Raw Intel

Americas Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won a $97.5 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure Block 4 special tooling and test equipment in support of non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer’s F-35 Lightning II delivery schedules. Work will take place in Texas, California, Orgeon, Tennesse, Israel, Michigan, Washington, Netherlands, Massachusetts and the UK. Expected completion is in December 2024. Lockheed Martin won a $10.5 million deal for logistics support labor for and a $10.5 million deal for product assurance basic labor for the PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 Missile Support Center post-production effo…

Americas The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has sought proposals for a counter-anti-access(A2)/area denial (AD) drone swarm command and control (C2) system. The Pentagon agency wants the Autonomous Multi-domain Adaptive Swarms-of-Swarms (AMASS) to steer thousands of disparate drones, enabling US and coalition forces to penetrate adversaries’ theater-level A2/AD bubble. The system is intended to […]View the full article

Americas The Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) carried out a captive carry flight on an F/A-18F on April 22 and the missile was able to communicate with the host aircraft for the first time. This flight is in support of the first live fire test of the AARGM-ER that is scheduled this spring. A series of aerial maneuvers done during the flight validated the compatibility of the missile with the F/A-18E/F. The first two F-15EX fighter planes of the US Air Force are participating in an Alaska training exercise, the Air Force said. Two of the new-model aircraft have been built, and both are elements of the Northern Edge 21 exercise underway un…

This Saturday will be the 12th anniversary of one of the worst American foreign policy decisions of this century. I rank it third after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2021 negotiated surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan. While time has mostly held to account those responsible for the 2003 Iraq invasion and perhaps things are too fresh and political for a true accountability for the Afghanistan disgrace, there is no excuse for the complete lack of accountability for what was done to Libya in 2011. All three disgraces, as it is with most military operations by the USA in the last 60 years, does not owe its disgrace to the military being tasked to execute an operation,…

For over 11-years, once a year or so today’s guest has joined us on Midrats to discuss the latest military and national security developments with Russia. With the war waging in Ukraine and in the processing to transitioning to a new phase, there couldn’t be a better time to hear from Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg who will be with us for the full hour Sunday from 5-6 PM Eastern in a wide ranging discussion about the buildup to war, and the important takeaways so far. Dmitry is an expert on security issues in the former Soviet Union, Russian military reform, Russian foreign policy, and ethnic politics and identity. His recent research topics include decision-making processes in the…

Huntington Ingalls Industries has received a series of contract modifications totaling over $142 million to finalize capability enhancements and change orders for the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier program. The U.S. Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, based in Newport News, Virginia, a combination of contract modifications to support completion of […]View the full article

Americas Elbit America won a $12.6 million delivery order under previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00383-20-G-WY01 for the procurement of large-area display in support of the F-18 aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option period. Work will take place in Israel. Expected completion day will be in September 2023. Lockheed Martin won a $9.9 million modification for developmental activities regarding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion date is June 12, 2023. Middle East & Africa Raytheon Lockheed Martin Javelin JV won a $311.2 million modification for full-rate production of Javelins. Work …

Americas The Marine Corps and the Air Force successfully tested bi-directional data sharing on the F-22 and F-35 in exercises in Arizona and Nevada for the first time. The test was reportedly the latest demonstration of the network architecture underpinning its Advanced Battle Management System. Fifth-generation fighters are generally only able to communicate with each other and to command and control centers, but not with fighters in other classes because they use digital languages that aren’t compatible. But the gatewayONE system can translate between those formats, allowing the aircraft to more fully gather and share data and intelligence. The service announced that th…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $22.5 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide support required to establish the common reprogramming tool development network and selection of a service-oriented architecture for the development of enhanced reprogramming tools. This is essential for all standing labs in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and non-Department of Defense participants. Work will take place in Texas and Florida. Estimated completion is in December 2021. The US Navy has demonstrated that it can use a swarm drone to destroy a surface target during the recently concluded Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (…

Americas Raytheon won a $52 million delivery order for the improved Bradley acquisition system Commander’s Viewer Unit. The Bradley fighting vehicle system is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments (formerly United Defence) and includes the M2 infantry fighting vehicle and the M3 cavalry fighting vehicle. The new Improved Bradley Acquisition System (IBAS) Block 2 includes enhanced capabilities to improve operational efficiencies and lethality and provides life-cycle cost and reliability improvements. The most notable enhancement to IBAS is the high definition high resolution color imagery. The performance completion date is March 31, 2026. Using military service…

If you are only reading commentary about Russian President Putin's speech of 21 Feb 2022 or watching short clips, you are doing yourself a disservice. While some reporting is good, there is a lot of spin, narrative shaping, and just plain lazy reporting. If you want to try to understand if not what is in Putin's head, but what he wants the Russian people to think is in his head, you need to read and watch the speech yourself. When someone tells you what they're thinking, listen to them. Putin isn't trying to bring back the Soviet Union, he's focused on something much deeper and meaningful, the Russian Empire...build back better, as it were. You can clearly see that he i…

Americas Sikorsky won a $22.5 million contract modification, which adds scope for the procurement of four VH-92A aircraft MT-1 cabin interiors and MT-1 spares in support for depot level stand up for the Presidential Helicopters Replacement Program. The new Marine One, also referred to as VH-92A, is the next-generation presidential transport helicopter being developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC). Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company, is responsible for the production of the VH-92A helicopter. Work will take place in Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Connecticut. Expected completion will be in July 2022. Argentinian media reported that a Chinese team is in …

Americas Raytheon won a $38.2 million order for the procurement of AEGIS modernization kits for Navy guided-missile destroyers and allied nations. This contract combines purchases for the US. Navy; and the governments of Japan and Australia, under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work is expected to be completed by February 2028. Naval Sea Systems […]View the full article

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon’s research and technology arm, issued a solicitation for its Compositional Learning-And-Reasoning for AI Complex Systems Engineering (CLARA) program, inviting proposals for high-assurance artificial intelligence research. The solicitation was released by DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office and seeks innovative basic or applied research concepts in “high assurance artificial […]View the full article

Americas Huntington-Ingalls Industries won a $284.3 million contract modification for the accomplishment of CVN 79 single phase delivery and Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) capabilities. The contract actions shifts the delivery strategy for the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) from a two-phase delivery to a single phase. It reportedly comes as a result of extensive collaboration with the Navy to support legislative requirements for Kennedy to be delivered with its complete warfare system, including F-35 Joint Strike Fighter capabilities, before the ship is commissioned into the fleet. Kennedy is approximately 76% complete. The ship was launched in December 2019, and…

China’s Ministry of National Defense said Chinese and Emirati air forces have completed the “Falcon Shield-2025” joint air exercise in the United Arab Emirates, marking the first time the People’s Liberation Army Air Force deployed several frontline aircraft types to the Gulf state for combined training. According to a briefing held on December 25, Senior […]View the full article

Officially the Navy may have a “new mission” but it is just putting in to law what has been in existence since the first Stone Age man outfitted his fishing canoe as a war canoe. In a modern society, words mean things and even what is self-evident must on occasion be put in writing. What is “Title 10?” That is what tells our Navy what it’s mission is. We now have newTitle 10 language, in Section 8062(a):“The Navy, within the Department of the Navy, includes, in general, naval combat and service forces and such aviation as may be organic therein. The Navy shall be organized, trained, and equipped for the peacetime promotion of the national security interests and prosperity…

In a way, we do. Not only is it our top threat, is also is the one we have full control of to fix. Details and ponderables over at USNIBlog. Come by and soak it it. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=jXeTpt9BvI0:5OR-xKYulYw:F7zBnMyn0Lo http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/FAFV/~4/jXeT…

Americas Sikorsky won a $35.3 million deal to procure long lead items for full-rate production, Lot 7, CH-53K aircraft. The Ch-53K Super Stallion can be fielded from amphibious assault ships for the transportation of personnel and equipment. It can be operated from austere and remote forward operating bases. Estimated completion is in December 2022. Work will take place in Connecticut. Raytheon won a contract for the repair of three ALE-50 towed decoy system components in support of the F/A-18E/F aircraft. The deal includes a five-year base period with no options. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the US Navy’s primary strike and air superiority aircraft. It is an updated ve…

Americas Dominion Energy won a $27.5 million order for design and construction of Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program P505 electrical distribution upgrades at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, and the implementation of selected energy conservation measures for lighting improvements. Work will be performed in Beaufort, South Carolina, and is expected to be […]View the full article