Raw Intel

NATO conducted coordinated aerial surveillance flights over the Black Sea near the coast of Crimea and Russia’s Krasnodar region on January 28, with U.S. and British reconnaissance aircraft operating in international airspace, according to open flight-tracking data and publicly available monitoring imagery. The activity involved a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a […]View the full article

Elmer Royce Williams, Captain, USN (Ret.). Every Naval officer should know his name, but few do. He was born in 1925, and he is still with us. What a story. Imagine you are just your standard-issue U.S. Navy fleet Lieutenant in your late 20s. You missed the big war, but you are ear deep in the next one, the Korean War. You know, on paper at least, you are flying a plane outclassed by your opponent. Doesn’t matter. Then one day you find yourself facing not just a better aircraft—but outnumbered by them. To make it even worse, you find out after the merge that you are not facing the JV team, but the varsity. Before it is all said and done, you finish what has been called, "…

The United States has awarded Raytheon a $197 million contract to deliver MS-110 Multispectral Reconnaissance Systems to the Polish Air Force, the company announced on January 28. According to Raytheon, an RTX business, the contract was issued by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and covers production of seven MS-110 reconnaissance pods, aircraft […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded Raytheon a $1.03 billion contract modification to continue production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), according to a contract announcement released this week. The modification covers Year Two production requirements for the LTAMDS program and brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $1,025,100,000. […]View the full article

The United States State Department has approved a possible $1.7 billion Foreign Military Sale to Spain for the mid-life upgrade of its F-100 frigates, with Congress formally notified by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, U.S. officials reported. According to the notification, Spain requested equipment and services to modernize five AEGIS-equipped frigates operated by the Spanish […]View the full article

Belarus has received a new batch of Su-30SM2 fighter jets, with the aircraft arriving at one of the country’s airbases, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus announced on January 29. According to the ministry, the newly delivered fighters are part of ongoing rearmament of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces. […]View the full article

Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec confirmed it will present a range of advanced military systems at the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia. The exhibition will include the BTR-22 armored personnel carrier, the Ballista remote-controlled combat module, the Planshet-A/Atlet artillery fire-control system, the Volk (Wolf) armored vehicle and the 300mm Sarma multiple launch rocket […]View the full article

At the end of the decade, our last two submarine tenders (AS) will be decommissioned after a half-century of service. This summer, at the last possible moment (natch), we found out what the next step would be. The US Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded General Dynamics NASSCO of San Diego a US$72.66 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to a previously awarded contract to support the US Navy’s AS(X)-class submarine tender next generation design maturation. The DOD said there will also be a US$27.26 million option for additional design maturation efforts, which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract modification to US$99.92 million…

South Korea has completed deployment of the second performance upgrade of its Army Tactical Command Information System (ATCIS), finalizing fielding of the modernized command-and-control network to frontline units, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on January 26. According to DAPA, the upgrade program has been successfully concluded and the system is now fully operational […]View the full article

Spanish Air Force EF-18M fighter jets intercepted Russian combat aircraft flying near NATO airspace over the Baltic region in late January, as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, according to Spain’s Defense Staff. The interception was carried out by F-18M aircraft from Spain’s Wing 15, currently deployed to Šiauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania […]View the full article

Japan and the United States confirmed plans to streamline Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement during a bilateral security meeting held in Tokyo on January 28, 2026, as both sides move to address long-standing delivery delays affecting Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. According to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, Director General Aoyagi held the 10th Security Cooperation […]View the full article

Ukrainian forces have detected and destroyed several Russian soldiers wearing unusual snow camouflage suits known as “Penguin” during recent fighting, according to Ukrainian military sources and battlefield footage released this week. The 120th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that its fighters eliminated at least two Russian soldiers equipped with the […]View the full article

A London-based defense research and development company has revealed two new high-speed interceptor drone prototypes, expanding its portfolio of specialized counter-air systems, according to an exclusive statement provided to Defence Blog by company founder Aytekin Guclu. The London Defence R&D company introduced the two platforms, named Baby Raptor and Raptor XL, as part of its […]View the full article

United States Marines and Department of War contractors conducted flight operations with a V-BAT unmanned aerial system aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) in the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 28, 2026, as part of ongoing integrated training with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. During the event, a V-BAT unmanned aerial system […]View the full article

The United States Navy has awarded Black Hills Ammunition Inc. a $28 million contract to produce 5.56mm reduced ricochet limited penetration MK255 MOD 1 ammunition, according to a contract announcement released this week. The award covers an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity agreement with work scheduled through January 2031. The contract was issued to the company’s facility in […]View the full article

One of the Patriot air defense systems operated by Ukraine’s Air Force has destroyed more than 140 Russian ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, citing the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The same system has intercepted nearly 250 aerial targets in total since entering combat service. According to the […]View the full article

SummaryIn this episode, Sal discusses the evolving landscape of national security, focusing on the significant changes in global dynamics over the past year. He examines the roles of major players like China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, as well as the emerging trends in South America and India’s strategic position. Sal emphasizes the importance of unde… Read more View the full article

Unconfirmed reports emerged late on Wednesday that a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet was shot down over the Black Sea near southern Ukraine, according to multiple Ukrainian sources familiar with the situation. The reports state that the aircraft belonged to the Russian Armed Forces and was lost in the maritime area south of Ukraine’s coastline. Several […]View the full article

Initial reports claimed that Ukraine’s Air Force had shot down a Russian Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft during operations over southern Ukraine, with the incident initially linked to combat activity near the Black Sea region. The aircraft was first believed to have been engaged during a combat mission in the south, where Russian tactical aviation has […]View the full article

Israel’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that the 1,000th “David” armored 4×4 vehicle has been rolled out in the United States, marking a milestone in a long-running procurement program supporting Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operations. The vehicle was produced by MDT Armor at its U.S. manufacturing facility and delivered under the Ministry of Defense’s Mission to […]View the full article