Raw Intel

A Swedish aerospace startup has let journalists watch its foot-long, carbon-fiber interceptor drone chase down and destroy a target aircraft in real time, the first live public demonstration of a system the company hopes will help defend against the wave of cheap attack drones reshaping modern warfare. Nordic Air Defence held what it called a […]View the full article

Rheinmetall has unveiled a warship built to outgun vessels twice its size, betting that a mid-sized frigate packed with the same missile defense technology found on America’s largest destroyers can win over navies looking to modernize without breaking their budgets. Rheinmetall, the German defense manufacturer, revealed the GMF 140, a next-generation guided missile frigate measuring […]View the full article

First of all, let’s set the stage a bit here. Back in March of this year, the following was announced to the world. The War Department has launched a task force to ensure the curriculum at its institutions of higher learning is structured to build warfighters rather than social justice warriors, said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “At the Department of War, we have a duty to ensure that our professional military education develops real leaders, warfighters who dominate into the future,” Hegseth said. “We’re committed to making our own senior service colleges maintain the highest of standards, that those places align with President [Donald J.] Trump’s commitment to the Ame…

Japanese radar satellite company Synspective has signed a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to launch two of its StriX satellites on Japan’s H3 rocket in 2027, moving part of a constellation that feeds imagery to Japan’s Ministry of Defense onto a domestic launcher for the first time. The company announced the agreement Sept. 18. The […]View the full article

The British Army’s new Challenger 3 tank has now driven 2,000 km (1,240 miles) and fired more than 200 main gun rounds in testing, and it is set to start a tougher phase of trials in November, according to its builder, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. RBSL, the British-German joint venture building the tank, shared the […]View the full article

2020 has been a year … that is an understatement. From the maritime and national security perspective what were the bold-faced items that changed the outlook the most. While COVID-19 absorbed much of everyone’s time, the world kept turning and history kept moving. Using our ever-popular melee format – open topic, open chat room and open phones for Midrats’ end of the year review. We’ll be live and hope you’ll join us this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. DON’T MISS IT! If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8z…

We picked Option A it appears. I remember when we thought about Option C and believed Option B was too long. I have extended thoughts on the Afghanistan withdraw announcement today over at USNIBlog. It's been a long time coming ... but regular readers here know that. Come on by and give me your thoughts. 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=A_rxYai-AN4:JiIqTl4iUrM:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=A_rxYai-AN4:JiIqTl4iUrM:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=A_rxYai-AN4:JiIqTl4iUrM:V_sGLiPB…

You're a reader of CDRSalamander ... so I know that you not only find port clearing sexy ... but you know it's important. Do you know the story of Umm Qasr in 2003? Well, head on over to USNIBlog and ponder with me. 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=9b9wbfxCB0I:6VtvehTZbSA:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=9b9wbfxCB0I:6VtvehTZbSA:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=9b9wbfxCB0I:6VtvehTZbSA:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=9b9wbfxCB0I:6VtvehTZbSA:F7zBnMyn0Lo htt…

Americas System High Corp won a $104.9 million deal, which provides program services for the F-35 Joint Program Office to include program management, general security, information security, information security, industrial security, physical security, personnel security, counter-intelligence and foreign disclosure support. The deal also provides special security studies, program protection cybersecurity and security control assessments as well as and engineering services support. Work will take place in Virginia, Ohio, Germany, Texas, Maryland and Florida. Expected completion date is in February 2027. The US Navy has fired the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missi…

Sometimes at gaff is just the truth spoken out of turn. Yesterday, President Biden said something that isn’t that surprising to those who have been pondering this for a while; Of course, there are those who will come out to “clarify” etc., but we nearing the point where we need to pause a bit and talk clearly to each other as adults; we need to be ready for the war to come because if we don’t, come it surely will. We need to move past the comfortable strategic ambiguity of the past and move forward based on the clear intent by the Commander in Chief. We should take the Commander in Chief at this word, the leadership of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). They will act a…

Americas General Dynamics won a $414.8 million contract modification with one four-year option period for multiple items used in the Abrams Main Battle Tank, Stryker Family of Vehicles, Light Armored Vehicle Family of Vehicles, Cougar, Buffalo and RG-31. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/definite-quantity contract. Estimated completion date is September 28, 2029. Boeing won a $51.7 million contract to procure the final 51 Advanced Capabilities Mission Computers retrofit kits (49 kits for EA-18G aircraft and two kits for software integration labs) in support of meeting the Navy’s mission requirements for the EA-18G aircraft. Work will take place in Minnesota…

Americas Bae Systems won a $651.6 million contract for sustaining engineering services. This contract provides for services support for both the Minuteman III and Sentinel Systems Directorates to ensure the integration of current and future hardware, software, testing, and modifications with the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Weapon Systems. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, […]View the full article

Americas Rolls Royce Marine North America won a $66.7 million deal in support of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the global engineering and technical support of the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) Freedom Variant MT30 gas turbine engines. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would not increase the cumulative value of this contract above […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $101.5 million deal for AEGIS development and test sites operation and maintenance. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey and is expected to be completed by January 2028. The Aegis Combat System is an advanced integrated naval weapons system developed by the United States. It is primarily designed for […]View the full article

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been selected as the Lead Systems Integrator for Project Red 5, a US. Department of Defense initiative aimed at developing advanced autonomous air-to-air capabilities. The $98 million contract will see GA-ASI utilize two MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aircraft systems to prototype full-profile autonomous air-to-air missions. GA-ASI will equip the MQ-20 Avengers with cutting-edge sensors, data links, and mission systems to enable complex air-to-air maneuvers. BlueHalo, a leading provider of counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) solutions, announced a significant milestone in the development of its Freedom Eagle (FE-…

Americas Collins Aerospace, a company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has won a contract worth about $80 million to create a new avionics system for the Army’s H-60M helicopters. The new system will use a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), which means it will be easier to upgrade and modify in the future. The contract was awarded by the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Only one company submitted a bid for this project, which was advertised online. The work is expected to be completed by March 7, 2029. The H-60M is a newer version of the Black Hawk helicopter, used by the Army for various missions. This upgrade will improve the helicopter’s elec…

The U.S. Department of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Ukraine for long-term sustainment and support services related to M777 howitzers, valued at up to $104 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) formally notified Congress of the decision, the agency said in a release. According to the notification, the Government […] The post U.S. clears $104M support deal for Ukrainian M777 howitzers first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded a new $26 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement to Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems and its consortium of non-traditional technology partners to accelerate development of its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) initiative. The project will deliver a data integration prototype for the 25th Infantry Division, currently operating […] The post U.S. Army taps Lockheed for next-gen command tech first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Hard moments in history are clarifying events. The more difficult, the clearer they can make things for you. As I have mentioned before, one of the big wake-up calls I received after October 7th, 2023 was how much very real Jew-hate was in modern Western society. Not just there, but excused by a large part of our cultural and political system. People and institutions revealed themselves to us. Distressing, but clarifying. Don’t look away when you see what is being said and done today. No. Look closer. Remember. Note. Act. Don’t forget. Politicians, academics, media, entertainment, and just the people down the street revealed themselves. The mask did not slip, for many it …

Katwijk-based aerospace company Destinus has announced the successful field test of its Hornet Counter-Drone System during the TEC2 Exercises in Viator, Almería, organized by the Spanish Army under its 2025 Tactical Experimentation Campaign. According to the company, the Hornet successfully demonstrated its capability to autonomously intercept an aerial target during a Concept Demonstration Exercise led […]View the full article