HG S2 (Intel Bot)

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia is accelerating efforts to transform Iranian-designed Shahed drones into jet-powered, remotely controlled weapons aimed at devastating cities and overwhelming air defenses, according to a new report from UNITED24. The Shahed drone, first developed in Iran and transferred to Russia in 2022, has become one of the Kremlin’s most […] The post UNITED24: Russia adds remote control to Shahed drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A new Ukrainian electronic warfare system designed to counter drones such as Mavic and FPV models was unveiled in Lviv during the forum “Joint Enterprises, Joint Defense.” The system, named DF-M, was developed by Ukrainian company Piranha Tech. It introduces a modular design that allows military units to select different jamming blocks for the frequency […] The post Ukraine develops new DF-M drone jamming system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Turkey has entered a new phase in its defense modernization as serial production of the Altay main battle tank officially began at BMC’s new facility in the capital. The launch represents what Turkish officials have described as the realization of a “100-year dream” for the nation’s defense industry. According to Anadolu Ajansı, the Altay tank […] The post Turkey begins serial production of Altay tanks first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has announced the rollout of its first mass-produced Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV), a next-generation wheeled armored personnel carrier set to begin deployment this fiscal year. According to the Ministry of Defense, the vehicle is built under license from Finland’s Patria by Japan Steel Works, which is responsible for producing […] The post Japan receives first locally built AMV first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Army and Marine Corps units carried out joint beach landing drills at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on August 26. According to the Marines, the exercise involved a Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), from the 7th Transportation Brigade, which was used for onloading and offloading drills with Marines of the 3d Littoral Logistics Battalion, […] The post U.S. Army, Marines test joint beach landings in Hawaii first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Central Command and the Egyptian armed forces held Bright Star 25, a multinational exercise widely recognized as one of the largest in the world. The event began with a formal ceremony at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, Egypt, on August 28, and has since advanced into full-scale drills involving forces from across the globe. According […] The post U.S. and Egypt lead one of world’s largest military exercises first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

U.S. Marines carried out reloading drills with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, on September 3, 2025. The exercise was designed to strengthen their ability to rapidly rearm the system in expeditionary conditions. According to the Marine Corps, the NMESIS is a ground-based offensive anti-ship missile system intended for […] The post U.S. Marines practice NMESIS reloads on Okinawa first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Amid ongoing instability in Europe and the war in Ukraine, naval forces from the United States, Germany, and Norway conducted joint anti-submarine warfare drills in the Barents Sea, an area marked by increased Russian undersea activity. According to the Royal Norwegian Navy, the frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F314) joined the German Navy Sachsen-class frigate FGS […] The post NATO warships hunt Russian subs in Arctic first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Malaysia’s Army has taken delivery of a prototype K200 Infantry Fighting Vehicle upgrade, jointly developed by local firm Cendana Auto and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, for live trials during this year’s Latihan Kuasa Tembak exercise. The project follows a memorandum of agreement signed in August last year between Hanwha Aerospace and Cendana Auto to modernize […] The post Malaysia tests upgraded K200 fighting vehicle first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

South Korea is launching a sweeping initiative to ensure that every soldier in uniform learns to operate drones, with the Ministry of National Defense unveiling its “500,000 Drone Warriors” program on September 4. The effort is designed to integrate unmanned systems into all Army units, making drone flight skills a standard part of military training. […] The post South Korea to train every soldier as drone operator first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced that deployment of the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile will be accelerated, with the first ground-based units to be stationed in Kumamoto before the end of this fiscal year. The Ministry said on August 29 that both ship- and aircraft-launched variants of the improved Type 12 will now enter service […] The post Japan to field new missile systems earlier than planned first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Taiwan is moving to expand its stockpile of Stinger air defense missiles, with the Army planning a supplemental purchase of several thousand rounds valued at NT$11 billion ($340 million), according to local defense reports. The move follows an earlier $2.1 billion package for 2,621 man-portable Stingers from the United States. According to Taiwan’s Liberty Times […] The post Taiwan to buy more Stinger missiles first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

India is considering local production of Israel’s long-range Rampage missile under the government’s “Make in India” initiative. The Indian Army first acquired the missile in 2020 following the Galwan clash with China. Since then, it has become a cornerstone of India’s long-range strike capability. On May 10, 2025, during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force […] The post India eyes local production of Rampage missile first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier, Lockheed Martin, is joining with President Donald Trump’s administration and South Korean industry to strengthen access to critical materials vital for national defense. The initiative, announced by Michael Williamson, President of Lockheed Martin International, is aimed at building a more resilient supply chain for technologies essential to both U.S. and allied […] The post Lockheed Martin, South Korean Zinc sign critical materials deal first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has selected the Textron T-6 Texan II as the next primary trainer aircraft for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), with deliveries set to begin in 2029 and continue in stages through 2032. Kanematsu Corporation, which proposed the Textron-built aircraft, confirmed the decision and highlighted its broader aerospace ambitions. The company […] The post Japan to receive Textron T-6 trainers by 2029 first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Saudi Arabia has become one of the first countries in the world to acquire laser-based air defense systems, purchasing China’s SkyShield integrated counter-drone system to protect key sites and expensive air defense assets such as the Patriot from drone attacks. But operational experience in the kingdom’s harsh environment has revealed serious limitations. The SkyShield system […] The post Saudi military slams Chinese laser weapon first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded three agreements valued at approximately $15.5 million to Forterra of Clarksburg, Maryland, Overland AI of Seattle, Washington, and Scout AI of Sunnyvale, California, as part of an effort to accelerate autonomous mobility within Army formations. According to the Army, the Unmanned Systems (UxS) Autonomy agreements will integrate commercial autonomy solutions […] The post U.S. Army aims to turn squad vehicles into drones first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army has signed the largest contract in its history for the production of Patriot missiles, awarding Lockheed Martin a $9.8 billion agreement to manufacture nearly 2,000 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors through fiscal year 2026. According to an Army release, the contract covers the procurement of 1,970 missiles “and associated hardware for […] The post U.S. Army secures largest Patriot missile order first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Well, I was wrong Tuesday afternoon. I mean, we have been doing a bit of shooting at drug runners. A bit. Like many Sailors of my generation, I spent roughly a year of my life in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific chasing drug runners around. At some point around the turn of the century, we started shooting out their engines or even boarding their semi-submersibles. As such, even with the new deployment we discussed a bit last week, when word came out, I thought we were just picking up old habits. Well, that was not this. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have some new ROE. This is new, significantly new. I also don’t think this is a one-off. President Trump pretty much made that clear. I remember as a JO how frustrating it was just watching all this poison go through the Caribbean simply because we didn’t have enough LEDET to go around. Make a different argument, define things differently…you can get different results. I’m here for the arguments. I think those importing poison into the USA to kill tens of thousands is worth a warhead or two. This makes things a whole lot more interesting…and dangerous. Considering that in 2024 over 50,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, and in 2023 over 80,000, things are dangerous already. I am quite comfortable putting this in the same category as a truck carrying arms to Al-Qaeda west of the Khyber Pass, or a group of people planting an IED in Al-Anbar. This is a good mission. As with all things, we need the right intel and mistakes will be made…but this is a good mission. Good strike. Well done. One thing I cannot figure out is what weapon, fired from what platform, was used. If it were a Reaper UAV (which is what it looks like), where was it flying out of? US possessions are in the northern Caribbean. I’m pretty sure we could fly armed aircraft out of GTMO and Puerto Rico, but that’s a long haul for a UAV to reach the Southern Caribbean for anything beyond a one-off operation. Maybe we have a secret squirrel base nearby? Don’t know, don’t want to know if we do. I’m not sure that is sustainable if we want this to be an ongoing campaign. Maybe this is just a brushback pitch. If so, no major issues. If a sustained campaign, we need our planners to see what is needed. The Caribbean and Eastern Pacific are big bodies of water. Been there, got the caffeine addiction. Being able to switch on Master Arm would make it a bit sportier of a deployment than what they were for decades. As you can review in my post linked to above from last week, we have quite a bit of kit in the Southern Caribbean right now. Once again demonstrating their superb multitool utility, the task group we have down there includes a large deck amphib, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), with her air wing of helicopters and F-35B (though I cannot find out what exactly is embarked). None of them have great legs, so you would have to be in the right place at the right time. The most cost-effective way to take out one of those cheap drug boats would be the handy-dandy 5” main gun, but again, the Caribbean is big and we only have three DDG as part of the group. We can assume their helo det is fully equipped, IYKWIM. It appears that the strike was by a missile, you can do such strikes by helo. Perhaps a DDG embarked helo if not one of the Iwo Jima’s. In theory they can carry Hellfire AGM and other toys that can do the job. One would think this would be perfect for the LCS and her 57mm pea-shooter, but alas there is only one down there and it is a LCS, ahem. So we have this big maritime area that needs something to patrol for drug boats. You know, standard large area reconnaissance. We also need something that carries weapons as per ROE. Hmmmm…an aircraft that can conduct patrol and reconnaissance in the maritime domain. A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft. We could give it an acronym, MPRA or MPA if you want to be efficient because, really, “Patrol” and “Reconnaissance” are the same thing. Wait…I think we have such things that can do their own search, locate, track, and attack…for hours on end. VS is gone, but we still have VP, however… Back in the day, the old P-3C Orion could carry AGM-65 Maverick as it was well proven on many occasions that large Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles like Harpoon are overkill and not really designed for small, low RCS boats. So, they gave it the ability to fire the Maverick. It is good to have a diverse set of tools in the toolbox. Wars and their tactical requirements rarely match your carefully crafted peacetime vignettes that less than unbiased briefers use to force-mode accounting requirements. The P-3C’s replacement, the P-8A, cannot carry Maverick or other suitable weapon for small craft. The usual suspects decided to play budget games with the accounts and swivel chair tacticians and decided that it was not a capability that wold be needed. Oops. Just because your soft-handed staff weenies tell you all you need is a flat-head or Philips-head, does not mean you will never need a hex. Old lessons become new lessons. Time to fix that, again. If this is not a one-off strike and we no kidding want to go kinetic against drug smugglers at sea, we can’t do it in an effective way with armed drones. We are not always going to have land bases nearby because we can’t cover all that sea with what few overworked and under-maintained ships we have. Almost all our allies get itchy when we start making things go boom from their territory—so that leaves GTMO and Puerto Rico. Problem is, we no longer have the proper set of tools to do the job. The Cult of Efficiency under-armed the P-8A, so it is not as effective as it should be. As such, a multi-platform kludge would have to be put together if this becomes an ongoing mission…a highly inefficient kludge that <checks spreadsheet> makes the mission less efficient and more costly than it needs to be. Again. Over to you NAVAIR, again. Speaking of costs going up, for the bad guys, the cost of doing drug business just went up too. How will the drug producers try to regain access to our markets? Will they fight back? We’ve impacted the people smuggling business by closing our borders. That pissed off one set of cartels. Now we are blowing up product coming out of South America, pissing off another set of cartels. Will they take this sitting down? We’ll see. In the end, it is about time we got serious. It appears that you can just do things. 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

Poland and South Korea have entered into a new defense partnership to localize missile production, underscoring Warsaw’s efforts to strengthen self-reliance and modernize its armed forces. On September 2, during the opening day of the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Hanwha Aerospace and WB Group signed an agreement to establish a joint venture […] The post Poland, South Korea start joint missile production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China is moving away from massed formations of heavy tanks in favor of specialized combat vehicles tailored to particular theaters of war. That shift was highlighted during today’s military parade in Beijing, where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) unveiled an entire family of new armored systems, including the medium-weight Type 100 tank and several vehicles […] The post China moves away from heavy tank armadas first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Stormwatch Defense has announced the start of serial production for its jet turbine interceptor, following nearly three years of development and flight testing. The company described the system as a versatile airframe designed to integrate a wide array of weapons and payloads. In a statement, Rory Berger, director of Stormwatch Defense, said: “After nearly three […] The post Stormwatch launches jet interceptor production first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Milrem Robotics, a leading Estonian developer of robotics and autonomous systems, will provide Ukraine with the largest fleet of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) it has ever received, as part of a donation from a European government. In a statement, Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, said: “The cooperation between our governments and leading defence industry […] The post Ukraine to receive record THeMIS drone fleet first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has opened a new effort to develop a class of low-cost interceptors designed to counter massed missile attacks, with the goal of producing modular weapons priced at less than $750,000 each. On August 27, the agency issued a solicitation under its Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects (NOBLE) program, […] The post Pentagon seeks low-cost missile interceptors first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

China has introduced its new generation of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) during the Victory Day parade, highlighting advances in autonomous maritime combat and signaling their future role in contested waters. According to information presented at the event, the USVs are designed for “covert deployment and blockade, autonomous detection and identification, and networked swarm attacks, providing […] The post China displays new unmanned warships first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article