Raw Intel

0 Reaper, ready… (click to view full) The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, once called “Predator B,” is somewhat similar to the famous Predator. Until you look at the tail. Or its size. Or its weapons. It’s called “Reaper” for a reason: while it packs the same surveillance gear, it’s much more of a hunter-killer design. Some […]View the full article

The Navy's tale of woe in trying to force the acquisition system to actually produce something besides process is almost too painful to recall, especially on the surface side of the house. We have the walking wounded of LCS, the squib DDG-1000, the gilded promise Ford CVN, and the never-was-has-been CG(X). We have hope that we can't screw up the existing Franco-Italian FREMM in the upcoming modified to American requirements Constellation Class FFG, but we shall see if our optimism is well placed. As we all wait with bated breath and gritted teeth on what may be with DDG(X), we should look around to see if there is a benchmark recently that did work. On the surface side o…

Australian-based Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has revealed the name and expanded capabilities of its next-generation high-energy laser weapon—Apollo—marking a critical step forward in directed-energy systems as global militaries race to counter the growing threat posed by drones. In a statement ahead of the DSEI defense exhibition in London, EOS confirmed that its 100-kilowatt-class High Energy […] The post EOS unveils Apollo laser weapon first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukrainian troops have carried out an unconventional special operation on the Kharkiv front — evacuating a cat from near the line of contact using a ground robotic vehicle. The unusual mission, conducted by the “Khartia” Brigade, highlights the growing use of unmanned ground systems (UGVs) in Ukraine not only for combat tasks but also for […] The post Ukrainian troops use ground robot to rescue cat from frontline first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

"What fresh he11 hath Sal brought this week?" you ask almost every Thursday. Oh my dear, sweet summer child ... there is always a fresh he11 on this septic isle of a topic. There are Collateral Duties ... and then there are Collateral Duties. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy - just imagine being "that guy." Almost as bad are having to sit and listen to "that guy." While you are reading the below pull quotes - actually you should read the whole "Solicitation: Become a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Change Agent" article - I want you to ponder the hours and money invested Coast Guard wide to do this. It isn't like the USCG cadre is big and overmanned (if one is sti…

Americas The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has teamed up with California-based SentinelOne for the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative to “further support the US government’s strategy to secure the cyber ecosystem and critical infrastructure.” As part of the partnership, the company will provide its autonomous platform to assist in data collection, analysis, and sharing of […]View the full article

Americas Raytheon won a $23.2 million deal for the procurement of five APY-10 radar system weapon repairable assemblies (WRAs), for a total quantity of 43 WRAs in support of the P-8A aircraft. The delivery order does not include an option period. All work will be performed in McKinney, Texas. Delivery orders are expected to be […]View the full article

Americas In a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) recently carried out radiometric data gathering on two C-130H aircraft. The purpose of this initiative was to compare the heat signatures of the two aircraft and utilize the collected data to update and validate their signature in GTRI modeling and simulation. […]View the full article

Americas Triman Industries won $21 million firm-fixed-price, for the procurement of five components of the multi-mission signal processor used in the AEGIS combat system. The ordering period is expected to be completed by November 2024. All work will be performed in Yonkers, New York. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the […]View the full article

Americas E-3 Sentry, #75-0560, is the first of the 31 AWACS that will be retired by Tinker Air Force Base. The base hosts veterans who worked on the plane to pay a final visit before it is flown off next week. The US Air Force has retired its last MC-130H Combat Talon II, #89-0280, after […]View the full article

Americas Palantir Technologies has won a $480-million contract to begin the prototyping phase for the US Army’s Maven Smart System project. Maven is an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tool that fuses information from various sources into a unified interface to provide faster and much-improved battlefield analysis. It can identify military points of interest more rapidly than […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $101.5 million deal for AEGIS development and test sites operation and maintenance. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey and is expected to be completed by January 2028. The Aegis Combat System is an advanced integrated naval weapons system developed by the United States. It is primarily designed for […]View the full article

Americas Kay and Associates won a $153.4 modification. which exercises an option to provide maintenance, operation, and management support services for the F/A-18 organizational level, intermediate level, and missile maintenance repair and storage facilities for the government of Kuwait. Work will be performed in undisclosed locations in Kuwait and is expected to be completed in […]View the full article

Though the Americans are now in the fight, still on every front; desperation. At every morning brief, more ships sunk. The enemy surrounds you as you starve. Your ships and aircraft sit idle for lack of fuel and parts. Through waves of attacks, a relief convoy comes ... and you wait. Do they know your desperation? Will they make it? What can be done? Well, in comes the US merchant marine professional, Captain Dudley Mason - the master of the tanker SS OHIO - and his crew and convoy. For the details, let's look at the citation for his George Cross and the award to two of his crew, Frederick August Larsen, Jr., Junior Third Officer and Francis A. Dales, Deck Cadet-Mi…

Americas Boeing won a $18.7 million order to procure the long lead components and parts in support of MH-47G rotary wing aircraft. The MH-47G aircraft provides US Special Operations Forces heavy assault, rotary wing aircraft support. This contract action supports a requirement for replacement of the aging fleet of remanufactured MH-47G aircraft that has airframe […]View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Diehl Defence to co-produce key elements of the Stinger missile in Europe. The agreement, announced by the companies, sets the stage for extending Stinger production at Diehl Defence facilities as part of the firm’s expansion plan. “Stinger is the surface-to-air missile of choice […] The post Raytheon and Diehl to build Stinger missiles in Europe first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $30.4 million modification, which exercises an option to procure eight P-8A aircraft mechanisms as ancillary equipment in support of P-8A production aircraft. Work will take place in Washington. Estimated completion will be in January 2026. The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has contracted Textron to develop a non-towed mine sweeping payload […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded Knight’s Armament Company of Titusville, Florida, a $21 million contract for the production and delivery of M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper Systems (SASS), with deliveries expected to be completed by January 30, 2027. The contract, issued under the Ukraine Security Initiative and Building Partner Capacity funds, will support ongoing U.S. efforts to […] The post U.S. Army orders M110 sniper rifles for Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States' Secretary of State, Tony Blinken - again the Secretary of State - is so out of his lane right here it is hard to tell if he even knows what his lane is as our chief diplomat. This opinion of his - which in this venue is now American policy because he said it - is so firmly in the Secretary of Defense's lane that it almost defines it. Once again, where is Secretary of Defense Austin? His ongoing silence and supine posture as the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor continue to steal his lunch money and girlfriends out in the open is not just professionally embarrassing - it endangers the nation and our allies. Give it a listen. In essence he …

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $527.7 million contract action, which will be awarded for a sole-source, hybrid (cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee) modification (P00054) under contract HQ085121C0002. This UCA expands performance of the Aegis Weapon System to implement Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities into an Aegis Guam System. An initial obligation of $11,394,512 using fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds will occur at the time of award. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, with period of performance from time of award through December 31, 2027. Insitu won a $19 million modification, which adds scope fo…