Raw Intel

Unloved logistics ... when you ignore her, she will let you stew until you need her, and then she will let you panic in flop-sweat. The Cult of Efficiency ... it make you feel smart at peace - but at war she will put you at strategic risk and deal you the unnecessary death of untold number of your people. As war comes again at scale in Europe, you have to hope that for our friends, the good people in hard jobs are quick learners and are in institutions/nations that are equally able to adjust. Germany is the key for continental NATO. Geographically, economically, and demographically - you cannot avoid that fact. While the political will and the money that follows it are an…

If you are going to call something a presence mission, then it needs to actually be present where it matters. If we are trying to make a point about Ukraine ... is the Ionian Sea really where we need to be? I'm pondering over at USNIBlog. Come join the pondering. 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=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/F…

American navalists must endure the hardships of a long march in the winter of their discontent. In this struggle we will see who is dedicated, who is strong, who will be best to bring the fight when the season changes and time is right to advance sea power to its proper place. The self-promoting amongst us will fade away. The weak shall perish. The dishonorable will change sides. The ideologically unsound will confuse themselves and others. This will be a filtering, a purifying, an ultimately strengthening trail of The Terrible 20s. We are only partially through this march, but we are already seeing a healthful pruning of our ranks. The first tranche of the careerists, th…

Americas Sierra Nevada won a $34 million contract modification for the MC-130J Airborne Mission Networking program low rate initial production. This order provides for the procurement of production kits, spares, interim contractor support and weapon system trainer support. Work will take place in Colorado. Estimated completion date is January 19, 2023. Boeing won a $16.3 million deal for the E-3 Replacement Studies and Analysis. This contract provides for studies and analysis for the replacement of the E-3. Work will take place in Oklahoma. Estimated completion will be by July 31, 2022. Middle East & Africa The US Army is considering acquiring the Spike FireFly tact…

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To build the Navy we need, the one thing we have to get right is - and this seems obvious - to successfully build ships. A lot of them. Easy to type, hard to do. While we have had many well-documented troubles this century, we also have some notable successes that give hope we can do it right when we want to. Returning today with another top-shelf guest post, Bryan McGrath picks up the conversation with a reminder of what we did get right, and what we need to do with that institutional capital. Bryan, over to you. When a “Murderers Row” of Navalists (Hendrix, Salamander, Work) all take to the interwebs within the same week to opine on the recent pathologies of American n…

Now that everyone has spent the last three weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian war watching what modern, precision guided, long-range fires can do to large, static supply bases - specifically "ammo dumps" - I'd like you to take a moment and read this in a new light; The Army in the Pacific had its first crack at testing out its APS-Afloat capability in March in the Philippines during exercises Salaknib 22 and Balikatan 22. part of Operation Pathways, a larger exercise in the theater. The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division used it coming from ships designed to harbor complete equipment sets and spares the Army anticipates needing should a crisis unfold. ..…

Americas Boeing won a $2 billion contract modification for KC-46A Air Force Production Lot 8 aircraft, subscriptions and licenses. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 15 KC-46A aircraft, data, subscriptions and licenses being produced under the basic contract. Work will take place in Washington. Expected completion date is November 30, 2025. Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control deal for the purchase of Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Systems components and hardware for the Apache attack helicopter. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Estimated completi…

Americas General Dynamics won a $47.7 million deal for a dry-docking selected restricted availability in support of the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) to accomplish maintenance, repair, and modernization of the ship prior to the its next deployment. The USS Curtis Wilbur is the 4th Arleigh Burke Class missile destroyer. The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the USN’s first class of destroyers built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion will be by September 2023. Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $92 million contract modification for StormBreaker (SDBII, GBU…

Americas Boeing won a $313.4 million modification, which increases the ceiling to provide non-recurring engineering, system engineering program management, and additional aircraft inductions in support of extending the service life for up to 25 F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from 6,000 flight hours to 10,000 flight hours and incorporating Block III avionics capabilities. Work will take […]View the full article

A pivot of history around a man. For over two decades the American military occupied a foreign country on the other side of the planet, supporting an oppressive local government that was mostly known for its anti-democratic habits and corruption. Over the two decades of occupation, thousands of Americans and her allies who also contributed forces died in order to keep a clear threat to global peace contained. During the previous presidential election in the USA, the candidate who won made repeated statements that he planned to withdraw all American forces from that country. Two decades were long enough, and he was insistent that he was a man of his word. The new president…

Americas Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won an $115.4 million deal, which provides diminishing manufacturing sources parts for F-35 Lightning II program for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-US Department of Defense participants, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will take place in Texas. Expected completion will be in September 2023. Just recently, the US Navy, in collaboration with Raytheon, carried out two StormBreaker smart weapon-guided test vehicle releases from an F-35B Lightning II at .9 Mach, bringing the F-35 one step closer to receiving a major weapons upgrade. Huntington-Ingalls Industries won a $23.6 million modification for the procurement of mat…

The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command has completed a structured research effort aimed at shaping the next version of the Army’s robotic load-carrying vehicle, gathering feedback from soldiers across all three Army components to inform requirements for the Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Increment 2. The study was led by Lt. Col. Vikram Mittal and […]View the full article

Americas Westinghouse Government Services LLC won a $56 million hybrid deal for decommissioning and dismantlement of the SM-1A deactivated nuclear power plant. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received.The nuclear power plant at Fort Greely in Alaska last provided power in 1972. Work will take place in Alaska. Estimated completion date is July 27, 2028. Lockheed Martin won a 23.2 million deal for engineering services in support of Sentinel A4 Radar and other air and missile defense programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 23, 20…

Americas Sikorsky won a $676.7 million deal for the supply chain management that includes 196 weapon replaceable assemblies/shop replaceable assemblies in support of the CH-53E and MH-53E helicopters. The contract will include a five-year base period with one two-year option. If the option is exercised, the contract will be a not-to-exceed amount of $752,324,052. Work will be performed in North Carolina Connecticut. Work is expected to be completed by December 2027. Bell-Boeing won a $18 million deal, which provides technical analysis, engineering, and integration support for the V-22 aircraft program. Work will be performed in Texas and Pennsylvania and is expected to b…

All it takes is a quick look at a map or a quick read of history to understand that any conflict in the Western Pacific will be dominated by naval forces, logistics, control of the air, and the ability to sustain all three. Extending our conversation on Midrats this summer about the challenge from China, this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern returning to Midrats will be our guest Bryan Clark, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. The starting point for our discussion will be the report he co-authored with Timothy Walton, Regaining the High Ground Against China: A Plan to Achieve US Naval Aviation Superiority This Deca…

The wrong people with the wrong ideas talking to important people with little experience of the real world have got us here - why do we think they will get us out of the problems we are in? We no longer are the largest Navy, and we no longer act as a competent, reliable, or well led Navy. What to do? Our friend Kori Schake has some ideas, and I'm pondering them over at USNIBlog. Come on by and bring your amens. 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=ftNoVp5xiRQ:o_KziZ34ALM:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=ftNoVp5xiRQ…

Americas During AUSA 2022, Boeing took the opportunity to unveil its Modernized Apache concept to leaders of the US Army. Touting it as the next evolution of the current AH-64E v6 attack helicopter, the Modernized Apache can be differentiated externally from the classic Apache by its longer wing, which allows it to have three hard points per wing, upward-facing engine exhaust and the substitution of the chain gun with a laser turret. Powered by the new Improved Turbine Engine (ITE), Boeing is improving the drivetrain in order for the Modernized Apache to faster, further and more efficiently. US President Joe Biden on Monday promised to provide advanced air defense system…

Americas Raytheon has proven that its High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) can pair with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to defeat drones. During a demonstration at White Sands, the NASAMS Fire Distribution Center provided cues to the HELWS which then track, identify and quickly take down drones using its electro-optical/infrared sensors. Nine Group 1 and Group 2 drones were taken down in the demonstration. Northrop Grumman won a $65.3 million contract modification, which exercises options to provide continued operation, logistics and sustainment engineering support, to include training, supply chain and spares management for Global Hawk p…

Americas Boeing won a $38.7 million modification for B-1 and B-52 bomber engineering services. This modification is for recurring and non-recurring engineering services to B-1 and B-52 aircraft. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Edwards AFB, California; Barksdale AFB, Louisiana; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed December 31, 2023. Sikorsky has filed a protest with the US government regarding the US Army’s decision to award a contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron’s Bell. The Lockheed Martin subsiadary seeks a review of the $1.3 billion deal awarded in early December, in which Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor…