Raw Intel

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

The German Bundestag’s budget committee has approved roughly €490 million ($563 million) to develop and procure a new short-range missile intended to defeat small unmanned aircraft, paving the way for a contract between the Bundeswehr and MBDA Deutschland. The allocation, confirmed to the defense press by well-placed sources, follows approval earlier in the day by […]View the full article

The State Department has approved two major Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Denmark, authorizing the transfer of advanced U.S. air-to-air missiles and a ground-based air defense system with an estimated combined value of $3.73 billion. According to a press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Denmark has been cleared to purchase 200 AIM-120C-8 […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has continued intensive reconnaissance flights near Venezuela’s coastline, deploying RC-135V/W intelligence aircraft over the Caribbean at activity levels comparable to those recorded in early January, according to open flight tracking data and regional monitoring reports. On the latest mission, an RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, tail number 64-14848, operated from Homestead […]View the full article

On Feb. 4, 2026, RTX, through its Raytheon business, signed five long-term framework agreements with the U.S. Department of War to expand production capacity and accelerate deliveries of several core missile systems used by U.S. and allied forces. According to a company statement, the agreements cover the Land Attack and Maritime Strike variants of the […]View the full article

The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency on March 2, 2026, published new details of its Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects, or NOBLE, announcement, establishing a five-year acquisition framework running through March 27, 2030. The announcement consolidates multiple contracting authorities under a single structure to support missile defense research, prototyping, and rapid capability development. The NOBLE […]View the full article

The U.S. Department of State has approved a possible $340 million Foreign Military Sale to Japan for equipment and services supporting the country’s indigenous upgraded Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) capability, according to a notification released on March 25, 2026. The proposed package centers on test preparation, range support, transportation, and associated logistics services for […]View the full article

Ukraine continues to receive American weapons through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List without interruption, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this week — but he was equally direct about what that pipeline still cannot fix. The flow of U.S. arms has held. The air defense shortfall has not. “Regarding arms supplies from the United States, they have […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin walked away from May 18 with an $879 million weapons contract, and this one has nothing to do with building new jets. The Naval Air Systems Command handed the Fort Worth defense giant a production order covering the missile launchers, bomb racks, gun systems, wing pylons, and adapter hardware that physically attach weapons […]View the full article

Australia’s fleet of advanced electronic surveillance jets is nearly complete, with the Royal Australian Air Force confirming the arrival of its third MC-55A Peregrine at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. Three of the four aircraft in the planned fleet have now been delivered, bringing three of the planned four aircraft to Australia, with one […]View the full article