Raw Intel

Americas The US Navy announced a successful live-fire exercise of its Rolling Airframe Missile from the littoral combat ship USS Charleston on Monday. The launching of the SeaRAM missiles from the San Diego-based vessel was a part of exercises involving all of the ship’s weaponry, and occurred on Thursday, the Navy said. SeaRAM missiles, also known as RIM-116 RAM missiles, are lightweight, quick-reaction missiles designed to defeat cruise missiles and asymmetric air and surface threats. Equipped with Phalanx search-and-track radar and Electro Optic sensor, 11-missile pods are carried within launchers aboard the ship. The US Marine Corps (USMC) will acquire a pair of Gene…

Americas Bell Textron won a $228.2 million deal by the US Navy, which provides the H-1 Light/Attack helicopter with new and modified capabilities through System Configuration Sets, which is a combination of software and/or hardware configuration item changes integrated into a previously deployed baseline configuration. These efforts include work on the airframe, aircraft wiring interface terminals, flight controls, and weapon systems interfaces, as well as research alternatives, investigation, and documentation of new capabilities and anomalies related to flight controls, wiring harnesses, and weapons, and developing, integrating, verifying, validating, and testing these …

Geography doesn't change. To a slightly lesser extent, neither do historic patterns. Even if Ukraine wins the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia will still be to the east from Central Europe. She will be back in one form or another. After the fall of the Soviet Union, liberation, and joining NATO - helped with a lot of ahistorical thinking on both sides of the Atlantic - there was a bit of hedging that there was time to rebuild Central European economies and civil society before a threat from the east came back. For almost three decades the former Warsaw Pact members of NATO let their military capabilities and investments fall closer to 1% of GDP as opposed to the 2% minimum. T…

Americas US Hardware Supply ($12.6 million) and Worldwide Equipment ($12,3 million) each won a deal for M1A1 Abrams tank parts kits. These are three-year contracts with no option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with three offers received. The performance completion date is May 14, 2026. Using military services are Army and Marine Corps. Computer […]View the full article

Americas Sikorsky won an $18,4 million modification, which definitizes a previously awarded change order modification (P00009) and adds scope to provide logistics and airworthiness support for CH-53K Heavy Lift aircraft configuration changes for the government of Israel. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in February 2026. Naval Air […]View the full article

THAAD: In flight (click to view full) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation. This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC-3 …

Americas The US Army has begun modernizing its ground combat fleet with the delivery of new Stryker armored vehicles and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) to Pennsylvania’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Independence Brigade. This marks a significant upgrade for the brigade, which is part of the Pennsylvania National Guard and the first reserve component Stryker unit. The upgraded Strykers feature “double-V” hulls designed to deflect explosive forces, improving protection and reducing casualties compared to older flat-bottom models. Meanwhile, the JLTVs will replace outdated Humvees, offering better protection, mobility, and payload capacity for m…

As the UK Ministry of Defence prepares to replace its aging SA80 rifle family, Heckler & Koch UK is making the case for its participation in Project Grayburn. In a recent interview with Calibre Defence, company CEO Paul McDonald discussed the firm’s current work supporting the SA80 platform and its readiness to contribute to the […] The post Heckler & Koch pursues British Army rifle contract first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A top-secret US government body called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a new initiative aimed at transforming battlefield trauma care through the use of autonomous robotic systems. The Medics Autonomously Stopping Hemorrhage (MASH) program seeks to address one of the most lethal and complex medical challenges on the battlefield: non-compressible torso […] The post DARPA aims to build robotic combat surgeons first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Türkiye has successfully carried out a live-fire test of its domestically developed GÖKSUR naval air defense system. The test, conducted in Sinop on Türkiye’s northern Black Sea coast, demonstrated the GÖKSUR system’s operational effectiveness and technological maturity. According to ASELSAN, the country’s leading defense company, the trial represented the first successful interception of a sea-skimming […] The post Türkiye conducts live-fire test of new naval air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China on Monday cautioned that defense cooperation between nations should not be directed against any third party, after the Philippines and Canada signed a new military pact aimed at deepening joint operations in the Asia-Pacific. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that Beijing has “always held the view that defense and security cooperation […]View the full article

Renegade UxS has confirmed that its Nightmare FPV drone platform is now officially listed on the U.S. government’s BLUE UAS Cleared List, making it available for use by American military units under the Department of War’s procurement frameworks. According to a company statement, the Nightmare FPV is available in both analog and digital configurations and […]View the full article

The United States carried out missile and air strikes against Caracas and surrounding areas on Friday, targeting Venezuelan air defense systems, an airport, military aircraft, and government facilities linked to the country’s leadership, according to multiple officials and regional statements. The attacks hit air defense systems in the capital region, struck an airport near Caracas, […]View the full article

United States Army soldiers assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division conducted mounted maneuver operations on January 31, 2026, while serving as opposing forces during the NATO Winter Camp exercise near Tapa, Estonia, the U.S. Army said. The training took place at and around the Tapa Training Area and involved U.S. […]View the full article

The Israel Defense Forces said Israeli Air Force aircraft struck Iranian F-4 Phantom II and F-5 Tiger II fighter jets prepared for takeoff at an airbase in Tabriz, western Iran, as part of ongoing operations targeting Iranian military infrastructure. The strikes were presented by Israeli officials as part of a broader campaign aimed at degrading […]View the full article

The European Defence Agency (EDA) will coordinate a new Joint Ammunition Qualification (JAQ) program backed by €50 million ($57.5 million) in European Commission funding under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), with an initial focus on 155 mm artillery ammunition. The initiative is aimed at streamlining how artillery ammunition is tested and approved across participating […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has requested $994 million for counter-small unmanned aerial system capabilities in its Fiscal Year 2027 budget — a figure that reflects just how dramatically the drone threat has reshaped ground force priorities over the past three years. The request, recorded in the Department of the Army’s official FY 2027 President’s Budget Exhibit […]View the full article

American and Nigerian forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by President Donald Trump as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, in a joint operation conducted overnight, the president announced via his personal social media account and confirmed through the official White House channel. Trump announced the operation in a post from his social account, stating that […]View the full article

Both in comments here, social media, and a variety of SEPCOR, Monday’s post on AUKUS got a lot more interest than I thought it did. That makes for a happy Salamander, as it is clear that along the broad spectrum of the navalist and Five Eyes community, the importance of this project is well understood and supported. In a way, I feel like I cheated an opportunity, so let’s assign some reading to everyone, pull out some interesting tidbits from the reading, and maybe slap a moonbat or two while we’re at it. Here is the syllabus for today’s Substack. I’ll quote from various places…and yes, it is another opportunity to thank the good people doing the hard work at the Congres…

A small aircraft lifted off a dirt airstrip in western India after rolling forward just 22 meters (72 feet), roughly the length of two school buses, and that short hop has validated a technology an Indian startup hopes could eventually move troops and supplies into places no runway has ever reached. Ahmedabad-based Cligent Aerospace confirmed […]View the full article