Raw Intel

Americas Bell Boeing won a $23.3 million modification, which exercises an option to provide continued flight test support for the V-22 Osprey aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and the government of Japan. Work will take place in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida. Expected completion date is in January 2025. Boeing won a […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin has selected Voyager Space to provide an advanced upper stage solid-propulsion subsystem for the US Missile Defense Agency’s Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) defense capability. Under the partnership, the Denver-based firm will lead the design and production of a “flight-qualified, production-ready subsystem” before the NGI’s expected delivery date. Callan Marine Limited, Galveston, Texas, was awarded a $105 million firm-fixed-price contract for Brazos Island Harbor channel deepening. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Brownsville, Texas, with an estimated completion date of August 28, 2026. Fiscal…

The Turkish-made Kirpi armored vehicle, once used in joint patrols alongside Russian forces in Syria, is now rolling through Ukrainian forests, serving on the front lines of a very different war. Originally developed by Turkish defense company BMC in response to growing demand for mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, the Kirpi — meaning “hedgehog” in Turkish […] The post From Syria to Ukraine: Turkish Kirpis face a new war first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines with I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) have completed a 12-day testing period for commercial small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), working in close partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and private industry. The evaluations, part of Phase 2 of the DIU’s G.I. Challenge, were held from August 18 to 29 and are […] The post U.S. Marines field-test new combat drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A new leak by the hacker group Black Mirror has exposed internal Russian documents detailing persistent technical problems with the Zhuk-ME radar system installed on the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB carrier-based fighter jets. The document — titled “Report on the Reliability and Performance of the Zhuk-ME Radar in MiG-29K/KUB Aircraft of the Indian Navy” […] The post Leak exposes radar failures in India’s MiG-29K fighters first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea is preparing to take a key step toward propulsion self-reliance, as Hanwha Aerospace begins ground testing of a homegrown engine for Korean Air’s Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System (LOWUS) stealth drone in January 2026. According to Energy Economy News, the new 5,500-pound-class turbofan engine, developed jointly by Hanwha Aerospace and the Agency for […]View the full article

First of all, as we do, let’s go to the chart room to look at one of the most geographically perfect places on this planet to have shipyards and naval bases: San Francisco Bay. As our nation faces again a challenge in the Pacific that necessitates an increased basing requirement on our West Coast, it is only natural we would look first at where nature provided us such a blessing. From top to bottom, San Francisco Bay used to be covered thickly with naval bases, shipyards and everything else you would expect from a world dominating naval power. However due to a political climate hostile to both the military and industry, grasping developers, and the domination of green-eye…

Newly released footage confirms that at least one Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system was destroyed during an airstrike on the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas. The video shows a Buk-M2E launcher vehicle completely destroyed by a direct hit at the air base named after Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda, one of Venezuela’s key military […]View the full article

Hard to think of a better time to have a Midrats Podcast Free-for-All. 2026 continues to produce more content than we know what to do with, but we’ll give it our best. Join Mark and me this Sunday LIVE from 5-6pm Eastern at this link. As always, we’ll have the show chat going if you’d like to join the conversation or ask us a question. If you’re reading this after the show, refresh the Substack later tonight for the uploaded podcast. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Taiwan’s Army is preparing to establish dedicated JUMP 20 unmanned aerial vehicle units within its aviation brigades as part of a force restructuring plan that would gradually replace the long-serving OH-58D Kiowa Warrior fleet, according to a report by United Daily News. The report states that the 601st, 602nd, and 603rd Aviation Brigades are each […]View the full article

Turkey-based ARCA Savunma plans to build a large ammunition production facility in Estonia’s Põhja-Kiviõli defense industry zone, with production expected to begin in 2028 under a program valued at about €300 million ($352 million). The project, named “ARCA Baltic,” will establish a fully integrated manufacturing site capable of producing several types of munitions in large […]View the full article

A two-seat variant of Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter has been photographed conducting ground taxi trials, with Russian military aviation blogger Ilya Tumanov, who operates the widely followed Fighterbomber Telegram channel, confirming the aircraft’s existence on May 16 and describing it as a new two-seat modification of the Felon that completed ground runs as part […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy is moving to extend and expand its contract with Raytheon for engineering support on the ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer, the electronic attack system being developed for the EA-18G Growler, the carrier-based aircraft the Navy relies on to blind and disrupt enemy radar and communications before and during strike operations. The Naval Air […]View the full article

A South Korean Marine unit sent a robot on four legs walking point ahead of its own troops during a live combat exercise last week, a small but telling sign of how the country’s military is trying to solve a problem that has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with demographics. The […]View the full article

An autonomous warship that didn’t exist a year ago is now running sea trials around the clock, seven days a week, and the company behind it says that grueling schedule is deliberate proof the vessel can survive conditions no engineer would choose. Saronic Technologies said its Marauder medium unmanned surface vessel has entered full on-water […]View the full article

Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec is marketing an export version of its Zubr short-range counter-drone system, called Bizon, to potential customers in Egypt, according to a statement from the company’s High Precision Systems holding. The system, designated TKB-1167 and developed by High Precision Systems, is armed with 7.62mm PKT machine guns and designed to engage […]View the full article

A U.S. Army program that builds realistic enemy threats for training flew Performance Drone Works’ C100X drone at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 25, testing its thermal camera, its ability to drop inert practice munitions and whether it could be used in future training scenarios. The flights were carried out by members of the […]View the full article

Naval Group has rolled out Rubis, the fifth of six Barracuda nuclear-powered attack submarines it is building for the French Navy, moving the boat out of its construction hall at the company’s shipyard in Cherbourg on Oct. 16, 2026. The submarine was transferred onto the yard’s floating shiplift platform in the presence of Catherine Vautrin, […]View the full article

First, if you don't read Day By Day by the most excellent Chris Muir, you should. It is also that time of year when he raises the money that lets him keep going. Second, if you don't read Delta Bravo Sierra, by the most excellent Damon Shackelford, you should. For there is Strange, and then there's Army Strange. And, if you want to get a bit of the background, along with some outstanding art by some other military artists/cartoonists, you need to check out The Best of Military Cartoons, Volume 1. I've seen an advance copy, it is a great introduction to today's military cartoons, and it is now up for pre-order. LW View the full article

Cessna 208B: note ISR turret (click to view full) Iraq’s air force has been very slow in getting to its feet. A handful of Seeker light observation aircraft with their distinctive bubble-shaped fronts, a few Comp Air light propeller aircraft, a couple of old, refurbished C-130E transports, and a slowly growing fleet of helicopters. A few Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s have been ordered for transport and surveillance duties, and an RFP for armed counterinsurgency aircraft has only given Iraq a set of unarmed T-6B trainers. Even subsequent orders for F-16C/D fighters and L-159 advanced trainer and attack jets leave the Iraqi air force a long way from being able to secur…