Raw Intel

There reaches a point where having a ship put to sea in peacetime, regardless of her mission short of directly saving human lives, is a net negative to its nation. Of all places, yesterday in broad daylight, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) passed through the Singapore Strait. After our national humiliation in Afghanistan roughly half a year ago, and in the face of a serious challenge from China, in a part of the world where the powerful must maintain appearances less they lose face...behold what an organization that bills itself as the world's premier superpower has showing its flag. Piet over at Maasmondmaritime.com has a whole series of high-res pics of her passage yesterda…

Chinese state media on Friday criticized Palmer Luckey, founder of U.S. defense contractor Anduril Industries, after he publicly questioned the capabilities of China’s J-35 stealth fighter during a visit to the Singapore Airshow. Luckey posted an image on social media showing himself using a tape measure on a J-35A model displayed at the Aviation Industry […]View the full article

Americas X-Bow Systems announced that it has completed the preliminary design review of its solid fuel hypersonic booster rocket engine. The New Mexico-based defense tech company reported that completion of this phase marks the second major technical review for the program, demonstrating design maturity and reduced risk for critical technologies. X-Bow is on track for the next major review of its hypersonic rocket motor, the critical design review, which typically indicates the end of architecture and system design. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has successfully deployed a new training capability known as ‘Simulators at Sea’ aboard the USS Abraha…

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won a $458 million deal for fiscal 2022-2026 shipyard field operations, program management, systems engineering, documentation, logistics and hardware production activities in support of the Columbia and Dreadnought Fleet Ballistic Missile Program. The contract action contains option line items. Work will take in California, Washington, Florida, Maryland, Georgia and the UK. Work will take place in November 30, 2027. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $62 million deal for fiscal 2022 AEGIS modernization, DDG new construction, and Frigate new construction production requirements. Work will take in New Jersey and Florida. Est…

Americas Avioss won a $15.7 million deal, which procures organizational and intermediate level peculiar and common support equipment for the V-22 program in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Miami, Florida, and is expected to be completed in August 2028. No funds will […]View the full article

There is no such thing as a "normal watch," especially on Nov. 22, 1975 onboard the USS BELKNAP (CG-26); We were on plane guard. They put us on a plane guard because their TACAN was down. We had been making this same maneuver to port eight or nine times a day – from the start of the turn to completion was 3600 yards. This time we made a turn to starboard. I’ve read the investigation report, so even though I was down in the fire room, I’ve since come to know what happened up on the bridge. With the lights of the carrier looking the same, there was confusion, and miscommunication, and we made a right-hand turn this time, and the arc was half of what it had been for the last…

Americas Raytheon won a $38 million modification to previously awarded contract for an option exercise and the award of a technical refresh of DDG-1000 Class Total Ship Computing Environment Hardware in support of Zumwalt Test Facility Ship Mission Center, peripherals and spares hardware. Work will be performed in Manchester, New Hampshire; Nashua, New Hampshire; Portsmouth, […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $43.6 million order, which provides for diminishing manufacturing sources non-recurring engineering in support of a redesigned panoramic cockpit display electronic unit video mixer for F-35 Lightning II production aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-US Department of Defense participants. Work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in January 2029. Lockheed Martin Sippican won a $14 million contract modification to exercise options for engineering and maintenance services for the Heavyweight MK48 Torpedo Program at the Intermediate Maintenance Acti…

The Philippine Air Force Research and Development Center (AFRDC) has unveiled its first homegrown armed drones, marking a milestone in the country’s Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program. The newly revealed platforms — the Air Military Ordnance Carrier (AMOC) and the Military Air Ordnance Yielder (MAOY) — are locally developed and combat-ready, offering new capabilities to […] The post Philippines develops armed combat drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin has received a US Army contract to develop a future precision strike missile to strike targets more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away. Called the Long-Range Maneuverable Fires missile, the program will become the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) increment 4, being fired from existing army launchers to defeat distant threats. According to […]View the full article

Boxer MRAV (click to view full) Wheeled armored vehicles have become much more common, but the Dutch-German Boxer stands out from the crowd. Its English acronym is “Multi Role Armoured Vehicle” (MRAV), but rather than being a family of different vehicles, the Boxer will use a single chassis, with snap-in modules for different purposes from […]View the full article

Americas The US Air Force has received a new E-11A aircraft with a battlefield airborne communications node (BACN) payload at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The plane will be integrated into the air force’s 430th Expeditionary Electronic Communications Squadron, the “Black Wolves,” which supports combat communications. The BACN’s “WiFi in the sky” capability allows the E-11A to function similarly to a low-Earth satellite, maintaining aerial command and control capabilities for airborne and ground units. Colombia has selected the French defense firm Nexter’s Caesar 6×6 self-propelled howitzer for its military, according to Spanish defense news website Infodefensa. …

From 12–25 August 1920 there was one of the more important battles of modern history that is relatively unknown out of the country the battle took place in. It is a story of audacity in th eface of incredible odds by a nation only reborn less than two years earlier against an equally younger malignancy. The Battle of Warsaw; The Polish-born and much feared head of the Cheka (Bolshevik secret police), Feliks Dzierzinsky, was made head of a Polish Revolutionary Committee, which would follow the Red Army and form the new government. Lenin was absolutely confident of success. Initially all went well, and within six weeks the Red Army was at the gates of Warsaw. But as the Po…

Labor Day is behind us, school is in session, and winter is coming. That can mean only one thing - it’s time for a Midrats mid-month melee! For the full hour LIVE this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern, we will take a bit from the headlines, a tad from the history books, and whatever shows up in the chat room or the studio line. From DC to Ukraine, to the other side of the International Date Line, we’ll try to squeeze it in. We'll distribute your defense, integrate your lethality ... whatever it takes. As with every melee, if it is interesting and in the maritime or national security arena - we’ll take it on. Open chat, open phones, open topic - come join us live if you can, but …

Along the spectrum from peacetime exercises to wartime combined operations, successfully integrating multinational forces is not a pick-up game. To do it right requires leaders and institutions years of practice, trust, and demonstrated ability. This is true of all military operations, but especially true when moving forces ashore during amphibious operations. In our constellation of allies, partners and friends along the shores of the Indo-Pacific theater, since 2015 the United States Marine Forces Pacific has led the multi-national Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium. Today we are going to dive in to not just the symposium itself to the broader topic of combined amphib…

Americas According to Defense Post, the US Navy has awarded California-based Fuse Integration a contract to produce router systems for the service’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning and control aircraft. The $16-million deal orders the company’s proprietary CORE 4.0 devices, which will upgrade the E-2D’s external networking systems into software-based connectivity. The equipment will employ a tactical edge network targeting a contested long-range environment or TENTaCLE architecture to bolster the aircraft’s network resiliency, according to the navy. The US Army has awarded Elbit Systems a $28-million contract for additional AN/PVS-14 monocular night …

Americas The US Marine Corps is set to test an unmanned boat prototype designed to covertly supply ground troops with missiles. The Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV) has already been tested from surface vessels over the last year. However, it will be tested in an operational environment for the first time at Project Convergence Capstone 4 […]View the full article

Americas BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services won a $12 billion deal for Integration Support Contract (ISC) 2.0. The main function of ISC 2.0 is to support the government as the lead systems integrator and augment government resources for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) weapon system systems engineering and integration and professional services. According to solicitation documents, the Integration Support Contract 2.0 covers support for Minuteman III and the next-generation ground-based strategic deterrent missile or any future ICBM weapon system developed throughout the duration of the contract. Work will take place at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and …

The U.S. Army has awarded Global Military Products Inc., based in Tampa, Florida, a $640 million contract for the procurement of 155mm High Explosive complete rounds. The award was made under the Special Ammunitions and Weapons Systems (SAWS) program. According to the Department of War announcement, bids were solicited online and two offers were received. […] The post U.S. Army signs $639M contract for non-standard 155mm shells first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas A Black Hawk helicopter crashed in northern Alabama, killing two crew members who were part of the Tennessee National Guard. The aircraft went down on Highway 53 near the intersection of Burrell Road in Madison County during a routine training mission. The crash sparked a fire that left the helicopter a “total loss,” according […]View the full article