between CBO and Navy cost estimates, the impact of maintenance on overall ship costs, and the importance of a skilled labor force in shipbuilding.…

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early Saturday it detected the launch of Iranian ballistic missiles toward Israel, signaling the first wave of retaliation following coordinated United States and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Military officials confirmed missile launches were identified by Israeli early warning systems as air defenses were placed on heightened alert nationwide. […]View the full article

AeroVironment said on April 20 it has secured a $14.6 million production contract from the U.S. Army for its VAPOR Compact Long Endurance unmanned aircraft system, an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing platform built for small-unit operations. The award falls under the Army’s Company-Level Directed Requirement Small Uncrewed Aircraft System program, Tranche 2, and is […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska is training soldiers to detect, evade, and counter small drones using commercial off-the-shelf aircraft loaded with tennis balls to simulate explosive drops. Donovan Fredericksen, a training developer and integrator with U.S. Army Pacific’s G3 Home Station Training Team supporting the 11th Airborne Division, […]View the full article

A German company that makes the transmission inside the Leopard 2 main battle tank has started production of its 4,000th unit, marking a milestone that speaks directly to how central one piece of engineering has been to Western armored capability for more than four decades. RENK Group AG, headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, announced on June […]View the full article

A Taiwanese military unit that once had nine administrative vehicles at its disposal now has just one it can actually drive, according to a claim a lawmaker raised directly to the island’s defense minister this week, Taiwan’s FTV News reported. Kuomintang legislator Ma Wen-chun pressed Defense Minister Wellington Koo during a Legislative Yuan questioning session […]View the full article

A California drone maker best known for supplying Ukraine’s secretive kamikaze drone fleet has landed another $88.1 million in orders to deliver long-range precision strike systems. AEVEX Corp., a Solana Beach, California-based defense technology company, announced on July 28, 2026, that it secured new production orders totaling $88.1 million to deliver long-range precision strike capabilities […]View the full article

When trying to get a grasp on the best way to secure the nation's security and interests, why should Americans look to the sea? Do American's assume or take for granted what three-quarters of a century of American dominance of the high seas gifted them? Is this assumption in danger? Where do we stand and what steps need to be taken to secure what every American living assumes is their birthright? To discuss this and related issues this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern will be one of our favorite guests, Dr. Jerry Hendrix, CAPT USN (Ret.), and author of the upcoming book, To Provide and Maintain a Navy; Why Naval Primacy is America's First, Best Strategy. Since retirement, …

I don't know who lead it will be or what crisis will cause it, but at some point we will realize that the golden calf idol of a procurement process we seem to think is a god is not only false, it is evil. An entire generation going or two of acquisition professionals have grown up in a system that consistently fails the nation. It doesn't have to be this inefficient or this ineffective, but it is. Latest datapoint is the overthinking and self-doubt is the replacement for the Super Hornet. We have individuals who know what needs to be done - and if they had their way we would be a long way down the road to a modern fighter to replaced the butched-up 1970s runner-up th…

Americas Boeing won a $12 million order, which provides production engineering support in support of the integration and installation of weapon systems on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft for the Navy. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet are maritime strike attack aircraft. The Growler is a derivative of the combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s maritime strike aircraft. The primary missions of the aircraft are electronic attack (EA) and suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly at the start and ongoing early stages of hostilities. Work will take place in Maryland and Missouri. Estimated completion will be in July 2022. The US Missile Def…