HG S2 (Intel Bot)

French defense firm Arquus has begun delivering its new-generation light tactical vehicle, the PEGASE, to units including the 11th Parachute Brigade. In a statement posted September 8, Arquus said the vehicle represents a “major capability leap” for French forces. The company emphasized that the PEGASE was designed to meet the demands of elite units operating […] The post French elite forces receive first PEGASE vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

British defense engineering firm Supacat has secured its first export contract with the Czech Ministry of Defense for 18 HMT Mk3 Extenda high-mobility vehicles, a system known in the UK as the Jackal 3 Extenda. The platforms will be delivered to the Czech Army’s 601st Special Forces Group, a premier rapid response and special reconnaissance […] The post Czech military buys Jackal 3 vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon, a business under RTX, a $205 million contract for continued production and support of the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), a key point-defense system deployed across the Navy’s surface fleet. The contract, announced September 8, includes upgrades, overhauls, conversions, and the delivery of related equipment as part of a […] The post U.S. Navy awards Raytheon $205M contract for Phalanx systems first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

In the wake of Ukraine’s successful strikes on the Russian Black Sea Fleet using low-cost, agile unmanned surface vessels (USVs), the global defense community has shifted focus to a domain once considered niche. Yet, long before Kyiv’s sea drones earned battlefield credibility, a little-known American platform had already proven its potential — and was quietly […] The post U.S. Navy had a war-ready naval drone in the ’90s — and scrapped it first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has announced a major expansion of its armored vehicle production and support infrastructure in Germany, aiming to manufacture up to 500 Piranha wheeled armored vehicles and 500 Eagle V protected vehicles per year for the German Armed Forces. The announcement was made by Thomas Kauffmann, Vice President of GDELS […] The post GDELS scales up armored vehicle production in Germany first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president Dmitry Medvedev accused Finland of preparing a forward staging area for an attack on Russia, citing Helsinki’s NATO membership and growing defense cooperation with the alliance. Medvedev claimed that Finland had “taken a course toward preparing for war” under the guise of defensive measures. “It is […] The post Russia accuses Finland of preparing for War first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is preparing to equip its navy’s submarines with a new scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile, known as the YJ-19. Mockups of the YJ-19 hypersonic missile, publicly displayed for the first time during the parade in Beijing attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, point to […] The post China to arm submarines with new hypersonic missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

ICEYE and the Finnish Defence Forces have finalized a €158 million ($185 million) contract for the acquisition of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. The agreement, signed on September 8 in Tampere by Brigadier General Engineering Juha-Matti Ylitalo of the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command and Seppo Aaltonen, Vice President Nordics & NATO at ICEYE, follows […] The post Finland signs $185M deal with ICEYE for SAR satellites first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The United States will provide Ukraine with 65 Mobile Strike Force Vehicles (MSFV) under a new round of military assistance funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), according to a report from Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi. The vehicles will be manufactured by Textron Systems Corporation, which will also supply spare parts to support ongoing […] The post U.S. to send 65 MSFV armored vehicles to Ukraine first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

BMT has introduced a new conceptual warship design, ELLIDA STRIKE, aimed at shaping the future of the UK Royal Navy’s amphibious strike capabilities. Announced on September 8, the concept showcases what a next-generation multi-role platform could offer in support of forward-deployed commando forces and evolving maritime operations. According to BMT, the ELLIDA STRIKE is not […] The post BMT reveals vision for multi-role strike ship first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

BIRD Aerosystems has secured a new contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to develop and deliver an upgraded Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS) for integration onto the Israeli Air Force’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, the company announced on September 8. The contract, issued through the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), includes development, […] The post Israel to equip Apache helicopters with new missile defense system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The development of Türkiye’s first fifth-generation fighter aircraft has reached a new phase – the second KAAN prototype has entered the system integration stage. According to Ulusavunma, the two new prototypes—currently undergoing advanced assembly—are being built with improved internal systems, drawing from flight data collected during the two successful test flights of the initial P0 […] The post Turkey makes progress toward KAAN jet production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

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

The U.S. Army has initiated the deployment of counter-drone technologies on its armored platforms in response to the evolving threat posed by low-cost, first-person-view (FPV) unmanned aerial systems. The move reflects a growing recognition within the Army’s leadership that these small, improvised strike drones represent a credible challenge on the modern battlefield. According to the […] The post U.S. armored vehicles get anti-drone protection first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia plans to manufacture hundreds of new tanks, aircraft, and missile systems by the end of 2025 despite having reportedly depleted a large portion of its Soviet-era weapons stockpiles, according to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official. In an interview with Ukrinform, Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), outlined Moscow’s current weapons production […] The post Russia ramps up production of new weapons first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Waves of different groups seeking new homes from east and west have arrived and disappeared on Greenland’s hostile shores for thousands of years. In the modern era of nation states, it is Greenland’s unique location and potential resources that are drawing attention once again as her strategic position once again brings her to the front. Today’s Midrats Podcast is going to start there with our guest, Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan. We will start live an hour later at 6 pm Eastern. You can listen at this link. If you’re reading this after the show or on the email distro, visit the Substack page later Sunday night when I will update with all the podcast links. We will kick off with her latest book as a touchstone to our conversation, So You Want to Own Greenland?: Lessons from the Vikings to Trump. Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan is a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a polar geopolitics expert. She is a visiting fellow in US-Australia alliance studies at the Center for the National Interest in Washington DC. Most recently she was Head of Research for the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre (Department of Defence) and a First Sea Lord Five Eyes fellow with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Dr. Buchanan is co-director and co-founder of polar warfare studies at the Modern War Institute of the West Point Military Academy. Before joining Defence, Dr Buchanan was lecturer of strategic studies for the Defence and Strategic Studies course at the Australian War College. Elizabeth holds a PhD in Russian Arctic strategy and completed her post-doctoral studies as a maritime fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome. She has published widely on geopolitics, most recently with Australian Foreign Affairs, International Affairs, The National Interest, War on the Rocks, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The Australian, and The American Conservative. Dr. Buchanan has been a visiting scholar with the Brookings Institution and was an analyst with Royal Dutch Shell. Elizabeth has two prior books: Russian Energy Strategy in Asia and Red Arctic: Russian Arctic Strategy under Putin. In addition to, So you want to own Greenland, she also has an upcoming book, Competitive Cooperation at the Ends of the Earth. 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

Israel-based Aero-Sentinel has developed the G2 Premium unmanned aerial vehicle, a reconnaissance drone designed for extended endurance, near-silent operation, and advanced algorithmic tracking for defense and security missions. According to Aero-Sentinel, the G2 Premium is engineered to meet the demands of covert surveillance in contested environments. The system combines 80 minutes of flight endurance with […] The post Aero-Sentinel’s G2 Premium drone redefines covert reconnaissance first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

GE Aerospace and BETA Technologies have announced a strategic partnership and $300 million equity investment aimed at accelerating the development of hybrid electric propulsion systems for next-generation aviation platforms. The collaboration, pending regulatory approval, is focused on producing a hybrid electric turbogenerator that could support long-range vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft and other Advanced […] The post GE and BETA to build next-gen hybrid electric aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has taken delivery of its first mobile laser weapon systems designed to counter unmanned aerial threats, according to a release issued September 3 by AeroVironment, Inc. The company confirmed the handoff of two prototype Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) under the Army’s Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) program, a directed energy initiative managed […] The post U.S. Army gets first laser-armed squad vehicles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Amid growing competition in the U.S. defense industry, Anduril Industries announced Friday that it has been chosen by the U.S. Navy to develop designs for the service’s future carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). “The US Navy has selected Anduril to develop designs for carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA),” the company said. “We are focused on […] The post Anduril joins U.S. Navy’s carrier drone fighter race first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force is seeking new technological solutions to coordinate swarms of small unmanned aircraft in contested environments where traditional satellite navigation is compromised. A new request for information (RFI) released by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) outlines plans to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems for drone swarms operating in […] The post U.S. Air Force eyes atomic clock tech for drone swarms first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

In a first-of-its-kind operation, the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps successfully sling loaded an F-35B Lightning II airframe using a CH-53K heavy lift helicopter. The mission, carried out on August 27, involved transporting the non-flyable F-35B—known as BF-1—over 500 miles from Naval Air Station Patuxent River to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. […] The post U.S. Air Force, Marines team up for F-35B recovery test first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Friday accused the United States of seeking a violent regime change in Venezuela and across Latin America, warning President Donald Trump to reject what he described as a misguided and destabilizing strategy. In a televised address during an operational ceremony of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Militia, Maduro said, “The United States […] The post Venezuela warns U.S. against military pressure first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Brazil’s defense minister said Friday the country is increasingly concerned that its northern border could become entangled in the growing confrontation between the United States and Venezuela, following recent U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean and mounting rhetoric from Washington. Defense Minister José Múcio told reporters after a high-level military luncheon with President Luiz Inácio […] The post Brazil braces as U.S.-Venezuela tensions rise first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Falkland Island War. 1982. HMS COVENTRY (D118) from peacetime to sinking. First things first; don't let the fact this was 43 years ago fool you. Even though it is as far away from today as the events below were to the start of WWII in Europe, from a technology standpoint, the fundamentals are the same and the challenge is greater. There are two big takeaways from this story that still require our attention today. From the outstanding Sea of Fire that you will find at the bottom of the post, this story should be seen by anyone who goes to sea. I want you to focus on two things though. Two things, IMAO, that get fairy-dusted, happy-talked, best-cased, and downright ignored when it comes to war at sea. First big takeaway is the well known and proven need for redundancy and defense in depth in AAW. Things in this area have improved since 1982, at least for the US Navy. We’ve see great success in the Red Sea in the last few years. The hard lessons of the Royal Navy in the Falklands had a lot to do with that. However, the accountants and those who craft budget-focused vignettes are still playing a dangerous game. Missiles and multi-purpose main guns can not do it alone. CIWS, Goalkeeper, SeaRAM etc are great - but good googly moogly it doesn't take long to go Winchester, and you are always one CASREP away from having your pants down without redundancy, as HMS BROADSWORD experienced. Do not downplay "off-line" crew-served weapons. If you have an eyeball and a finger, they work. More talk in a small boat scenario post-9/11 has plus'd-up topside with mounts from 30mm to 7.62 - but are they enough? Bet that they’re not. When you are close in and the enemy is numerous, motivated, and many -- you will do what you have to do to make up for the bean counter shortfalls. You will line the decks with every weapon on the ship in the drive to keep your ship afloat. You’ll see that during this engagement. When it comes to guns once war starts: see what you have and double it—then add more—that is what you need. Second big takeaway from this engagement is damage control. Read the board of inquiry report. I offer you Captain David Hart-Dyke and the crew of the HMS COVENTRY. Get a cup of coffee and watch it all. I'll let them take it from here. 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