Raw Intel

The Swiss government has approved the procurement of Black Hornet 4 nano-drones for integration with its Piranha 8×8 armored engineering vehicles, following a newly awarded defense contract announced on February 2, 2026. Teledyne FLIR Defense said it received a $17.5 million contract from armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office of Defence Procurement, to supply a large […]View the full article

Iran launched a new wave of missile strikes toward Israeli territory, with initial reports indicating that at least two locations in central Israel were directly hit, according to emergency services and regional media. The strikes triggered air-raid sirens across the Tel Aviv and Haifa areas, where warning systems remained active throughout the morning hours. Emergency […]View the full article

A senior Russian lawmaker and general claimed that the United States military lacks the operational experience and planning capabilities demonstrated by Russia’s armed forces, according to public remarks made by Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee. In his remarks, Kartapolov said: “Today, the leaders in the military sphere, without a doubt, […]View the full article

Three members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force were killed Tuesday morning when a shell detonated inside a tank during a live-fire exercise at the Hijudai training area in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The incident, one of the most serious training accidents to affect the GSDF in recent memory, also left a fourth soldier seriously wounded. […]View the full article

A multi-company team has successfully tested a mobile counter-drone and anti-armor system mounted on a light utility vehicle, combining an Echodyne radar, a Dillon Aero M134 minigun, APKWS guided rockets, and Aeon’s Zeus missile in a single modular platform. The system is built on Moog’s Flexible Mission Platform, a modular weapons integration architecture that the […]View the full article

The U.S. Marine Corps has placed a follow-on order for Israeli-made AI-powered rifle scopes that allow Marines to engage small drones with standard rifles fitted with SMASH fire control systems, awarding a contract worth up to $5.8 million to Smart Shooter. Smart Shooter, an Israeli defense technology company specializing in fire control systems, announced the […]View the full article

Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate, announced on July 3, 2026, that its subsidiary High Precision Systems has begun delivering the first production batches of an anti-drone cartridge called Mnogotochie, a name that translates roughly to “ellipsis,” to troops in the field. The company says full-scale serial production is now underway, with an initial experimental batch […]View the full article

British paratroopers has spent 96 hours firing anti-tank missiles from the Canadian prairie while riding electric bikes into position, testing whether an aircraft-portable e-bike can genuinely replace the boots-on-the-ground tactics paratroopers have relied on since World War II, the British Army reported. The Anti-Tank Platoon of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, known as 2 PARA, […]View the full article

A Swedish composites manufacturer just flew a boat that doesn’t touch the water. Aston Harald Composite completed the first test flight of an unmanned hydrofoil vessel called GhostFoiler in the waters of Stockholm last week, weaving among ferries and recreational boats in the city’s archipelago. The company said the craft performed well for a first […]View the full article

The Defense Logistics Agency has awarded Ohio steelmaker Metallus a contract worth up to $995 million for High Fragmentation 1 steel, the special alloy used to make the bodies of U.S. 155 mm artillery shells, the U.S. Department of War announced. The five-year, firm-fixed-price contract runs through Sept. 24, 2031, and has no option periods. […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has asked industry for a lighter version of its planned autonomous missile launcher and wants working prototypes ready to fire live munitions in Australia during the Talisman Sabre 2027 exercise in August 2027. The service released a request for solutions briefs for the Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher-Lite, or CAML-Lite, on Oct. 15. […]View the full article

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won a $185.7 million deal for the A-10 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) Legacy VII. This contract provides for sustaining engineering services of A-10 aircraft. The A-10 Thunderbolt is also known as the Warthog, the ‘flying gun’ and the Tankbuster. The aircraft was used extensively during Operation Desert Storm, in support of Nato operations in response to the Kosovo crisis, in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Work will take place in Clearfield, Utah. Expected completion date is December 13, 2030. Boeing won a $79.6 million deal for F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability S…

Americas According to the US Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division has completed five weeks of integrated test evaluations of the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system. The Dahlgren Division, based in Virginia, performed interoperability testing with the G/ATOR system, preparing first by verifying the command’s infrastructure functionality, including power accessibility, radar data recording abilities and data analysis capabilities. The G/ATOR system, made by Northrop Grumman, is designed to detect low-observable targets with low radar cross sections such as rockets, artillery, mortars, cruise missiles and drones. Northrop Grumman is des…

Americas Raytheon won a $482.8 million contract modification, which provides for the exercise of the pre-priced options for Lot 35 production of AMRAAM missiles, AMRAAM Telemetry System, initial and field spares, and other production engineering support hardware and activities. The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is a new generation all-weather, missile. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2024. Sikorsky won a $26.9 million contract modification for UH-60M green aircraft. The UH-60 Black Hawk has been operational in the US Army since 1978. More than 2,000 aircraft of different variants are in service with the U.…

The American tradition in the relationship between officers and enlisted personnel is not mostly the norm for Western Armies. Some more than others, but roughly the norm. It was not always so in Western Armies - and in isolated cases, in our military either. Partially due to the revolutionary nature of our nation's birth, but mostly due to the example set by many of its earliest leaders and mentors, the habits established in the 18th and 19th centuries in our military fit a military of a free republic well. That relationship resulted from the benchmark set by great leaders whose actions set the example for others to follow. One of those leaders was Andrew Jackson. Most…

If you've missed having David Larter on the Navy beat, well you're in for a treat. Though everyone's favorite former OS2 is no longer a defense journalist, like most Sailors, he doesn't leave his love of the sea or affection for his Navy behind. Returning to Midrats, but this time with a little California sunshine kissing his cheeks, David will be with us for the full hour Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. We will cover the waterfront from Ukraine, fleet size, how we treat our Sailors, global food security, China, and the things navalists should be thinking about, but aren't. Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you u…

A lot of you are experiencing official discrimination on a regular basis and share what you are going through with me. The vast majority of it I don't share because it is sent on background to me as people are terrified of being found out by the diversity zampolits. The most scared people - even more than those in the military - are those in academia. It isn't just the college admission process, it is the red in tooth and claw discrimination in hiring faculty giving special consideration to some racial and ethnic groups while at the same time taking specific negative action against other racial and ethic groups. I've written way too much in a rambling way on the topic ov…

Does your opponent respond the same - or to the same degree - to identical incentives and disincentives than you do? Are you mirroring? Do you want your opponent to think a certain way because it is convenient to you and your priors? Are you doing your best to structure your actions such that they are conveniently aligned with your peacetime path of least resistance, or are they mindfully structured with your opponent's view of warfighting? That kept coming to mind yesterday during our conversation with our guest Toshi Yoshihara on Midrats discussing his new book Mao's Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China's Navy, and for the second half of th…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $26.4 million modification to exercise options for Machinery Control System production shipsets in support of both the DDG 51 modernization program and DDG 51 new construction. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by November 2026. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in […]View the full article

Americas Canada’s promised $400 million National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine remains grounded, with delivery shrouded in uncertainty. While the Liberal government touted the acquisition in January 2023, National Defence now admits plans are still being worked out with the United States, including crucial details like delivery timelines. Crew Training International won a […]View the full article