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The U.S. Army has awarded Dynetics Inc., based in Huntsville, Alabama, a new $264.6 million contract to advance its Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) weapon system, which is designed to counter a growing range of aerial threats including drones, cruise missiles, and rocket attacks on U.S. and allied infrastructure. According to a release from the […] The post US Army awards Dynetics new contract for IFPC air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Eycore, a Polish space defense startup specializing in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies, has announced an expanded strategic partnership with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) aimed at delivering sovereign Earth observation capabilities for defense and governmental customers. According to a joint statement released on July 31, the two companies have signed a new Memorandum […] The post Poland’s Eycore teams with Kongsberg on sovereign ISR satellites first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

As Lockheed Martin faces growing scrutiny over its role in U.S. next-generation air dominance efforts, a defense industry source has issued a sharp rebuke of the company’s rumored strategy to develop a twin-engine derivative of the F-35, also known as F-55. The criticism comes amid fresh financial pressure on Lockheed, whose second-quarter 2025 earnings revealed […] The post Industry insider slams Lockheed’s F-55 as “repackaged failure” first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia has begun using a new jet-powered variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone in large-scale attacks against Ukraine, including a wave of strikes targeting the capital, Kyiv. According to the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, the drone—identified as the Shahed-238 and rebranded by Russia as the “Geran-3”—was employed during combined missile and UAV attacks on the […] The post Jet-powered kamikaze drones target Kyiv in overnight assault first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

International relations are just a subset of personal relations. That is why we have summits where national leaders meet face to face, etc. At the end of the day, all the policy papers, posturing, and talking heads are secondary and supporting operations. Leaders and how they interact with each other is what makes the difference. Even in 50/50 democratic systems with party politics, the balance of a nation’s people will watch closely how their leaders, and as a byproduct their nation, are treated by friend and foe alike…but especially friends. Are they ignored by other leaders? Mocked? Dismissed? Respected? In parallel, there is another dynamic in play. Like people, nations have friends, acquaintances, and even family members, and they also form client relationships where a senior partner may expect deference and appreciation for their sponsorship of junior partners. With that, the more senior partner has obligations to the junior partner. Especially when junior partners have agency on who will be their senior partner, the senior partner must properly tend to that relationship, going above and beyond for them than they would for non-partner nations. Especially if the senior partner wants to not just maintain its junior partners, but expand them to the detriment of their peer competitor, the actions must reflect a mature understanding of proper stewardship. This is how you develop a perfect circle of acquaintances and friends in your personal and national life. Because junior partners with agency have responsibilities and self-interest for themselves and their nations, they are watching and will move their allegiances elsewhere for perceived self-interest or even out of spite at some slight or poor stewardship of the relationship with the senior partner. This dynamic is what came to mind when I read about the sudden death of Saipan’s Governor, Arnold Palacios. No one has covered the issues in the small island nations and territories in the southwest Pacific better than our friend Cleo Paskal. Her summary over at LinkedIn last week will catch everyone up. Governor Arnold Palacios, Northern Mariana Islands, USA (Saipan) just died suddenly. He fiercely defended America's western's border from all enemies, foreign and domestic. CNMI urgently needs a major federal investigation into corruption and Chinese penetration. Gov. Palacios consistently and publicly requested investigations into corruption in CNMI, including into the Chinese casino that ran BILLIONS of dollars into the U.S. economy and the hundreds of millions of ARPA funding that was disbursed during the administration of the previous Governor, Ralph Torres. How many Governors say to the federal government: 'my books are open, come look at everything'? What was the response? Recently the FBI closed a years long investigation into previous Gov. Torres (who is now likely to run again). We covered this in the John Batchelor Show interview below, with Gordon Chang. Some other dubious things going on in CNMI which is, remember, part of the United States of America: - CNMI is the only place in the US where Chinese can arrive without a visa. This has raised serious security concerns. In the past couple of years, dozens of Senators and Representatives have written to Homeland expressing concerns. - The woman who ran the BMV and a Chinese citizen were convicted in 2023 of selling at least 50 fraudulent driver licenses to foreign nationals "who lacked lawful immigration status". The going rate was $1700 for a new license. - At least hundreds of Chinese have been illegally traveling the short distance by boat from CNMI to Guam, where some have been found on U.S. military bases. - At one point, the Chinese casino in Saipan ran over $2 BILLION a month on just a few tables, with almost exclusively Chinese high rollers. Former CIA director James Woolsey was on the board and advisors included former Louisiana Governor Haley Barbour, former FBI director Louis Freeh and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell according to Bloomberg. FBI took documents - so far nothing. There is more. Read Gov. Palacios' own words on "Rising influence of the CCP in Micronesia" Her timeline on X has been the place to keep up with the state of play, and her appearance on Bannon’s show is worth an investment of your time—especially being that it is only a bit more than 7 minutes. Saipan? Why yes, we have skin in that game. Relationships, honor. and ethnical concerns with the U.S. put to the side, why would the PRC be interested in Saipan? For the same clear and strategic reasons we invested there over eight decades ago. Geography. There it is, that little red dot right in the center. Besides that obvious reason, there is the reason that I started this post with—people. The death of Palacios may very well be from unfortunate natural causes, but the U.S. government needs to flood the zone. In a part of the world where the PRC is making/buying/earning new friends and partners at the expense of historical connections to the U.S., the people of Saipan and other Pacific nations are watching how we respond. We need to treat this as if the Governor of Florida or California died suddenly under questionable circumstances. Make a public and significant effort. Don’t send the B-team. Be respectful, but be overt. If his death was from natural causes, then we have shown the governor and people of Saipan that we respect them and honor their relationship. If it was from questionable causes, then there can be few higher priorities the U.S. government should have than investigating the murder of political leaders. As a final note, the funeral is August 2nd. I hope the highest possible representation attends to represent the U.S. government. It matters. 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

Fears of a potential Russian military campaign against NATO’s eastern flank by 2027 have gained renewed attention across Europe. But Lithuanian-based security expert Darius Antanaitis — a well-known and influential voice on Baltic defense matters — believes the threat is more likely to materialize around 2030, and only under certain geopolitical conditions. In comments to […] The post Expert: Baltic war would open multiple fronts for Russia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Taiwan has announced an expansive new procurement initiative for over 50,000 additional unmanned aerial systems (UAS), marking one of the largest drone acquisitions in the country’s history. Combined with the Ministry of National Defense’s recent order for nearly 49,000 units, the total demand now exceeds 100,000 drones—effectively securing the domestic industry’s production capacity for at […] The post Taiwan to buy over 100,000 military drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A new government audit has revealed that Taiwan’s military reserve units are experiencing serious shortfalls in equipment, with overall force-wide readiness standing at just 70 percent. The report, issued by the National Audit Office on July 29 as part of the 2024 central budget review, shows that four categories of gear—combat engineer tools, communications, surveillance, […] The post Taiwan’s reserve units missing 30% of equipment first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that 50 of its domestically produced Clouded Leopard 8×8 armored vehicles developed structural cracks due to poor welding and metal fatigue. The issue, first raised during a legislative committee hearing by lawmaker Wang Ting-yu, prompted an internal investigation and corrective measures. The announcement came during a National Defense […] The post Cracks found in dozens of Taiwanese-made armored vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Soldiers from V Corps’ 2nd Cavalry Regiment and allied forces from the United Kingdom are conducting joint counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) training this week at the Bemowo Piskie Training Area near Elk, Poland. The multinational exercise, known as Project Flytrap 4.0, runs from July 27 to 31 and focuses on advancing low-cost, portable solutions […] The post U.S. and British forces train against drones in Poland first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Ohio National Guard’s 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 145th Armor Regiment, has begun training with the U.S. Army’s newest generation of main battle tank—the M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams. The unit is the first within the 34th Infantry Division to field the upgraded platform. On July 28, tank crews conducted live-fire gunnery qualification with the SEPv3 variant […] The post Ohio Guard fields new Abrams tank variant first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has showcased a new HQ-16 surrogate target vehicle, designed to support advanced pilot training against modern air defense threats. The mock system was displayed publicly for the first time during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture event at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The HQ-16, known by its NATO designation […] The post U.S. trains pilots using HQ-16 SAM replica first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force, working with Northrop Grumman, successfully completed a full-scale qualification test of the stage-two solid rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 20. The test was conducted by the 717th Test Squadron at Arnold Engineering Development Complex, a key site for high-fidelity propulsion and systems evaluation. The […] The post U.S. Air Force completes Sentinel rocket motor test first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force’s long-serving T-1A Jayhawk training aircraft completed its final operational flight on July 28, departing from Naval Air Station Pensacola and arriving at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The aircraft’s destination was the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), where it will be used for parts reclamation to support other […] The post U.S. Air Force retires T-1A Jayhawk training aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Navy, in collaboration with aerospace firm Skydweller Aero, has completed a continuous 73-hour unmanned flight using solar power alone. The test, conducted out of Stennis, Mississippi, represents a major step forward in applying solar-powered aircraft for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The demonstration was led by the Naval Air Warfare Center […] The post U.S. Navy tests long-endurance solar drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

AM General has received a $126.5 million contract modification from the U.S. Army for continued production of the M1165A1B3 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), or Humvee, according to a Department of Defense announcement. The modification increases the total contract value to just over $3.05 billion. The contract, identified as modification P00023 to contract W912CH-24-F-0229, […] The post U.S. Army buys more armored Humvees from AM General first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Owl Cyber Defense Solutions LLC, based in Columbia, Maryland, has been awarded a $150 million contract by the U.S. Air Force for advanced research and development in secure communications technologies. The award, issued under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, supports a range of projects intended to improve multi-domain information sharing across classified and […] The post U.S. Air Force awards $150M for cross-domain communications tools first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Turkish defense company Uludoğan has completed development of a new nano-class unmanned aerial system, the NanoAlp, designed to deliver close-range reconnaissance in contested environments. With an overall length of just 25 centimeters, the helicopter-type micro drone is scheduled to enter serial production in the third quarter of 2025, the company confirmed. According to Uludoğan, the […] The post Turkish firm develops micro recon drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Pakistan Army has begun taking delivery of new Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopters, according to imagery and video footage circulating on social media in recent days. The aircraft, seen bearing Pakistan Army Aviation Corps markings, signal the start of a long-anticipated transition away from the aging AH-1F Cobra fleet first introduced more than four decades […] The post Pakistan gets first Z-10ME attack helicopters from China first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force’s newest light attack and reconnaissance aircraft, the OA-1K Skyraider II, is undergoing developmental testing at Eglin Air Force Base as part of its path toward operational service within Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). According to the Air Force, the aircraft is being evaluated by the 96th Test Wing in partnership […] The post U.S. Air Force tests new Skyraider II attack aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Lockheed Martin has received a $2.06 billion contract modification to produce additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors for the U.S. government, the Department of Defense announced. The new award raises the total value of the current production contract from $8.35 billion to over $10.4 billion, with work set to continue through December 1, […] The post Lockheed secures $2B deal to rebuild THAAD stockpile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has introduced a new variant of its Multispectral Targeting System (MTS), designed to enhance visual performance and targeting capability for U.S. Navy helicopters operating in maritime environments. According to a press release from the company, the new system—designated MTS-A HD—offers improved imaging clarity, targeting precision, and operational flexibility. The system is […] The post Raytheon develops new targeting system for Navy helicopters first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

During a recent visit to St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal security team was spotted with what appears to be a newly developed FPV drone designed specifically for countering hostile unmanned aerial systems. The presence of the drone, visibly carried by a member of the presidential protection unit, has drawn attention due to its […] The post Putin’s guards seen with new anti-drone weapon first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

There has been a growing awareness over the last couple of years—and especially the last year—about the “rare earth element” challenge. It is more than a challenge, it is a problem. Why a problem? Global supply systems, etc... Those who know the industrial history of WWII will know that despite of their technological skills, the Germans could not produce the number and quality of the weapons they wanted to because they could not source sufficient critical “exotic” raw materials—not to mention just fuel. As a result, they could produce only a few and those they could produce, such as jet engines, had to use lesser materials and did not last as long. The Japanese, as an island nation with few raw materials but human capital, struggled with even the basics once the peacetime “global supply chain” became but a memory. Their problems weren’t that they didn’t know they had a problem accessing materials at the start of the war, as they had stockpiled cobalt, vanadium, titanium, tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, and other exotic metals. The Germans even had access to some usable deposits in some of the conquered lands such as France and the Balkans, the Japanese in China. However, they did not stockpile for a long war, and by 1943 allied interdiction of sea and ground lines of communication made getting materials to their increasingly bombed-out industrial areas exceptionally difficult and inefficient. In 2025, it is the USA and its allies that are Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan when it comes to critical supplies needed to fight any kind of protracted war. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the nation that is not just the industrial superpower, they have managed to corner both the supply and the supply chain of the world’s light and heavy rare earth elements—and in many critical cases the ability to process it into usable material. Regulars here know what the PRC has done in shipbuilding. While the USA and its allies focused on handling millions of uninvited, military-aged, unemployable young men from wherever after a couple of decades engaging in fruitless imperial policing actions and nation building for people uninterested and unable to be built, the PRC was focused on its strategic goal: to supplant The West as the leader of the world. They looked at history with a cold, old world eye, and set to work. One of those lines of operation was the raw material that anyone would need to seriously contest them in the military sphere once they were strong enough to stand. It isn’t just the mines and supply chains, it is how the CCP through controlling interest in many companies is prioritizing China. I had a bit of time on the road over the weekend and listened to the MWI Podcast: The US Military’s Critical Minerals Challenge, with Dr. Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. You can listen to the above link or via the Spotify link below. I thought I was doing a responsible job tracking the issue, but man was I wrong. I learned more in that 1-hr podcast than I have in my readings for the last few years. The bold-faced takeaway for me was that, for a moment, I was reassured to hear we do have a reserve based on expected requirements found from a series of wargames against the PRC, but it is only enough of a reserve to fight for one year. Excuse me? I’ve got news for everybody. The next great Pacific War that might evolve into a world war, it's gonna go for a long time. Expect at least World War II length. We are not ready. All indications show that China has been getting ready for years using the best mercantilist, capitalist, and good old fashioned communist bullying. We are a bit late to the game. Just one of the examples that kept coming up during the interview was MP Materials (MP). You know, the company that owns the only operational rare earth mine in the U.S. at Mountain Pass, California. The Defense Department will become the largest shareholder in rare earth miner MP Materials after agreeing to buy $400 million of its preferred stock, the company said Thursday. MP Materials owns the only operational rare earth mine in the U.S. at Mountain Pass, California, about 60 miles outside Las Vegas. Proceeds from the Pentagon investment will be used to expand MP’s rare earths processing capacity and magnet production, the company said. … Rare earths are used in magnets that are key components in a range of military weapons systems including the F-35 warplane, drones and submarines, according to the Defense Department. The U.S. was almost entirely dependent on foreign countries for rare earths in 2023, with China representing about 70% of imports, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. … U.S. miners are facing a unique threat from “Chinese mercantilism,” Litinsky said. The Pentagon investment in MP could serve as a model for similar deals with other U.S. companies, the CEO said. “It’s a new way forward to accelerate free markets, to get the supply chain on shore that we want and make sure that mercantilism is not going to hurt our ability to do so,” Litinsky said. Remember, MP Minerals owned the only U.S. rare earth mine. However, who was benefiting? As of December 2021, Shenghe Resources, a Chinese company partly owned by China's Ministry of Natural Resources, held approximately 7.7% of MP Materials' stock. MP Mining could produce all the rare earths it wanted, but in the U.S. at least, there wasn’t much they could do with it. They primarily sent their rare earth ore concentrate to the PRC for refining. The refining was done by, you guessed it. Shenghe Resources, owned by the PRC’s Ministry of Natural Resources, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Bravo Zulu to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The Pentagon is buying a newly created class of preferred shares convertible into MP Materials’ common stock, in addition to a warrant convertible at $30.03 a share for 10 years that allows the U.S. to buy additional common stock. Exercising the convertible preferred shares and the warrant would leave the Pentagon holding about a 15% stake in MP Materials as of July 9, nearly twice the 8.61% held by Litinsky and the 8.27% held by BlackRock Fund Advisors, according to FactSet data. MP Materials will build its second magnet manufacturing facility in the U.S. to serve defense and commercial customers with support from the Pentagon. The facility, whose location wasn’t disclosed, is expected to start commissioning in 2028 and will bring MP Materials rare earth magnet manufacturing capacity to 10,000 metric tons annually. This manufacturing capacity is enough to “meaningfully support U.S. defense and commercial needs,” Litinsky told investors on a call Thursday morning. The Pentagon has agreed to buy 100% of the magnets made at the new facility, called 10X, for 10 years after the plant is built to support defense needs and the commercial market. JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are providing $1 billion to help finance the manufacturing facility. The Pentagon is also guaranteeing a minimum price of $110 per kilogram for 10 years for neodymium-praseodymium oxide, or NdPr, that is stockpiled or sold by MP Materials. NdPr is a rare earth compound used to make permanent magnets. If the market price is below $110 per kilogram, the U.S. will pay MP Materials the difference in a quarterly cash payment, Litinsky said. The Pentagon, in turn, will receive 30% of the upside above $110 per kilogram once MP Materials’ second magnet facility is operational, the CEO said. You can’t fight and win a war when you have to rely on your enemy for the raw material to build weapons. More. Faster. 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

LIG Nex1 has been selected to lead South Korea’s next-generation Cheongung-3 surface-to-air missile development project, edging out rival Hanwha in a competitive bid for what is being described as a cornerstone of the country’s future air defense strategy. According to information confirmed by the defense industry on July 28, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) […] The post LIG Nex1 to build South Korean next-gen air defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article