Raw Intel

The United States is building a new training facility for the nuclear missile that will replace the country’s aging intercontinental ballistic missile force, awarding a $114 million construction contract for a dedicated school at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California where airmen will train for Sentinel maintenance and operations. Korte Construction Co., based in St. […]View the full article

As the NATO Summit is ongoing, I think it is time for me and my American readers to have an adult conversation with each other, like adults. Calm, short, and to the point. If you have honored me with your visits for very long, you will know that for over two decades I have been pointing out the disgraceful level of free-riding our allies in NATO made a habit of. I saw it in person in its worst ways as a NATO staff officer in Europe and Afghanistan, as I wrote about it at the time. Since I returned home, I have returned to the subject on a regular basis. It would be an understatement to say that I have been exceptionally pleased to hear the argument brought to a wider aud…

A company that has spent nearly two decades building bulletproof pickup cars for warlords, mining companies, and armies across 60 countries has revealed its new robot, and it wants that robot doing everything from scouting minefields to hauling ammunition without a soldier ever climbing inside. United Arab Emirates-based TAG Dynamics, an armored vehicle manufacturer established […]View the full article

President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States has “virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition” and is manufacturing munitions “at levels never seen before,” pushing back against months of reporting that the war with Iran has strained U.S. weapons stockpiles. Trump made the claims in a Truth Social post published at 7:56 […]View the full article

Denmark’s armed forces have taken delivery of nine unmanned ground vehicles built by Dropla, a Danish company founded by Ukrainians, to train drone operators, including conscripts, at the country’s military drone center. Denmark’s defense procurement agency, known by its Danish initials FMI, bought the Dropla 4×4 vehicles for the Danish Defence Drone Center, the agency […]View the full article

Israel’s Elbit Systems has won a contract worth about $235 million to supply PULS rocket artillery launchers and EXTRA-MR precision-guided rockets to an unnamed European country, along with additional rocket artillery platforms and integrated logistics support, the company said. Elbit did not identify the customer or say how many launchers and rockets the deal covers, […]View the full article

Problems with accessing this content on facebook - mostly due to OPFOR action, has been longstanding and hard to fix. On NMCI and some other platforms, there are issues with the entire blogspot domain ... again, longstanding. As such, while I am not changing platforms as of yet, from here on out I am going to be crossposting to the CDR Salamander page on Substack. I've decided to let Bryan's post be the test run as FB now won't let anyone link to my stuff, and NMCI trolls have done there work there as well. Some of you may like that format, and through the years many of you have asked if I had a "tip jar." I have not moved to pay subscriptions, but may add that in the n…

What the Spanish Civil War was to WWII armor and air tactics, the extended conflict in Ukraine and to a lesser extent Syria is to electronic warfare. There isn't so much "new" that is being developed, but hard lessons forgotten since the fall of the Soviet Union. The closer you get to Ukraine, the more clear it becomes. Poland gets it.Polish firm WB Group harnesses low-power radios and quasi-satellites in a scalable and adaptive communication system.A Polish company has developed a tactical communication system called Cicha Sieć (Silent Network) with a low electromagnetic signature that leverages lessons learned from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. WB Group launched Sile…

If you didn't already read Bryan's more cerebral challenge and reply review of The Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States yesterday, please read it now. I've decided to take a slightly different take on the reading. Though there are some good points made and to reference in follow-on documents, my primary thought is one of frustration. Yes, this is not a military strategy document, but - as is correct - an all of government strategy where rightfully the military is in a supporting role. I went in hoping and expecting such an approach ... but I should be careful what I asked for. Too many good idea fairies had a role in promoting their petty agenda vice the nation's la…

C-5 Galaxy (click to view full) When it was introduced, back in 1970, the C-5 Galaxy was the largest plane in the world. It also has the highest operating cost of any US Air Force weapon system, owing to extremely high maintenance demands as well as poor fuel economy. Worse, availability rates routinely hover near 50%. To add insult to injury, the Russians not only built a bigger plane (the AN-124), they sold it off at the end of the Cold War to semi-private operators, turning it into a commercial success whose customer list now includes… NATO. Meanwhile, the USA still needs long-range, heavy load airlift. The AN-124’s commercial success may get its production line res…

If there was any concern that Russia might turn Germany as winter sets in cold and expensive, you can put that concern to the side;European leaders said Tuesday they believed dual explosions that damaged pipelines built to carry Russian natural gas to Europe were deliberate, and some officials blamed the Kremlin, suggesting the blasts were intended as a threat to the continent. The damage did not have an immediate impact on Europe’s energy supplies. Russia cut off flows earlier this month, and European countries had scrambled to build up stockpiles and secure alternative energy sources before that.With both Nordstream 1 and 2 now offline due to - well - "things," Russian …

Americas General Dynamics Mission Systems has been awarded a $5.5-million contract to sustain the US Army’s Prophet Enhanced sensor systems. The agreement, which could grow to $481.6 million, was awarded by the Army Contracting Command on behalf of the Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC). The company will provide spare parts and obsolescence risk management for […]View the full article

Americas Timken Gears & Services won a $119.2 million modification to exercise the options for three Main Reduction Gear shipsets to support DDG-51 class. Work is scheduled to be completed by November 2027. The DDG-51 class is a class of guided missile destroyers in the United States Navy. It is also known as the Arleigh […]View the full article

Americas Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus has encountered some turbulence. Plagued by technical glitches and safety concerns, the aerial refueller has faced a $7 billion headwind. Boeing is taking the Pegasus back to the hangar for a thorough overhaul. Six critical issues stand between the Pegasus and its full potential. Michael Marrow from Breaking Defense toured Boeing’s […]View the full article

Americas Armtec Countermeasures Co. won an $11.7 million deal for RR-196 countermeasure chaff for the F-22. This contract provides for the impulse cartridge program and is used by F-22 aircraft for combat and training purposes. Work will be performed in Lillington, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2027. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $500 million deal for program management support related to Medium Altitude Long Endurance Tactical MQ-9 and MQ-1C Special Operations Forces-peculiar modifications in support of US Special Operations …

A U.S. defense contractor has revealed a high-fidelity replica of China’s HQ-22 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, part of an expanding program to create realistic threat targets for American military training. Torch Technologies’ Integration and Prototyping Center (TIPC) is producing the decoy systems, which are designed to replicate the equipment, capabilities, and operations of foreign air […] The post U.S. firm creates replica of Chinese HQ-22 air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Here’s Subic Bay back in its US Navy heyday. Here she is today. That isn’t the real change. Look at what is happening on the western side of the bay. 19 years ago in 2006, just some undeveloped bayside. Today? Why is it important? Subic Bay, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Manila, sits within striking distance of China. It is roughly 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from Shenzhen and Taipei, 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) from Shanghai, and 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) from Beijing, putting it well within the range of China’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles. …and the world is a very different place than it was in the Duterte era. Big things are happening…

Germany’s Bundestag Budget Committee has approved a multi-project defense package to equip the Bundeswehr’s Special Forces with new air-transportable light combat vehicles, mid-range operational boats, and high-frequency radios. The acquisitions aim to strengthen the mobility, communication, and maritime capability of Germany’s elite units, according to hartpunkt. Both the Budget Committee and the Defense Committee endorsed […] The post Germany approves new FTS/IAI ZD vehicles for Special Forces first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

British Army forces have conducted extended field testing of the Altra ISR and HX-2 reconnaissance-strike drone systems in Kenya, operating the platforms repeatedly in realistic tactical scenarios without direct support from the developer. The activity took place over an 18-day period as part of Exercise HARAKA STORM and was supported by the 4th Infantry Brigade […]View the full article

The Australian Army has successfully conducted its first live-fire exercise of the AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzer, a next-generation artillery system based on South Korea’s K9 Thunder platform but customized for Australian battlefield needs. According to a release from the Australian Department of Defense on December 3, “This was the first time the new AS9 […]View the full article