Raw Intel

U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232), known as the “Red Devils,” arrived at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, on September 8, 2025, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program (UDP). The F/A-18 Hornet squadron, based out of MCAS Miramar, California, is now assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st […] The post U.S. Marine Corps deploys Red Devils squadron to Japan first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas The X-37B has landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on November 12 after spending 908 days in space. Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6) was installed with a service module-a ring for the first time and the module detached from the OTV before landing. An F-15C assigned to the 144th Fighter Wing was forced to make an emergency landing at Fresno Yosemite International Airport after the fighter started venting fuel in flight. The incident took place on the morning of November 10 and the fighter wing says the incident poses no hazard to the public. Middle East & Africa Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unveiled a compact, lightweight ele…

The United States is preparing Misawa Air Base in northern Japan to support the future deployment of F-35A stealth fighter aircraft, as part of a broader effort to modernize U.S. air power in the western Pacific. According to the report by Newsweek journalist Ryan Chan, the Pentagon plans to deploy 48 F-35A Lightning II jets […]View the full article

A new Ukrainian electronic warfare system designed to counter drones such as Mavic and FPV models was unveiled in Lviv during the forum “Joint Enterprises, Joint Defense.” The system, named DF-M, was developed by Ukrainian company Piranha Tech. It introduces a modular design that allows military units to select different jamming blocks for the frequency […] The post Ukraine develops new DF-M drone jamming system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Some ships are just cursed, snakebit, or ... well ... just a LCS. Light a candle for the crew of USS Little Rock (LCS-9). Our friend Megan Eckstein doesn't mean to pick on the handicapped, but she's a professional and has a job to do; Littoral combat ship Little Rock lost power while operating at sea and had to return to port on Jan. 22, according to a Navy spokesman. The four-year-old LCS was conducting sea trials following a 19-month maintenance period in the dry dock at BAE Systems Shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla. The ship departed Naval Station Mayport on Jan. 21 for the contractor’s trials, LCS Squadron 2 spokesman Lt. Anthony Junco told Defense News. During the oper…

Americas Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) completed acceptance sea trials on Friday for the amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). The San Antonio Class ship, built at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, spent several days with the US Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. Ingalls’ shipbuilders will now complete final finish work on the ship in preparation for delivery this quarter. General Dynamics won a $19.2 million deal for Environmental and Ship Motion Forecasting (ESMF) systems, which provides sea-based forces with environmental and ship motion forecasting as input to the common operation tactical picture, in order to forecast windows of opportunit…

Americas General Dynamics won an $18.8 million contract modification for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines.The Virginia-class attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral, or shallow water, operations. Work will take place in Arizona, California and Pennsylvania. Expected completion will be by November 2024. Lockheed Martin announced it has terminated its agreement to acquire rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. for $4.4 billion. The decision to terminate the agreement follows the US Federal Trade Commission…

There is a long and not so glorious tradition of the US Military being used - both their people and their money - by politicians to pursue non-military agenda items either due to ideology or in order to take advantage of one of the military's unusual characteristics: we follow orders. Leverage that feature/bug with the deep well of institutional good will those in uniform have ... and you can see why all sorts of pet projects/agenda items/supporter payoffs are spot-welded on to DOD. The neo-pagan religion of "climate change" (no different than moon worship as it is always there, always will be there, cannot be stopped or encouraged to any significant degree by mortals) is…

On Oct. 22, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) unveiled the first Changbogo-III Batch-II class submarine, the Jang Yeong-sil (SS-087), at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard, and displayed the Haeseong‑5 anti‑ship missile as a central part of the ceremony. The missile, shown alongside the new submarine, is presented as a […] The post South Korea unveils new supersonic anti-ship missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas The Royal Canadian Navy has commissioned its fourth Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and offshore patrol vessel, the HMCS William Hall, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Hall was built under Ottawa’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy to amplify the country’s naval forces against evolving threats in North America. The US Army is collecting feedback from its soldiers regarding the […]View the full article

Americas SkyAlyne and KF Aerospace have procured three De Havilland Dash 8-400 regional airliners for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. Upon arrival, the planes will have their cabins reconfigured and fitted with solutions to be used for Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator and Air Combat Systems Officer courses. The selection of the locally-built systems was driven by the Dash family of aircraft’s proven performance under the Canadian Air Force, particularly the older Dash 8-100 models, the consortium explained. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received a $34.8-million contract to continue its support services for the US Mar…

It is amazing that our nation - one so reliant on ocean trade and whose energy security is so reliant on the arctic - should have such a quote about it as below. This came out in February...but came up in my digging around on a related topic. The nation's first sea-going heavy icebreaker in more than 45 years will be named Sentinel -- a nod to its predecessors as well as future missions in the polar regions, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said Thursday. We have been at peace at sea for so long, unchallenged for so long, I think we have forgotten what is needed to fight a sustained war at sea. Ships cannot be built overnight. Industrial capacity can take years …

Americas GE Aerospace has demonstrated a dual-mode Ramjet (DMRJ) engine that could enable the development of more efficient long-range hypersonic aircraft and missiles. A threefold airflow increase was demonstrated by the engine compared to previous hypersonic demonstrators, according to the company. Testing began at an Evendale, Ohio, testing facility in March just 11 months after the launch of design efforts. Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards has joined a trilateral project between the US, Canada, and Finland to create icebreaker vessels that will help secure the Arctic region. Revealed by the White House during the 2024 NATO Summit, the Icebreaker Collaboration Effor…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $99.5 million modification, which procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts in support of maintaining on-time production and delivery of 147 Lot 18 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work […]View the full article

Americas NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian, an ongoing maritime security operation in the Mediterranean, saw a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8 maritime patrol aircraft participating for the first time. Departing from its base in Edinburgh, Australia, the jet and its crew took 3 days to arrive in Italy. From there, the jet undertook a few overwater surveillance missions from October 3-14. A first-of-its-kind, F-35 crash recovery course was held at Hill Air Force Base and twenty-nine maintainers had the opportunity to train on handling different scenarios using a real F-35A. One of the scenarios in the five-day Crash Damaged or Disabled Aircraft Recovery course involved …

Well ... I think over at the Severn School for Wayward Boys and Girls at the end of November, I think we found out. I'm not sure more commentary on my part is needed or wise ... I'll just say BZ to the MIDN who gave the feedback in bold. We need more pushback like that. ...and yes, I think we'd all like to see the 13 suggested topics...for scientific purposes, of course. 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=TPfcobvLBSU:rhT6j_daVis:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TPfcobvLBSU:rhT6j_daVis:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.f…

The last few years have seen Japan take the very welcome steps out of the box her post-WWII constitution put her in and the habits of the post war generations. With her size and wealth, even her 1% of GDP on defense created a significant military. As anyone who has operated can attest, it is a quality one in equipment, training, and material condition. It's growing - and that is a good thing for the international order. More than is apparent to the outside eye, her national security community – both uniformed and civilian – are very clear-eyed about the world in which they find themselves in 2023. They are taking steps to take her rightful and deserved place in the first …

Your town isn't a small town at a bit over 34,000, but everyone knows each other more or less. It isn't so big that you are disconnected from your neighbors. You are always one degree away from having a connection to anyone. Maybe 2. Any American from New England would feel comfortable here. The weather is not that different, really - perhaps even a few degrees warmer. Trip Advisor does not give your off the beaten path home (even though you are a stop on the railroad line to Odessa) a big write up, but you have nice restaurants and pubs. You have shockingly beautiful parks. Again, you are poor, but you were, at least before the Russian Army came, a tidy and proud town i…

If you believe the threat from China is overblown, our Navy is well led, and that our fleet is big enough, then this is not the post for you. If you are concerned for all of it, grab a fresh drink and dive right in. We are facing of something our nation has not had to seriously consider in well over three decades; we do not have free and unfettered access to the sea. Even when Soviet submarines roamed the world’s oceans at will – though closely watched – and the Red Banner Fleet could send battle groups on cruises through the Gulf of Mexico, we had fair confidence in one thing – the Pacific was an American lake. No more. Even when the Soviet Union’s navy gave the US Navy …

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $15.5 million delivery order for overhaul of power amplifier modules in support of the E-2D aircraft. All work will be completed by September 2025 with no option periods. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, California; and Liverpool, New York. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount will […]View the full article