Raw Intel

Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi defended the planned deployment of surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni Island, calling the move a protective measure aimed solely at strengthening the country’s air defense posture. His remarks came after Beijing accused Tokyo of escalating regional tensions. Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Defense, Koizumi said the missiles […]View the full article

The United Kingdom and Germany have signed a £52 million ($70 million) contract to jointly procure a new mobile artillery system capable of firing while on the move, the two governments confirmed this week. Under the agreement, the UK will receive one Early Capability Demonstrator (ECD) of the RCH 155 artillery system, while Germany will […]View the full article

SummaryIn this episode, Sal discusses the evolving landscape of national security, focusing on the significant changes in global dynamics over the past year. He examines the roles of major players like China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, as well as the emerging trends in South America and India’s strategic position. Sal emphasizes the importance of unde… Read more View the full article

SYOS Aerospace, a developer of autonomous uncrewed systems operating across multiple markets from the United Kingdom to Ukraine, says customer and end user experience gathered in demanding environments is shaping the evolution of its aerial, ground, and maritime platforms as global demand for autonomous capability grows. The company shared with us its vision for the […]View the full article

Spain’s Indra Group and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace on March 24 signed a binding agreement in Madrid to jointly develop new tracked self-propelled artillery systems for the Spanish Armed Forces, the companies said. The agreement focuses on building a new family of land platforms based on Hanwha’s K9 artillery system with integrated Spanish technologies. The […]View the full article

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll publicly acknowledged before Congress that the American military is actively adopting lessons from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, calling Ukraine’s wartime innovations a fundamental transformation of how humans engage in armed conflict. Driscoll made the remarks during a congressional hearing, speaking directly to Ukraine’s battlefield performance since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. […]View the full article

BZ to the folks who decided not to release it the Friday before Mother’s Day Weekend. Yesterday, Acting SECNAV Cao released the U.S. Navy’s Shipbuilding Plan. Let’s dive in, but first, the usual caveats we’ve used over the last couple of decades when reviewing such items. Ignore the out years. They are notoriously inaccurate in both numbers and type. Focus on what you see four years from the year it is issued. The next four years, meh. Beyond that…don’t bet your lunch money on it. There’s a LOT here to dive into. You need to read it all. I’m just going to hit the bright, shiny objects. I would argue that one of the more valuable things, if you are trying to get your min…

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, published a solicitation on June 5, launching a new program called ExPEDitions, short for Expeditionary Power- and Energy-Dense Implementations, to develop rechargeable batteries capable of delivering five to ten times the energy density of current technology for use in drones, ground vehicles, and other military equipment. […]View the full article

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has officially confirmed that its air defenses intercepted a “long-range operational-tactical missile,” adding new weight to OSINT reporting about an unusual high-altitude engagement over Moscow Oblast on June 30. The Russian ministry did not specify where the intercept took place and did not identify the missile type. However, the statement came […]View the full article

The UK Ministry of Defence announced this week that it has chosen the Tekever AR5, a surveillance drone built by the UK-based company Tekever, to replace the British Army’s aging Watchkeeper fleet under a deal worth up to $533 million over the next ten years. The program, called Project CORVUS, will see the Army field […]View the full article

More than 2,500 government, industry and academic representatives gathered in Novi, Michigan, August 11-13 for the 18th annual Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium, where U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center leaders outlined how the command is using integrated experimentation to speed new technology toward soldiers, according to a DEVCOM […]View the full article

To: Major General T. Wilkerson, USMC(Ret) Chief Executive Officer U.S. Naval Institute Please forward to the members of the Board Gentlemen, In early February of this year I sent an e-mail to friends and colleagues advising them of the Board's decision to change the mission and role of the U.S. Naval Institute--without prior discussion or advice to the membership. I have since received almost 200 e-mails in reply plus a few telephone calls. Every response has indicated opposition to the proposed changes to the USNI mission and role. This view is also reflected on the USNI blog, and the blogs of "Commander Salamander" and others. This view w…

Barak-8 concept (click to view full) Over a development timeline measured in decades, India’s indigenous “Akash” and “Trishul” programs for surface to air missiles have failed to inspire full confidence. Trishul was eventually canceled entirely. Akash had a a long, difficult development period, but seems to have found customer acceptance and a solid niche in the rugged terrain of the northeast. India still needed longer-range advanced SAMs to equip its navy and army, however, and decided to try to duplicate the success of the partnership model that had fielded the excellent Indo-Russian PJ-10 BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. In February 2006, therefore, Israel and In…

Americas General Electric won a $1.6 billion deal including all options for the F-15EX Lots 2+ propulsion system procurement. This contract provides for 29 F110-GE-129 engines (installs and spares) for the F-15EX fleet. The contract also provides seven option lots for a most probable quantity of 329 total engines if all options are exercised. The F-15EX is a ready-now replacement for the F-15C that includes best-in-class payload, range and speed. Work will take place in Ohio and Texas. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2031. Lockheed Martin won a $30.5 million modification, which exercises options to provide operation and maintenance support of F-35 Joint Strike Figh…

The war is only 10 months old and two months after the defeat at the Battle of Savo Island. The night action of 10-11 OCT, sometimes know as the Second Battle of Savo Island - but usually as The Battle of Cape Esperance, is an excellent example of the critical importance of training, flexibility, initiative, and aggression - combined with a measure of luck. Luck is always essential, as even the most simple plans become complicated once the battle begins. First background. DIVISION 6 of the Imperial Japanese Navy was pretty pleased with itself following its engagement with the Americans off Savo the night of August 8-9, and perhaps with reason. The Japanese felt that they …

Americas Sauer Construction won a $37.6 million task order to provide construction of two additions to the Trident Training Facility, a Strategic Systems Program missile control center team trainer, and Naval Sea Systems Command weapons handling system team trainer at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. The contract also contains two unexercised options which, if […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won a $32.3 million deal for F-16 Systems Program Office Foreign Military Sales support. This contract provides for FMS support to Poland for the F-16 Multifunction Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio System Integration. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas; and Poland, and is expected to be completed by December […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon received a $52.2 million contract to produce 18 advanced camera systems for military helicopters (MH-60 aircraft) used by Saudi Arabia (1), South Korea (1), Norway (8), Spain (4), and India (4). The majority of the work will be conducted in Texas, with additional parts manufactured in other US states, and is expected to be completed by February 2028. The funding for this project originates from foreign countries through the Foreign Military Sales program, and the US Navy is overseeing the contract. The US Navy is spending money on new tools to find and remove underwater mines. They’re focusing on improving unmanned boats that can be launched from ships o…

Eycore, a Polish space defense startup specializing in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies, has announced an expanded strategic partnership with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) aimed at delivering sovereign Earth observation capabilities for defense and governmental customers. According to a joint statement released on July 31, the two companies have signed a new Memorandum […] The post Poland’s Eycore teams with Kongsberg on sovereign ISR satellites first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Malaysia’s Army has taken delivery of a prototype K200 Infantry Fighting Vehicle upgrade, jointly developed by local firm Cendana Auto and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, for live trials during this year’s Latihan Kuasa Tembak exercise. The project follows a memorandum of agreement signed in August last year between Hanwha Aerospace and Cendana Auto to modernize […] The post Malaysia tests upgraded K200 fighting vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article