Raw Intel

British aerospace company Rotron has successfully fired its SkyLance long-range one-way effector, validating the propulsion and system performance of a loitering munition platform that its new American parent company Ondas Inc. is positioning as a sovereign UK strike capability for NATO’s eastern flank and allied export markets. The firing milestone, announced by Rotron Aerospace, follows […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has published a sources-sought notice asking whether any company other than the current sole producer can build and deliver the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile for production lots from 2031 to 2036. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Long Range Systems Division, operating out of Wright-Patterson […]View the full article

Engineers at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and Fleet Readiness Center Southwest built a 3D-printing method that lets sailors repair cracked composite panels on the F/A-18 Super Hornet right at the base where the jet is stationed, and they expect it to cut repair time by roughly 50 percent once it reaches the […]View the full article

With increased defense spending becoming the new normal and growing uncertainty on the alliance’s eastern front as the Russo-Ukrainian War enters its fifth summer, the Ankara NATO summit was more than just a photo-op. Returning to the Midrats Podcast to discuss the major takeaways will be Jorge Benitez. You can listen at this link, or via the Spotify link below. SummaryIn this episode, Dr. George Benitez discusses the recent NATO summit, focusing on defense spending, alliance strategies, and the evolving threats from Russia, China, and Iran. He provides insights into NATO’s strategic shifts, the importance of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, and the challenges of mode…

Yesterday saw the fifth anniversary of the slaughter at Abbey Gate. Two years ago, I reposted what I wrote on that day as the news came in. I think it is time again. I will not forget. I found myself on X having a few contentious back-and-forths with people about Afghanistan this week, but on Wednesday night, a post from our friend Kristina just brought it all back to me. Good. Bit by bit, perhaps some wrongs can be made right, but much still needs to be done. Those in senior civilian leadership positions five years ago still have not been held to account. Some of the senior military leadership still avoid the topic, or try to discuss what a great NEO they conducted. Sti…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded K & K Industries a $13.6 million contract to build a weapons release system storage facility at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, part of the base’s preparation to host the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The Windsor, Missouri-based company’s firm-fixed-price award brings the project’s total value to $14,993,485. Three […]View the full article

Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions at Ukraine’s energy and critical infrastructure overnight into Oct. 14, knocking out power to at least 600,000 people days after President Donald Trump announced a halt to strikes on energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy said that the attack […]View the full article

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Jerry Hendrix and Noel Williams are friends of mine. Both are accomplished thinkers and analysts, and I tend to agree with them more often than not on mostly everything. The two have penned an article in the latest Proceedings, and Tom Barnett's picked it up and run with it through the blogosphere. In it, they become the latest advocates in a long line of honorable thinkers who believe the "supercarrier" has reached the end of its useful life, driven to its demise by its cost and its vulnerability. There is a lot of really good thinking in their work, but in the end, I am unpersuaded. I don't disagree, I'm just not willing to walk away from the "supercarrier". Yet. …

The Royal Navy speaks so it can sleep at night. Adml Sir Mark Stanhope said the campaign would have been more effective without the Government's defence cuts. The aircraft carrier and the Harrier jump-jets scrapped under last year's strategic defence review would have made the mission more effective, faster and cheaper, he said. Sir Mark warned that the Navy would not be able to sustain its operations in Libya for another three months without making cuts elsewhere. ... "The pros would have been a much more reactive force," he said. "Rather than deploying from Gioia del Colle, we would deploy within 20 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half, so obvious…

Yesterday around 6.00 CET pirates in a fishing vessel attacked the MV Flintstone 93NM north east of the island of Socotra. The pirates in their dhow where seen coming and the crew of the Flintstone went into hid in a special compartment of the ship. Meanwhile the Dutch Vessel Protection Detachment, consisting of marines, prepared for the arrival of the skiff that came from the dhow, that was being used as a mother ship. At first the VPD fired flares at the coming ship, in which they could see several weapons including a RPG. When this RPG was aimed at the Flintstone the marines answered with direct fire, forcing the skiff to return to the dhow. What I don't un…

Some of my most memorable peacetime experiences in my naval career were SINKEX. I mean ... really people. There is the "fun" factor - but I also fully appreciated the good information we received from sending warshots downrange. Sure, the targets didn't shoot back or try to intercept our weapons ... but it did give you a good outline of the performance of those things in the kill chain you could control. That is why - while using the exceptional google translate function - this bit from Russian open source caught me off guard; ... testing modern means of destruction of the Navy on it. And as an example here, we, alas, the US Navy, which does not just use old ships…

Top Gun, redux (click to view full) In the 1980s movie Top Gun, the revolutionary “MiG-28s” operated by the enemy air force were actually painted F-5E Tiger IIs, derived from a family of fighters whose design concept dates back to the mid 1950s. The F-5 family of aircraft were produced in large numbers, as they were an extremely popular export item. Many are still operated by countries around the world, and the US Air Force used them for many years as “aggressor” aircraft in Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT). They remain excellent for simulating similarly small, low profile adversaries like the MiG-21s and MiG-19s that gave American pilots such trouble over Vietnam.…

Americas Collins Aerospace won a $22.4 million contract for High Fidelity Visual Display Systems required to support the F-35 Joint Simulation Environment. The contractor will deliver, install, and provide training for the visual display systems. Work will be performed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Edwards AFB, California; and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and is expected to be completed July 31, 2023. The F-35 Lightning is a stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and programme partners from the NATO and US allies. Work will take place at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Edwards A…

In an incredibly important ... and silly drama over the last couple of years, some otherwise smart people in objectively important positions invested significant amounts of personal and professional capital trying to make an argument that the US Army - our land component, is the primary service ... here. No. Unless you want to get in to another land war in Asia from the Pacific approaches ... no. However, we have friends who share our concerns with the People's Republic of China who, in addition to having four times the USA's population, have significant land borders and territorial issues with the PRC. In a larger war, they may find themselves allied with us, and there a…

Americas Rolls Royce won a $96.3 million vehicle requirements contract modification. The modification incorporates an additional five-month option period to maintain continuity of services for the C-130 engine repairs. The contract modification incorporates an additional five-month option period to maintain continuity of services for the C-130 engine repairs. The C-130 operates throughout the US Air Force, serving with Air Mobility Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Combat Command, US Air Forces in Europe, Pacific Air Forces, Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Command, fulfilling a wide range of operational missions in both peace and war situati…

As the world rages around us, let's check in to see the latest update on the unopposed march through the institutions by the Diversity Industry. Your tax dollars are paying for it, you might as well track. I want to see it you had the right questions come to mind. If not, I'll point them out at the end. BEHOLD! R 191126Z APR 22 FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC TO ALCOAST BT UNCLAS ALCOAST 142/22 SSIC 1500 SUBJ: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (D&I) CHANGE AGENTS UPDATE: NEW DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EDUCATION AND AWARENESS SITE AND PROGRAM UPDATES A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 081432 APR 20/ALCOAST 129/20 B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 181646Z MAY 21/ALCOAST 191/21 1. The Coast…

The India/Burma theater is mostly forgotten by those who study WWII. In a quick skim, many will at least read a bit about Imphal ... but what about the Battle of Kohima? Here's just a brief taste ... read the whole thing and the links to more detail. What an incredible battle by a combined force. First posted in March of 2017. View the full article

Americas Riverview Construction won a $10.5 million deal to construct a C-130 flight simulator training facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Scotia, New York, with an estimated completion date of February 14, 2024. According to Lockheed Martin, the C-130 Hercules primarily performs the tactical portion of […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin and Boeing are in a competition to build new military communication satellites for the US Space Force. Both companies have successfully passed early design reviews, allowing them to proceed to the next stage. Lockheed Martin emphasized its use of advanced digital technology and collaboration, creating a reprogrammable payload processor, and its design surpassed expectations. Boeing completed its design review in December 2024, leveraging its existing 702MP satellite platform used by the Space Force. The goal is to expand the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) with two new satellites by 2030, enhancing secure military communications. Momentus has …