Raw Intel

Blockades, 11-month deployments, and building plans…a full plate for a Midrats Free for All. We go LIVE at 5 PM Eastern this Sunday. You can join us at this link. If you are reading this after the show, check the Substack later Sunday night for the podcast upload. 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

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin $154 million to begin purchasing the long-lead components needed to build 11 F-35 stealth fighters for a foreign government whose identity the Pentagon has not disclosed, adding another batch of the world’s most widely sold combat aircraft to an order book that spans more than a dozen nations. […]View the full article

A Russian surveillance plane flew dangerously close to Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier and dropped a swarm of underwater listening devices nearby before ignoring repeated radio calls, forcing two fighter jets to scramble and chase it away. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that while operating in the Norwegian Sea as part of Operation Firecrest, the […]View the full article

Ukraine’s military has shown a homemade air defense system built by bolting American anti-tank missiles onto a Rada radar and welding the whole thing to a Dutch army truck. Ukraine’s 302nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade publicly displayed a new mobile variant of the STASH short-range air defense system in an official video, mounting the launcher on […]View the full article

General Dynamics Land Systems has teamed up with Ford Motor Company and Ricardo to compete for the UK Ministry of Defence’s Light Mobility Vehicle program, the companies announced. The team’s proposal is built on the Ford Ranger platform, which General Dynamics UK described as Europe’s best-selling pickup truck for 11 consecutive years. “Combining the strengths […]View the full article

Turkish defense company ASELSAN has shown its KORKUT 35 air defense gun system shooting down drones and hitting a moving target while driving, in a live-fire demonstration watched by military delegations from 12 countries. The company released video of the firing. The demonstration focused on drones, and KORKUT 35 engaged fixed-wing, delta-wing and small mini […]View the full article

The British Army is looking for new ways to power its troops in the field, offering £2.45 million ($3.26 million) to companies that can develop better batteries, faster chargers and quieter alternatives to the diesel generators units rely on today. UK Defence Innovation, the Ministry of Defence’s innovation arm, launched the Tactical Power Challenge on […]View the full article

There was a little incident a month ago that kept coming back in to my mind. My guess is that my subconscious was bothered, as it is on a usual basis, that the article did not come with a map. You might recall the story ... one in a long list of similar stories; Russia says one of its warships caught and chased off a US Navy destroyer after it entered territorial waters in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday. Moscow accused the USS John S McCain of travelling 2km (1.2 miles) across its maritime border in Peter the Great Gulf and says it threatened to ram the ship. The US warship then left the area, according to Russia. However, the US Navy denied any wrongdoing and sa…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $108.8 million modification for AEGIS combat system engineering agent (CSEA) efforts for the design, development, integration, test and delivery of Advanced Capability Build 20. The Aegis combat system uses powerful computers and radar to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. More than 100 Aegis-equipped ships have been deployed in five navies worldwide. Aegis, not an acronym, refers to the shield of the mythical Greek God Zeus. Work will take place in Moorestown, New Jersey. Expected completion date will be in December 2021. The US Air Force has successfully demonstrated that the F-16’s Electronic Warfare System can receive sof…

Americas Boeing won a $95 million deal, which provides engineering services and supplies, to include capability defect package fixes and acoustic software improvement efforts in support of the continued development and sustainment of the P-8A Acoustic Operational Flight Program. Work will take place in California, Washington, Maryland and Missouri. Expected completion will be in January 2027. The US Air Force has published a RFI for the replacement of the E-3G Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). The contract is expected to be awarded in FY2023 and the winner must produce two prototype aircraft within five years of the award. Middle East & Africa The South A…

Americas Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV won a $10 million contract modification to support the Javelin Engineering Services contract. Javelin is a versatile one-man-portable anti-tank weapon, manufactured by the Raytheon/ Lockheed Martin Javelin joint venture. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is November 30, 2023. 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. Expected completion date is Janua…

Americas The US Air Force announced that Northrop Grumman would roll out the B-21 bomber in the first week of December at its production facilities in Palmdale, California. “We last introduced a new bomber over 30 years ago. As we look to the threats posed by our pacing challenge; we must continue to rapidly modernize. The B-21 Raider will provide formidable combat capability across a range of operations in highly contested environments of the future,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr said. Textron won a $7.7 million modification to remove work, incorporate additional work and exercise an option to a previously awarded contract FA8617-22-C-6238 for Building Par…

What path best enhances American security and prosperity, along with her allies, when it comes to the Russo-Ukrainian War? Are American's interests best promoted by more support of Ukraine's ongoing fight for her independence, or by backing away to let things take their natural course? Isolationists, realists, and idealists are all trying to make their case as to where to go next as the war moves in to its second year. What are their arguments, and for those who say they promote a "Realist" policy - how do they define Realism? Out guest for the full hour this Sunday from 5 to 6pm Eastern to discuss this and related issues she raised in her latest article in National Revie…

Americas Sierra Nevada won a $56 million modification for the MC-130J Airborne Mission Networking program’s low-rate initial production. This modification provides for the procurement of production kits, spares, interim-contractor support, program management, and provisioning support. Work will be performed in Centennial, Colorado, and is expected to be completed May 19, 2023. Air Force Life Cycle […]View the full article

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