Raw Intel

A small California defense company just landed a $105 million Navy contract to push its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon through live fire testing in the Indo-Pacific — and the Pentagon is betting on a startup to deliver one of the most strategically critical weapon types in modern warfare. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, […]View the full article

The Defence Blog is publishing this statement to document a pattern of conduct by EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc. and its parent company, Electro Optic Systems (ASX: EOS), that we consider a direct affront to press freedom and independent defence journalism. On April 21, 2026, Electro Optic Systems published a press release announcing the demonstration […]View the full article

Poland is running operational tests of acoustic reconnaissance systems and electronic warfare equipment at the Central Air Force Proving Ground in Ustka, as the country’s Ministry of National Defense accelerates technology evaluation under its Tarcza Wschód — Shield East — border defense program. Seven acoustic reconnaissance solutions are currently undergoing testing at the Ustka range. […]View the full article

So, what did you do after high school? How long have you had to wait for your full story to be understood? I offer to you Teddy Sheean; On December 1, 1942, Sheean was a gunner’s mate on the corvette HMAS Armidale, when it came under attack during an operation near Japanese-occupied Timor, now the country of Timor-Leste across the Timor Sea from the Australian city of Darwin. ... ...Japanese warplanes swooped in on the Armidale. The Australian corvette was hit by two torpedoes launched by the Japanese planes and quickly began to sink, according to the AWM. An order was given to abandon ship. “Sheean was wounded and, rather than abandon ship, he strapped himself to his Oer…

Estonian-based Frankenburg Technologies has released footage of its Mark I missile undergoing ground test firings in an air-to-air system configuration. The test campaign focuses on risk reduction across three specific technical challenges: rail and pylon configuration, safe separation from the launch platform, and the missile’s transition to stable flight after release. All three are critical […]View the full article

Hyundai Rotem delivered the best first quarter in its history on April 24, 2026, reporting total sales of approximately $983 million — up 23.9 percent year-over-year — driven by a surging defense business that posted a 27.2 percent operating margin and propelled the company to a credit rating upgrade across all three major agencies. The […]View the full article

Rolls-Royce has secured the propulsion contract for Australia’s new general-purpose frigate fleet, with the Royal Australian Navy confirming the MT30 marine gas turbine will power up to 11 ships based on Japan’s upgraded Mogami-class design. The selection follows Australia’s earlier decision to procure the upgraded Mogami-class frigate as its general-purpose naval frigate replacement. Japan’s Mogami-class […]View the full article

Babcock International is moving to position itself as the prime contractor for the British Army’s next generation of light utility vehicles, bringing together approximately 30 UK suppliers at a formal engagement event as it pitches its Toyota-based General Logistics Vehicle to replace the Land Rover fleet after 70 years of service. Babcock convened the suppliers […]View the full article

The commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces publicly accused domestic warhead manufacturers of delivering substandard products that are forcing frontline units to expend far more drones than necessary to destroy a single target — and he used a real combat operation to prove it. Robert Brovdi, call sign “Madyar,” commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces […]View the full article

Boeing reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $22.2 billion on April 22 — a 14 percent jump from a year ago — but the aerospace giant remained unprofitable, posting a net loss of $7 million even as its defense business delivered its strongest quarterly performance in years. The results cover the three months ended March 31, […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin opened 2026 with flat revenue but a notable earnings drop, reporting first-quarter sales of $18.0 billion and net earnings of $1.5 billion — down from $1.7 billion in the same period a year ago — as production problems on the F-16 and CH-53K programs weighed on results across two of its four business […]View the full article

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a sweeping three-bill legislative package on April 22, 2026, aimed at expanding American fighter aircraft production, retaining experienced military pilots, and reversing what the lawmakers describe as a dangerous erosion of U.S. air superiority. The package, led by Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), both members […]View the full article

The Pentagon’s top research arm, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), launched a new research program on April 23, 2026, calling on industry and academia to develop autonomous underwater vehicles capable of reaching full-ocean depth — the deepest points on the planet — at a fraction of the size of anything that exists today. The […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin picked up a nearly $50 million contract modification to sustain the combat systems aboard the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship fleet, extending support for a program that has faced years of scrutiny but remains an active part of the American surface fleet. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded the $49,893,672 modification on April 22, […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin has secured a $177.5 million contract modification to design and build three new F-35 flight science aircraft — one for each variant of the jet — as the U.S. military moves to prevent a testing capability gap and prepare the program for its next major upgrade block. Naval Air Systems Command awarded the […]View the full article

European defense company Destinus has completed a flight test of its Ruta Block 2 precision deep-strike system, validating a fundamentally redesigned launch architecture that allows the weapon to be stored, transported, and fired from sealed containerized modules. The test confirmed the performance of two critical enabling technologies: an in-line booster configuration and foldable wings and […]View the full article

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier has been confirmed operating in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, after open-source flight tracking data exposed its position days before an official acknowledgment. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Thursday that USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) was sailing in the Indian Ocean within its area of responsibility as […]View the full article

Overland AI has integrated its autonomous driving system onto the U.S. Marine Corps’ Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires platform, demonstrating the ability to maneuver an unmanned ground vehicle through contested terrain without human intervention. The Seattle-based company announced the milestone on April 23, 2026, marking its first publicly confirmed work with the Marine […]View the full article

Ukraine has converted an Antonov An-28 light turboprop aircraft into an airborne drone interceptor platform, arming it with drone-launched interceptors to hunt Russian Shahed long-range one-way attack drones in flight. The effort — documented in footage published by well-known Ukrainian pilot and volunteer Tymur Fatkullin — represents one of the most unconventional counter-drone solutions to […]View the full article

Peru selected the F-16 Block 70 fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin, signing a technical agreement on April 20, 2026 — but the procurement that Washington called a success triggered an immediate political crisis in Lima that is still unfolding. In 2024, the country launched a formal competitive bidding process. Lockheed Martin responded with a […]View the full article