HG S2 (Intel Bot)

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate conducted two successful rocket launches into space during the ongoing full-scale war with Russia, reaching altitudes of over 100 kilometers and 204 kilometers respectively, according to Fedir Venislavsky, Chairman of the Subcommittee on State Security, Defense and Defense Innovation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. Venislavsky […]View the full article

German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall and European aerospace and defense company Destinus have agreed to establish a joint venture focused on the production of advanced cruise missiles and ballistic rocket artillery, with the new company set to be operational in the second half of 2026. The venture, to be named Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems, will be […]View the full article

Turkish Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat air vehicle successfully detected a passenger airliner at a range of 110 kilometers during a performance validation test of the ASELSAN KARAT Infrared Search and Track system. The result was disclosed through ASELSAN’s monthly publication, a-Bülten, confirming that one of the KIZILELMA’s three primary sensor systems has cleared a significant […]View the full article

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Approximately 1,800 guests attended the event, including senior military leaders, sailors, Marines, veterans, and family members, marking the formal entry of the Arleigh Burke-class warship into active service. […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that American forces would begin enforcing a full naval blockade of all Iranian ports effective April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, acting under a presidential proclamation issued by President Donald Trump. The operation is narrowly focused on Iranian ports and coastal areas, while allowing international shipping to continue transiting the […]View the full article

The last four years’ conflicts from the Strait of Hormuz through the Red Sea to the Black Sea have presented a raft of lessons to the navies of Europe. How are they positioned to address the lessons, and what moves are already taking place? Returning to the Midrats Podcast LIVE today at 5 pm Eastern to discuss this and related topics will be Alessio Patalano. You can join the studio and the live chat at this link. If you’re reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page later Sunday for updated links to the uploaded audio. Alessio is a Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia and senior fellow at the Center for Statecraft and National Security at King’s College London, where he specializes in maritime strategic issues. 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

Ukrainian operators of the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system are intercepting ballistic missile targets using a single interceptor missile rather than the two to four missiles that standard engagement doctrine typically calls for, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Air Force reported by Militarny. The disclosure came from a unit commander whose formation operates Patriot […]View the full article

Turkish defense electronics giant ASELSAN has completed factory acceptance tests for its LGK-82 Laser Guidance Kit and commenced serial deliveries of the domestically developed precision munition conversion system, the company announced in its latest monthly bulletin. The announcement confirms that ASELSAN has reached what it describes as a serious serial production capacity for the LGK-82, […]View the full article

South Korean defense and aerospace company LIG Defense & Aerospace — known as LIG D&A — announced on April 8, 2026, the establishment of its first American subsidiary, LIG Defense U.S. Inc. The new entity, to be referred to as LIG U.S., will operate as the company’s primary hub for partnership development, technology exchange, and […]View the full article

Japan’s fiscal year 2026 defense budget, enacted on April 7, includes ¥11.1 billion ($69.7 million) earmarked for the acquisition of five “wide-area UAVs” for the Ground Self-Defense Force, according to budget documents published by the Ministry of Defense. The budget line describes the wide-area UAV as a system capable of detecting surface vessels and other targets […]View the full article

A ground-based launcher, described as a so-called “FrankenSAM” and armed with R-77 medium-range air-to-air missiles, has been spotted in the Russian city of Oryol, about 100 miles from the Ukrainian border, according to the Ukrainian publication Militarny. Photographs of the launcher show it configured with four R-77 air-to-air missiles, each mounted on aviation-style pylons attached […]View the full article

The Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing accepted four additional KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, expanding the unit’s fleet and sharpening America’s refueling capability in the Arctic region. The four additional aircraft bring the 168th Wing’s total KC-135 inventory to twelve tankers. The unit had previously operated eight Stratotankers, […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that American naval forces have begun clearing sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz, with two guided-missile destroyers conducting operations in the critical waterway on April 11 as part of a broader effort to restore safe passage through one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints. USS Frank E. Peterson […]View the full article

A fire erupted inside the grounds of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant (KnAAZ) named after Yuri Gagarin, Russia’s sole serial manufacturer of the Su-57 Felon fifth-generation fighter jet, according to footage and reports circulating on social media. The open-source intelligence community Cyberboroshno, which analyzes Russian military-industrial activity, reported that video and posts captured on social media […]View the full article

Six Infantry Squad Vehicles arrived at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, on April 9, 2026, as part of a formal fielding event for soldiers assigned to the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Mobile Brigade Combat Team — adding the Army’s newest lightweight troop transport to one of the Midwest’s most operationally active Guard formations. The 76th Mobile Brigade […]View the full article

Soldiers assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Signal Detachment conducted live-fire familiarization training with the 5.56mm L-variant Drone Round at Oak Grove Training Center in North Carolina on April 9, 2026 — putting a new class of kinetic counter-drone ammunition to the test against small unmanned aerial systems without any modifications to their standard rifles. […]View the full article

The Department of the Air Force announced on April 8 that it has chosen Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana as preferred locations to host nuclear microreactors under the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program — a milestone that could bring on-site atomic power to two of the […]View the full article

Swedish Armed Forces fighter jets intercepted a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the Kattegat on Friday, the Swedish Armed Forces announced in an official press release issued April 10, 2026. JAS 39 Gripen aircraft conducted the intercept, and Swedish forces are now monitoring the submarine’s continued route into the Baltic Sea in coordination with allied nations. […]View the full article

The U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division completed a live-fire counter-drone exercise from April 7 through 9 at Fort Hood, Texas, evaluating a range of unmanned aerial system defeat capabilities under its “Golden Shield” counter-drone concept for armored formations. Among the systems tested was the Harpe missile, a micro-missile interceptor developed by Perseus Defense, a San […]View the full article

The Office of Naval Research published a formal solicitation on April 10, 2026, calling on industry and government partners to submit technologies in support of the Flight Advancement of Structures for Hypersonics program — a funded Innovative Naval Prototype effort aimed at developing and flight-testing a surface-launched, tactically relevant hypersonic strike weapon. The announcement, posted […]View the full article

Radiance Technologies has been awarded a minimum $149,6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to upgrade infrastructure and instrumentation at the Reagan Test Range, the Department of War announced. The sole-source contract runs for five years with no option periods and carries a performance completion date of April 10, 2031. Defense Logistics Agency Aviation at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, […]View the full article

Bell Boeing Joint Program Office has been awarded a $157 million order to deliver nacelle and pylon upgrades for the U.S. Navy’s MV-22 and CMV-22 Osprey fleets, the Department of War announced April 10, 2026. The contract was placed against a previously issued basic ordering agreement and covers ten Nacelle Improvement Kits along with three […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force has begun early market research for the remanufacture of a key defensive electronic warfare component used on the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. A sources sought notice published April 10 by DLA Aviation in Oklahoma City identifies the requirement as the B-2 Receiver Countermeasure. Responses are due by April 17, making this […]View the full article

BAE Systems has won a $33.5 million U.S. Navy contract to carry out maintenance, repairs, and modernization work on the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Augusta (LCS 34), keeping the vessel on track for future fleet operations. The award, issued to BAE Systems’ Maritime Solutions unit in San Diego, covers the ship’s Fiscal 2026 Docking […]View the full article

Saab has received a $23.9 million U.S. Army contract modification to deliver 10 Giraffe 1X radars to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, strengthening air surveillance coverage across NATO’s Baltic front line. The award, issued to Saab Inc. in East Syracuse, New York, supports a U.S. Army program aimed at building defense capacity among allied partner nations. […]View the full article