HG S2 (Intel Bot)

Spain’s EM&E Group has carried out live-fire trials of its Aunav robotic ground vehicles equipped with Guardian Aspis remote weapon stations during a Spanish Army experimentation campaign, showcasing their ability to engage targets while on the move. The testing took place from April 7 to April 17 at the Álvarez de Sotomayor training base in […]View the full article

AeroVironment, better known as AV, has introduced a new launched effects system, expanding its portfolio of loitering munitions with the debut of the MAYHEM 10, a multi-role platform built for use across air, ground, and maritime operations. The system builds on the company’s Switchblade family but moves into a broader mission set. Rather than focusing […]View the full article

Washington-based investment syndicate Pravo Ventures has invested in Ukrainian aerostat developer Aerobavovna, backing a company already supplying airborne platforms to Ukrainian forces for communications and sensing tasks. In a statement, Pravo Ventures said Aerobavovna is “building critical aerostat-based capabilities for Ukraine and its allies,” adding that it is “excited about the team’s continued growth and […]View the full article

Atlanta-based Askari Defense has introduced a new hand-launched interceptor drone built to counter small unmanned aerial systems, bringing forward a compact platform aimed at short-range air defense against low-flying threats. The system, called Rift Alpha, is designed to engage Group 1 and Group 2 drones—categories that typically include small reconnaissance and attack UAVs operating at […]View the full article

Florida-based aerospace company AIR says it has begun flight operations with its new heavy-lift cargo unmanned aircraft, marking the first public confirmation that the platform has moved into active flying status. The aircraft, which the company describes as one of the largest in its category, is built to carry payloads of up to 550 pounds […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force and Anduril Industries completed the first experimental testing of the YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft with the Air Force’s newly stood-up Experimental Operations Unit last week, conducting a series of daily flight operations at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The exercise marked the first time Air Force personnel — not Anduril […]View the full article

The U.S. Army awarded a contract to German drone distributor DRONIVO GmbH on April 2, 2026, for 15 EAGLE NXT eBee VISION small unmanned aerial systems, six ground control stations, and a pilot training package to equip the 2nd Cavalry Regiment ahead of the Saber Strike 26 exercise. The contract, valued at €870,810 — approximately […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has issued a draft solicitation for the B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) Production Modification Kits and Interim Contractor Support, opening the door to industry competition for one of the most consequential bomber modernization efforts in recent memory. Published on April 16, 2026, through the federal contracting website, the presolicitation marks […]View the full article

One of the original member of our front porch passed away a few days ago, Byron Audler. A yard bird and great supporter of our Navy. Good friend to the blog through the years. I had no idea he was so sick. I should have checked in more often. Thank you Byron. You left a great legacy. 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

It’s funny how some things stick in your head. Remember what was at the top of the list yesterday for the: “1 x special mission ship of unknown capability“ … UPDATE: the special mission ship is probably a replacement for this. It keeps popping into my head. In case you were too busy to follow the link, here she is. A leased civilian ship advertised as: …Kellie Chouest is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. OK, it has a helo pad, 4th Fleet is the maker of smuggler’s blues: sure, fine. I’d move on to other things, and then it just came back again and again to mind, “Really? That big crane. That funky stern. Huh.” So I started digging around and saw this. The SCORPIO sits on the MV Kellie Chouest after retrieving the flight data recorder from the downed Alaska Airlines Flight 261. The remotely piloted vehicle SCORPIO sits on the deck of the MV Kellie Chouest after retrieving the flight data recorder from the downed Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the coast of Ventura County, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2000. ….which, being an early-cohort GenX, immediately made me think of this. Glomar Explorer II: Electric Boogaloo? I have no idea, but this isn’t just for chasing drug runners. I mean, sure, she does standard issue 4th Fleet stuff, sticking out like a cygnet being raised in a clutch of ducklings, she shows up now and then in DVIDS doing a wide variety of things, and maybe that is what she is. Perhaps she fits that “multi-tool” niche that is always Salamander-approved. Perhaps. Well, that is enough speculation. I’m just glad that we’re going to get some honest shipyard work for a ship that we will now own—and not lea—for whatever mission it does, and in a new design that will hopefully better fill that niche. Hopefully they leave “white space” for the future to do that do that she does so well, and may she and her future replacement do it well for decades to come. 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

Teledyne FLIR Defense has secured a contract worth more than $35 million to deliver its TacFLIR 280-HDEP surveillance systems to WB Group, Poland’s largest private defense company, for integration onto reconnaissance armored vehicles. The company announced the award on Thursday, marking the third contract this year in which Teledyne FLIR Defense has been selected to […]View the full article

Ukrainian air defense personnel engaged in intercepting Russian Shahed series of long-range one-way attack drones have published footage showing multiple examples of the weapons literally disintegrating in the air before reaching their targets — a visible sign of deepening manufacturing failures at Russia’s Alabuga drone production complex. The video, published by Ukrainian Wild Hornets drone […]View the full article

French Rafale fighter jets deployed to Lithuania under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled four times in a single week, intercepting and escorting six Russian military aircraft near the airspace of the Baltic states, France’s Armed Forces General Staff said. The sorties were carried out as part of France’s current rotation at Šiauliai Air […]View the full article

EDGE Group said it is speeding up development and production of the MANSUP and MANSUP-ER anti-ship missiles under its partnership with the Brazilian Navy, pushing forward one of Brazil’s key indigenous naval weapons programs. The Emirati defense company said the work is being carried out in close cooperation with local industry partners and the end […]View the full article

Finland’s transition to the F-35 reached a key milestone this week as a Finnish Air Force pilot completed the first flight by a Finnish aviator in the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. The flight took place on April 15 from Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Finnish personnel are carrying out […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $44.4 million contract modification to continue upgrading its Stryker Double V-Hull A1 vehicles. The award, announced by the Department of War, provides $44,394,688 to the Sterling Heights, Michigan-based manufacturer under modification PZ0004 to contract W912CH-25-D-0025. The work is scheduled to continue through Feb. 20, 2030, […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy has awarded Platform Aerospace a $12.9 million contract modification for its Vanilla long-endurance unmanned aircraft system, backing continued work on a drone built to stay airborne for days at a time. The award, valued at $12,893,010, goes to Platform Systems Inc., which operates as Platform Aerospace and is based in Hollywood, Maryland. […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin has received an $850.4 million Navy contract modification to continue work on the Trident II (D5) Life Extension 2 program. The award, announced April 15, goes to Lockheed Martin Space of Titusville, Florida, under a cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to an existing contract. It covers advanced design and development work for the Strategic Systems Programs’ […]View the full article

Raytheon is moving its AMRAAM Extended Range missile into full-rate production under a new $234.8 million contract from the Department of War. The award gives Raytheon Co. of Tucson, Arizona, a not-to-exceed $234,757,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action to complete the work needed for the production transition. The contract runs through April 13, 2030, with all […]View the full article

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that allies remain committed to keeping military aid flowing to Ukraine, voicing confidence that additional support can be funded through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, before the end of the year. Speaking after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Berlin on April 15, […]View the full article

Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted the vast majority of a 703-target barrage on April 16, but missiles and drones still broke through — killing civilians in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro in the third consecutive day of large-scale Russian aerial bombardment. Ukraine’s Air Force reported Thursday morning that Russian forces conducted two waves of combined aerial attacks […]View the full article

In this episode, Sal discusses recent naval activities, U.S. Iran tensions, and the strategic importance of maritime power. The conversation emphasizes the significance of maritime and aerospace capabilities in national security and offers insights into geopolitical choke points, regional alliances, and the future of U.S. military readiness. Key topics:T… Read more View the full article

The United Kingdom’s National Armaments Director Group has awarded a £879 million (approximately $1.1 billion) three-year contract to Boeing Defence UK to maintain and support the British Army’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and the Royal Air Force’s Chinook HC heavy-lift helicopters. The contract covers maintenance, technical services, logistical support, and — critically for the Apache […]View the full article

The U.S. Army gave its most ambitious rotorcraft program a name to match its ambitions on April 15, officially designating Bell Textron’s MV-75 tiltrotor aircraft the Cheyenne II during the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual Warfighting Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The naming honors two federally recognized nations: the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and […]View the full article

On Monday, we discussed the announcement earlier this month of 34 ships and the $65.8 billion coming Navy’s way to buy them. What I’ve been trying to get a firm grasp on are what those 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships will be. I thought by now I’d find a “Ref. A” for those numbers, but no joy. So, I reached out to a real professional and friend to the blog (who will remain on the DL) for some help. Trust me on this—if anyone can figure it out, he can. Even he admits that it’s hard to find the numbers. The biggest issue is that the only budget document for ships we can get ahold of right now is the Department of War’s Procurement Programs (P-1) Brief for fiscal year 2027. If you need a headache, you can dig around in it yourself, but I think that is something best left to specialists. I trust his work without question, and here is what he sifted from it. 18 Battle Force Ships:1 x Columbia SSBN 2 x SSN 1 x DDG-51 1 x FF(X) 1 x LHA 1 x LPD 1 x T-AGOS SURTASS 2 x T-AO 2 x T-AS(X) 6 x LSMs 16 Non-Battle Force Ships:1 x special mission ship of unknown capability 1 x strategic sealift (new) 4 x ship-to-shore connectors 2 x LCAC SLEPS 1 x bulk fuel vessel 5 x fireboats 1 x sealift vessel (used) 1 x T-AH What got my attention at the front? The five fireboats and the strategic sealift. Is that the Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) program, previously called the Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS)? I really should discuss that program at some point, especially in light of my comments yesterday…but one post a day, my friends: one post a day. If you hear any more details about the above list, let us know in the comments. All that being said, let’s smile and cut steel...and extend this to a couple of destroyer tenders while we are at it. UPDATE: the special mission ship is probably a replacement for this. 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