HG S2 (Intel Bot)

As the war in Ukraine continues into its fourth year, one lesson stands out for militaries worldwide: even the simplest weapons can have a place on the modern battlefield. Among them is the shotgun — a smoothbore firearm long dismissed as outdated, yet now proving its worth against one of the most difficult threats facing […] The post Shotguns return to relevance in drone warfare first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Mack Defense has received an initial order for 86 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs) from the U.S. Army as part of a new five-year contract valued at up to $221.8 million. The order marks the first delivery under the new agreement, which was awarded on June 24, 2025, and follows the successful completion of the […] The post Mack Defense secures new U.S. Army order for 86 M917A3 trucks first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Hard moments in history are clarifying events. The more difficult, the clearer they can make things for you. As I have mentioned before, one of the big wake-up calls I received after October 7th, 2023 was how much very real Jew-hate was in modern Western society. Not just there, but excused by a large part of our cultural and political system. People and institutions revealed themselves to us. Distressing, but clarifying. Don’t look away when you see what is being said and done today. No. Look closer. Remember. Note. Act. Don’t forget. Politicians, academics, media, entertainment, and just the people down the street revealed themselves. The mask did not slip, for many it was gleefully ripped off. As for Gaza in 2025, I have no more sympathy than I have for Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. They started wars of aggression, and the victims of that aggression rose to the occasion to stand against evil. They started total war, they invited total war. Don’t start wars. Don’t support leaders who foolishly bring you into wars. If you are one that wanted war, supported war, or did nothing to stop a war—then behold the feast you brought upon yourself. Behold the wages of your enterprise. Israel was, if anything, restrained in this war—more restrained than almost any equally justified military in history. As we are now starting into the third year of the Israeli-Gaza War of 2023, I’m not going to retell a lot that I’ve already written on the topic. If you want to catch up, see the posts with Gaza and Israel tags. As we have a peace offering on the table, I want to remind everyone how we got here. Talk to anyone familiar with the political realities on the ground on October 6th, 2023, and they will tell you that the communities that surrounded Gaza were, politically, the most accommodating and left-leaning you would find in Israel. The ones who had the most sympathy for Gazans. It was those Israelis who received the nightmarish wrath that extruded out of Gaza the morning of October 7th, 2023. Just look at the killings and kidnappings numbers for a perspective. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO), which led an attack that day from the Gaza Strip into Israel. More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals (including 46 U.S. citizens in Israel) were killed on October 7, and Hamas and other groups also seized some 251 hostages. How should Americans look at those numbers (besides the very real 46 fellow Americans killed). When adjusted for population, that would be as if in one day, 40,729 Americans were killed by an invading force. 8,519 Americans kidnapped. Would we do any less? I think not. That is just the murder and kidnapping. I would refer everyone to the Dinah Project Report if they want details of the campaign of rape on October 7th. The injured are in the thousands more. Now, today, see what is right in front of you. All across the world, the rape and murder that Gazans opened their war with has been rewarded by recognition of a state that never existed. Left-wing cities and college campuses have allowed open Jew-hate to flourish. Hundreds of thousands have marched from Amsterdam to Dearborn supporting Hamas, and as such, wholesale rape, murder, torture, and kidnappings. It really is that simple. Those who excuse it are, in my mind, as morally bankrupt as those who support it. Never again? For the worst reasons, we have decided that, perhaps, just a little. Demand accountability and call it as you see it. Speaking of institutional rot, I would be remiss—because it is inside the Navy lifelines—if I did not once again remind everyone of the moral cowardice of one of our own institutions. In a venue that justified its existence largely on the lack of attention to the plight of women as victims of war, the staff that run the Women, Peace, and Security program at the Naval War College ignored—just weeks after the mass rape and slaughter of women and girls—the entire atrocity by Gaza. I am still waiting for full accountability there. To finish things up, Konstantin Kisin has some points that need to be heard. Share Leave a comment This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

British unmanned systems developer Evolve Dynamics has introduced a new tethered drone solution designed to deliver continuous, jam-resistant aerial surveillance for up to 48 hours. The new system, called Infinity Tether, is compatible with the company’s Sky Mantis 2 and Wolfe unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and is engineered to provide persistent overwatch, perimeter security, and […] The post UK drone maker introduces jam-resistant surveillance system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Türkiye has successfully carried out a live-fire test of its domestically developed GÖKSUR naval air defense system. The test, conducted in Sinop on Türkiye’s northern Black Sea coast, demonstrated the GÖKSUR system’s operational effectiveness and technological maturity. According to ASELSAN, the country’s leading defense company, the trial represented the first successful interception of a sea-skimming […] The post Türkiye conducts live-fire test of new naval air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

OK, full disclosure, I have a little bit of battered child syndrome on this topic. On my first sea duty, we saw the odd retirement ceremony, but they were for senior enlisted or a Commander/Captain leaving after 20-25-30 or so. I don’t remember the details. That is a good retirement ceremony. In my first year of shore duty, that changed. I got roped into the preparation and planning of a 2-star admiral’s retirement ceremony that to this day is over the top. At the time it was unseemly. Untold hours and money were spent on this Broadway-like ceremony. Some of it was just cringe, but it was done. Dozens of officers and enlisted personnel were expended on this individual…and he wasn’t even in our direct chain of command. Hey, I was just a NROTC guy who was lucky enough spend his first sea duty with a simply great command with great front offices that did great things. I could not imagine ANY of the COs I had the pleasure of serving under ever contemplating such a production. Humility is a force multiplier, and that was one hell of a command with superior COs from Desert Storm, to spanking the last of the Soviets around the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, to chasing drug runners in the Caribbean. That 2-star production, even three decades later, still galls me. As I learned over the next couple of decades, it was not an isolated incident. Our military should represent what it is: the military of a constitutional republic. I remain a bit of a radical when it comes to titles and anything in our republic that reeks of aristocracy or imperiousness. I will grand a judge, “Your Honor”, but all the other civil servants and politicos getting huffy if they are not called “The Honorable.” Yes, I know the protocol, but I non-concur. As such, I lean towards the low-key and respectful retirement ceremony. Anyway. All those memories came to the forefront after a friend sent along this LinkedIn (of course) post. The retirement ceremony of Admiral Chris Grady, USN, the outgoing Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Don’t get me wrong, in some ways, I have a soft spot for Admiral Grady. He’s had a great career dedicated to our Navy and nation at the highest levels. This isn’t about him, this is about the culture we have created and the expectations we put on mortal men in our republic, and it is unseemly. This knob went to 11, but I doubt he and a few of his staff saw where things might be a bit…much. BEHOLD!I think I’ve said my piece, I’ll let the picture speak for itself. From Fat Leonard to the former VCNO, I think we have plenty of evidence that the power and prestige that comes with 3 or 4 stars brings dangers to the mortal human’s perspective on themselves. Few believe we have too much humility in our ranks of General and Flag Officers. Some pomp and ceremony is fine and a good tradition, but ostentatious displays that seem a cross between a mega-church’s theater-kid praise team over doing it and China’s Victory Day parade just seem off-frequency and unhealthy. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Share Leave a comment View the full article

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled fighter aircraft on Sunday after four civilian planes violated temporary flight restrictions over Norfolk, Virginia, prompting multiple intercepts and aerial escorts. According to NORAD, the series of incursions into restricted airspace occurred throughout the day on October 5, 2025, and required immediate responses under the binational command’s […] The post Four planes intercepted after violating no-fly zone in Virginia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia’s state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has delivered another batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to a statement from Rostec, the aircraft have successfully completed all required ground and flight tests and have now been handed over to their military operator. The company said production remains on schedule and emphasized the […] The post New wave of Su-34 bombers joins Russian strike fleet first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is advancing efforts to challenge one of the world’s most widely exported combat drones, the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, with a new domestically developed system undergoing flight testing. At the AVIC test range, engineers are putting the CH-3D combat drone through a series of evaluations. The aircraft, developed by China’s state-owned aviation giant AVIC, is […] The post China targets Bayraktar TB2’s market dominance with new armed drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China’s aerospace industry is laying the groundwork for a new generation of strategic transport aircraft designed to expand the People’s Liberation Army’s global reach. A recently published technical paper describes the conceptual design and performance requirements of a future heavy-lift cargo plane featuring a blended-wing-body (BWB) configuration — a radical departure from the conventional designs […] The post China develops next-generation heavy-lift cargo plane first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine’s air defense forces are facing mounting challenges as Russia modifies its ballistic missiles to evade Western-made Patriot systems, a senior Ukrainian Air Force official said on Sunday. Yurii Ihnat, chief of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, confirmed during a national television broadcast that intercepting Russian ballistic missiles has become more difficult. The change, […] The post Ukraine: Russian ballistic missiles now harder for Patriot to hit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have received a Chinese-made FB-10A short-range surface-to-air missile system. The acquisition follows the RSF’s earlier procurement of the Chinese FK-2000 air defense system and underscores the growing sophistication of the group’s military capabilities. According to the Clash Report, the FB-10A system was originally purchased by Chad from China in […] The post Chinese FB-10A missile system falls into hands of Sudan’s RSF militants first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A newly leaked document allegedly from Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec appears to outline detailed pricing, delivery schedules, and export plans for advanced Sukhoi fighter jets destined for several foreign clients — including Iran, Algeria, and Ethiopia. The material was published online on October 3 by the hacker collective Black Mirror, which claims to have […] The post Leak doc reveals Su-57s for Algeria, Su-35s for Iran and Ethiopia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines are testing the next generation of battlefield logistics with the Tactical Resupply Unmanned Air System (TRUAS), a heavy-lift cargo drone designed to deliver critical supplies directly to small units in remote and contested environments. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group conducted field trials of the […] The post U.S. Marines push TRUAS drone to its limits in resupply tests first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

American and British armored forces came together this week in Estonia for a joint promotion ceremony that doubled as a powerful demonstration of allied cooperation. On October 1, 2025, U.S. soldiers from the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and British soldiers from AJAX Squadron showcased their main […] The post Abrams meets Challenger 2 on NATO’s eastern flank first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korea has publicly displayed a new mobile anti-tank missile system for the first time, showcasing it as part of its annual “Defence Development 2025” exhibition in Pyongyang — an event that leader Kim Jong Un described as a presentation of the country’s “results” in modernizing and expanding its military capabilities. The exhibition featured a […] The post North Korea develops new mobile tank hunter first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

North Korea has unveiled a new generation of military technologies — including weapons systems with integrated artificial intelligence and a previously unseen tracked air defense platform — during a major defense exhibition in Pyongyang. The event, titled “Defense Development 2025,” was reported by the Korean Central Telegraph Agency (KCNA) and featured a speech by North […] The post North Korea unveils new short-range air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Northrop Grumman is advancing U.S. homeland defense with its new “Golden Dome for America,” built around the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) — a mobile, ground-based sensor designed to detect, track, and respond to evolving threats with speed and precision. “Threats to our homeland are growing faster, more complex and more unpredictable,” said Roshan […] The post Northrop Grumman highlights features of ‘Golden Dome’ radar network first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army is moving quickly to modernize its heavy-lift aviation fleet, authorizing rapid procurement and fielding of the CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter beginning in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The decision will deliver the upgraded aircraft to two Combat Aviation Brigades, enhancing operational reach and readiness for large-scale combat operations. The CH-47F Block […] The post U.S. Army speeds up CH-47F Block II fielding first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has delivered its 500th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 to the U.S. Navy, marking a major milestone in one of NATO’s most enduring air defense programs. The company says it is preparing to nearly double production by mid-2026 as global demand for advanced naval air defense capabilities continues to grow. […] The post Raytheon hits 500 ESSM Block 2 missile deliveries first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Australian Army’s first two AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters were delivered to the 16th Aviation Brigade. The aircraft arrived at RAAF Base Townsville on Sunday, September 28, 2025. The delivery is part of Project Land 4503, a program under which Australia is acquiring 29 AH-64E Apaches through a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the United […] The post First AH-64E Apaches arrive in Australia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Ukraine launched a coordinated series of deep strikes overnight, damaging a Russian Buyan-M missile corvette operating in Lake Onega and targeting key elements of Moscow’s military infrastructure across several regions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on October 4. The Buyan-M — a small missile ship capable of launching Kalibr cruise […] The post Ukrainian strike hits missile corvette deep inside Russia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russian forces have begun deploying cavalry units in assault operations against Ukrainian positions, reviving tactics long thought obsolete and raising outrage over the use of animals in combat. Ukrainian troops say at least one such unit has already been engaged and destroyed by a drone strike during a recent offensive. According to footage released by […] The post Ukrainian drone strike destroys Russian cavalry unit first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Remember my 2017 article about the then “Seven Act Play” that was the effort in Afghanistan? Well, we’re going to visit part of Act-3: Act 3: Buyer’s Remorse – By late 2006, the NATO-sceptics’ critique started to break above the happy-talk. AFG was more serious than NATO and the USA were saying, and most of the alliance members were not up to the challenge, and if they were – their staying power was brittle at best. If you had to draw the line somewhere, it would have been the summer of 2007 when NATO failed to fill the rotary-wing aviation bridging force. At the last minute, a combination of US military and civilian contractors filled the gap. After that goat rope, it was clear that NATO culminated. It was clear to the Americans in NATO and at the U.S. Joint Staff. Planning began to, in unkind terms, take back the keys … as long as the surge in Iraq worked. Some of the larger minimal-caveat maneuver forces, the Dutch and the Canadians, had already signaled they had enough and were going home. We needed to not only replace them over time, but increase the national presence overall. Bit by bit, RC by RC, we took the keys back. 2007 was a pivot point in Afghanistan. A few years earlier than that in 2005, NATO decided it could take control of the country, and set about creating this Regional Command (RC) structure that only NATO could devise. People forget how broken, and broken up, things were. How tribalistic it was…not the Afghans, but NATO. You had the Turks in RC(C) in Kabul, driving around with Turkish flags on their vehicles to remind the bad guys to try to kill other NATO allies, but not them. It worked. You had RC(W) run by the Spaniards and Italians who were pretty much a static force, rarely leaving the airfield fence outside Herat. Not quite as caveat laden as the Spaniards & Italians, in RC(N) you had the Germans running the show from their very nice, orderly, and three-beer-hall-studded base at Mazar-i-Sharif. They got sporty a few times, but by accident. The Americans were in RC(E) fighting their own fight that none of the other allies with their binders full of national caveats—with a few exceptions—would do (specifically the Counter Terrorism (CT) mission). In RC(S), you had the Brits, Canadians, Dutch, Danes, Australians, Estonians and a few other formations generally in the fight like the Americans. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, but it got that way, and some of those nations, at least for a while, leaned in, especially the Brits who already had three Afghan wars under their belt and knew where the forts were. Toward the end of 2006, things seemed to be getting wobbly, but NATO said they had it under control, but they didn’t. The U.S. was in the midst of the general uprising in Iraq and had our hands full, so we were willing to let NATO do its best as they promised. Eventually, as Iraq settled down, it allowed the 2008 and 2009 uplift of forces we worked so hard on to start showing up, but that was in the future. Let’s get back to 2007 when hints that things were getting worse were becoming clear. That is where we will pick up today’s story. A great tradition in the Anglosphere military is simple, never leave a man behind. In January 2007, a group of Royal Marines threw together a crazy mission to rescue a wounded Marine trapped inside the compound. To get him back, four Marines strapped themselves to the outside of Apache helicopters and rode back into the compound. The situation arose after an attack on Jugroom Fort went sour quickly. The Brits assaulted in armored vehicles with artillery and Apache support, but the insurgents returned a heavy volume of fire when the Marines dismounted. Poor communication during the raid led to a friendly-fire incident and another miscommunication led to the Marines withdrawing without Lance Cpl. Mathew Ford. … After rallying back up, the Marines quickly realized Ford was missing and one of the two Apaches on the battlefield spotted what appeared to be a human silhouette just inside the compound with his infrared sensors. The Royal Marines quickly devised the plan to strap two Marines each to two Apaches and have them land just outside the compound. They would recover Ford, who appeared to be severely wounded, and then ride back out. Liveth For Evermore made a nice video of the mission, including original video of the extraction from a distance. Give it a watch for the rest of the story. Fullbore. h/t Paul. Leave a comment Share This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

At Defence Blog, we asked armored vehicle expert and lead analyst Serhiy Berezutskiy, an analyst at the Ukrainian Strategic Initiative Center, to share his view on China’s newest tank concept and the future of armored warfare. The Russian-Ukrainian war has convincingly shown that the classical tank paradigm, which has dominated military thought since the Second […] The post Expert: China turns tanks into combat systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article