Raw Intel

Daimler Truck AG announced on March 3, 2026, that its Mercedes-Benz Zetros defense vehicles successfully completed intensive winter testing in the Finnish Arctic Circle, where temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius and road conditions were largely icy and snow-covered. The testing campaign was conducted to verify that the Zetros defense vehicle series can maintain […]View the full article

The United States Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Space a $1.36 billion contract modification to support missile and launch platform production for the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapon program. The March 31 award covers engineering development, systems integration, long-lead materials, testing, and specialized tooling required for continued production of the missile and its launch […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is sending prototype versions of its next-generation Abrams tank and a brand-new infantry combat vehicle to Fort Hood, Texas, this fall — putting cutting-edge armor into the hands of soldiers for the first time. Troops from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, part of the 1st Cavalry Division, will be the first […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has handed a $40 million contract to World Wide Technology, a St. Louis-based technology firm, to build an artificial intelligence-powered Security Operations Center — essentially a high-tech nerve center that will monitor the service’s networks around the clock for cyber intrusions, attacks, and threats. The award, announced May 18 and running […]View the full article

This is such a great video, and we have thousands of new followers and subscribers now than we did seven years ago…time to bring this FbF back. As I have often mentioned, I have a soft spot for the name "Shangri-La" for aircraft carriers. It has a great story to it, and just sounds cool as hell. Bill Schultz reminded me that there is a simply awesome video available of a unique and under-appreciated time in naval aviation; the early 1960s. What an incredible time of change and advancement ... and a time yet warped by the war that would dominate the rest of the decade. So, let's take a moment to give tribute to those Sailors of the early-60s ... in glorious technicolor,…

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on July 6 that the country’s air force has begun operating JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, releasing a video showing two of the Chinese-Pakistani aircraft taking off and landing on training sorties, the first official acknowledgment that the long-promised fighters have actually entered service. OSINT analyst Guy Plopsky examined still images […]View the full article

The drones buzzing over U.S. military bases today are often too small, too cheap, and too fast for existing radar systems to reliably catch, and the Army just placed a multimillion-dollar bet on artificial intelligence closing that gap. The U.S. Army awarded Xtremis Inc., a technology company headquartered in Washington, D.C., a contract to research […]View the full article

First of all, let’s head to the chartroom. That’s right kiddies…we’re heading to the Battle of the Barents Sea, at the top of the world, in winter. There are a whole host of stories here, but let’s focus on one ship and her Captain: HMS Onslow (G17) and then-Captain and eventually, Rear-Admiral Robert St Vincent ‘Rupert’ Sherbrooke, VC, CB, DSO, DL—41 years of age at the time of the battle. In December 1942, Onslow took part in Arctic Convoy JW 51B, joining the convoy on 25 December, with Captain Robert Sherbrooke taking charge of the convoy's close escort of six destroyers, two corvettes, one minesweeper and two trawlers. Five merchant ships, together with the destroy…

The U.S. Air Force has awarded balloon maker Aerostar a $64.4 million contract to quickly build a prototype for an urgent high-altitude balloon requirement under a project called Swamp Gas. The contract covers development of a “minimum viable product” prototype, meaning an early working version with just enough capability to be tested and used, to […]View the full article

Russian forces have released video of an FPV drone striking one of Ukraine’s largest uncrewed ground vehicles, a Protector, while it was hauling logs near Orikhiv in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The footage, shared by Russian channels, shows the drone hitting the vehicle’s cargo bed. The front of the Protector, where its control and communications equipment […]View the full article

h/t Hot Air The official White House photo of the day for Memorial Day was A. a tasteful shot of Arlington Cemetery B. A pic of a Gold Star Mom at her son's grave C. An image of an inverted rifle and empty boots signifying the death of a soldier. NOPE! The answer and an F- for the Campaigner in Chief was: A picture of the Campaigner in Chief reflected in the Vietnam Memorial with a halo around his noble warrior, gutsy-call-making head. In addition to the F-, he gets a D for Disgrace. The entire purpose of Memorial day is to honor those who laid down their lives in defense of our freedom. Obama didn't serve and since his coronation has used the military as nothing m…

When people think of the freed slaves and freemen who fought for the Union in the formations then known as United States Colored Troops (USCT), they often think of July 18, 1863, when the 54th Massachusetts stormed Fort Wagner. Sadly, that more well known event - a Union defeat - overshadows an event six weeks earlier - a Union victory - that, at the time, probably had a greater impact on the growing support in the very racist by modern standards Northern Army to arming large formations of African-Americans than anything else. The attack on Ft. Wagner and the 54th Massachusetts were both in the Eastern theater of operations. As such, they naturally get more attention. T…

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v8lmDX5bgFc/UuHSen27fhI/AAAAAAAAH04/WUIUmhEfNQw/s1600/McGinty_JJ.jpg Paul Vitello has a nicely done obit in NYT of a quiet hero from the Vietnam War. Mr. McGinty, who joined the service in 1958 directly after high school, was a drill instructor at the Marine boot camp in Parris Island, S.C., and a brig officer at the Norfolk, Va., naval base before volunteering for duty in Vietnam in 1966. “I didn’t want to be earning my pay guarding a bunch of AWOL sailors,” he told Edwin F. Murphy, author of the 1987 book “Vietnam Medal of Honor Heroes.” Mr. McGinty led one of four platoons in Company K of the Third Battalion, Third Marine Division, during a…

Lessons - yep there are lessons. When you go to war - you step in to a dark room. You hopefully have prepared yourself with the best equipment, training, operational concepts possible. The wise commander steps in to that dark room knowing that he will not know what will happen when he enters. At first, he won't see what works and does not - but he looks for it. He adjusts, he modifies - he tries to find advantage. Remember the FbF the other day about the Australian Light Horse and the assault on Beersheba? The Germans then did not think that mounted infantry would fight as cavalry - though the Commonwealth leadership saw the need to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Victo…

I almost passed on this story because it is all derived from digging into someone's twitter history. This has a spotty track record, as most of it is when people intentionally take things out of context, have no sense of humor, or just plain assign motives and meanings to things that only had the malfunction of being less than 240 characters. However, after reading it a few times and letting the draft post sit for a few days I decided that, no, this is pretty straight forward. If at least two members of Congress are willing to call it out, the least thing we can do it bring it out here ... because it is about made to order on the type of people we've been discussing here …

Americas A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged President Joe Biden to deliver more capable US weapon systems to Ukraine, including the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Led by Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), a coalition of For Country Caucus members wrote in a letter that Russian forces have moved key assets out of the range of HIMARS missiles, […]View the full article

Americas General Dynamics won a $96.4 million modification for Long Lead Time Material associated with the Virginia Class submarines SSN 812 and SSN 813. Work will take place in Colorado, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and other locations within the US as well as the United Kingdom. The United States and Britain launched […]View the full article

South Korea has revealed the image of an AAM (Anti-Aircraft Missile) from the L-SAM system for the first time, offering a first public look at one of its newest ground-based air defense capabilities. According to details shared publicly, the L-SAM-I’s main feature is its ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) interceptor, designed for high-altitude defense. The AAM variant […] The post South Korea shows new L-SAM AAM interceptor first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A multinational engine consortium developing the next-generation fighter engine for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has taken a key step toward integration, aligning more closely with the program’s aircraft developers as preparations advance for first flight. The consortium—comprised of Japan’s IHI, the UK’s Rolls-Royce, and Italy’s Avio Aero—announced a new cooperation agreement with Edge […] The post Japan, UK, Italy tighten engine pact for sixth-gen fighter first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian defense enterprise Koncern Granit has introduced a new twin-engine reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designated Os-25-R, designed for optical-electronic intelligence missions at tactical depth. The company says the drone’s structure is produced using domestic materials and technologies that allow rapid manufacturing and high durability. According to Granit, the Os-25-R belongs to the same class […] The post Russia introduces new twin-engine tactical drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article