Raw Intel

The U.S. military has activated its first one-way-attack drone squadron under a new task force based in the Middle East, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on December 3. The move comes four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered an accelerated push to field affordable unmanned systems capable of delivering decisive effects in contested […]View the full article

The United States has continued elevated air and maritime military activity in the Caribbean region following Saturday’s U.S. operation in Venezuela, with fighter aircraft and naval assets operating near Venezuelan borders, according to local reports. Residents of Puerto Rico, where one of the United States’ operational military bases in the region is located, reported sustained […]View the full article

A new assessment by Sam Cranny-Evans of Calibre Defence says Chinese defense exports are increasingly under scrutiny as international operators report recurring reliability failures and weak after-sales support across a wide range of systems. According to the analysis, concerns span decades of Chinese arms exports and affect land, air, and naval platforms delivered to multiple […]View the full article

Jackson-based AdlerAerospace, in partnership with its Czech R&D affiliate TRL Drones, has developed the TALOS-J and TALOS-E interceptor drone systems — a new fixed-wing counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) family designed using operational lessons drawn from battlefield conditions in Ukraine, the company confirmed during an exclusive interview with CEO and Chairman Wilhelm Meya. TRL Drones brings […]View the full article

Azawad rebel forces said they carried out a drone and missile strike on a military compound in Anefis, in Mali’s Kidal region, on March 30, targeting positions used by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and Russian personnel from Africa Corps. The reported attack appears to be part of a continued escalation in northern Mali, where […]View the full article

A Russian drone was shot down over Kyiv on Wednesday by a Hellfire missile, with the intercept witnessed by numerous observers on the ground and from windows across the capital. The shootdown drew significant attention not for its outcome — drones over Kyiv have become a grim routine — but for what appeared to have […]View the full article

A U.S. defense startup is bringing a next-generation counter-drone system to SOF Week 2026 in Tampa that takes a fundamentally different approach to the close-in drone threat: instead of aiming at incoming targets, it keeps multiple barrels constantly rotating through a full hemisphere, eliminating the aiming delay that makes conventional single-barrel systems vulnerable to fast-moving […]View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, is investing $100 million to expand its Portsmouth, Rhode Island, facility, accelerating production and testing of two of the most in-demand air defense systems in the world as governments across NATO and beyond race to bolster protection against ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and increasingly sophisticated aerial threats. The investment, announced June […]View the full article

Picture a robot you could carry up a flight of stairs, remotely towing a military truck that outweighs a fully loaded school bus, and doing it without breaking a wheel. That is the scene an American robotics company says it captured on video from a recent U.S. Army demonstration, and if the footage holds up, […]View the full article

A U.S. Marine Corps amphibious vehicle that can swim ashore from a warship still can’t stop a hobby-store drone from watching it do it, and the Marines just confirmed the fix, and the company they intend to buy it from, without opening the job to competition. The Marine Corps’ Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault, part […]View the full article

The German Navy successfully completed a dual firing trial of Israel Aerospace Industries’ Naval LORA ballistic missile, launching the weapon from an operational German vessel and hitting its target with precision in both test scenarios, IAI said. The trial was conducted as part of the German Navy’s Operational Experimentation program, known as OPEX, a testing […]View the full article

South Korea’s arms procurement agency has asked Türkiye whether it can buy the Turkish PD170 drone engine, a powerplant already flying on some of the world’s most combat-tested drones, as Korean military drone programs suffer a string of public crashes. Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI, recently received an inquiry from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program […]View the full article

Slovenian turret maker Valhalla Turrets is preparing a new version of its Skythunder air defense system armed with General Dynamics Land Systems’ 20 mm M197 Gatling gun and 70 mm laser-guided rockets, designed to shoot down drones and protect critical infrastructure. The company announced the system as “coming soon” in a social media post and […]View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $29.4 million order, which procures various parts and quantities for main and nose landing gear critical components retrofit kits in support of F/A-18A-D aircraft modification efforts. F/A-18 Hornet became the nation’s first all-weather fighter and attack aircraft, and was designed for traditional strike applications such as interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter capabilities. The F/A-18 A-D is employed in Marine Corps fighter attack squadrons, US Navy and Marine Corps Reserve squadrons, the Navy Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angles), and various other fleet support roles. Work will take place in Missouri and is expecte…

Americas The US Naval Research Laboratory has demonstrated that its electric unmanned aerial vehicle dubbed Hybrid Tiger can stay airborne for 24 hours using multiple power sources. “The flight was effectively a performance test in worst-case conditions: temperatures falling below zero degrees Celsius, winds gusting to 20 knots, and relatively little solar energy as we approached the solar solstice Dec. 21,” Richard Stroman, one of engineers involved in the testing, said. Daytime power come from solar panels integrated onto the wings and high-pressure hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system provides nighttime power. The drone also had algorithms in its flight control soft…

Americas Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $28 million modification, which exercises an option to procure MH-60R/S aircraft mission computer (MC) and flight management computer (FMC) retrofit kits, wiring kits, and Lynx licenses. The quantities are: 190 MC Generation III/V configuration to GEN 3i/5i MC kits (96 for the Navy, 70 for Naval Supply, 19 for the government of Australia, and five for the government of Denmark); 15 FMC Generation VI configuration to GEN 3i/5i FMC kits (10 for the Navy and five for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); 194 MC Generation III/V FMC configuration to GEN 3i/5i FMC kits (114 for the Navy, 51 for Naval Supply, 19 for the governme…

Americas Raytheon won a $624.6 million contract modification for the procurement of Stinger missiles and associated equipment for the US Army. The Stinger missile is a lightweight, self-contained air defense system that can be rapidly deployed by ground troops. Its supersonic speed, agility and highly accurate guidance and control system give the weapon an operational edge against cruise missiles and all classes of aircraft. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2026. Northrop Grumman won a $13 million order, which provides for the procurement for depot maintenance for the TE-6B in-flight trainer airc…

In the middle of Walter Russell Mead's article over at WJS, "The World Rejects the Wilsonian Order" there was an interesting insight for what the Russo-Ukrainian War revealed about the internal natsec divisions within the Democrat Party. While one could quibble around the edges, this seems sound; Within the Biden administration, the struggle is among three groups: liberal internationalists, who want America and the West to do what it takes to ensure that Russia loses the war; pragmatists who want to check Russia but fear Russian escalation and believe that the war will inevitably end in a compromise peace that falls short of Wilsonian hopes; and Asia-firsters who worry t…

Americas Electric Boat won a $48.6 million modification for the Next Generation Submarine Science and Technology Research effort. The contract modification adds five new option periods. The proposed effort is to develop technologies for transition to the Virginia and Columbia submarine acquisition programs, and to provide technology options for the next SSN class that improve […]View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $2 billion modification for E-7A Rapid Prototyping. The modification is for the definitization of the UCA. Work will be performed in Tukwila, Washington, and is expected to be completed by August 28, 2029. There are no funds being obligated at the time of award. Hanscom Air Force Base, Bedford, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. The deal represents a significant milestone for both parties, who have been working to finalize terms since an initial agreement was signed in 2023. The path to contract finalization was fraught with challenges. The Air Force initially faced difficulties in aligning its requirements with those of the United Kingdom, …