HG S2 (Intel Bot)

The United States Air Force has issued a request for information seeking vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) small unmanned aircraft systems capable of operating from austere locations to support operations conducted by Task Force 99, according to a notice released March 5. The effort reflects a requirement to expand operational flexibility for intelligence, surveillance, and […]View the full article

The United States Navy is seeking industry input on software upgrades for the Large Aircraft Infra-Red Counter Measures (LAIRCM) system used on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, according to a presolicitation notice released by the Naval Air Systems Command. The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), through its Program Executive Office for Maritime Patrol and […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded GM Defense LLC an $18 million contract for the delivery of 121 Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV), along with anti-lock brake system and electronic stability control kits and vehicle storage covers, according to an official contract announcement. GM Defense, based in Detroit, Michigan, received the firm-fixed-price contract with a value […]View the full article

The United States Army has awarded Raytheon a $184 million contract to provide hardware, installation, and support services for the Patriot air defense system operated by the United Arab Emirates, according to an official contract announcement. The contract comes as the United Arab Emirates faces repeated missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran, underscoring the […]View the full article

As always, we need to head to the chartroom. Take a look at the chart above that I yanked from NYT. What it represents are the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) out of the Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf. Each of those dots is a tanker delivering the hydrocarbons that enable modern civilization to exist and keep three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the stable. The one center-screen? That is the SLOC our warships and their logistics chain use to move from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean and on to our fleet. See the city of Colombo? That is the main commercial hub on the island nation of Sri Lanka. The very center of the SLOC that flows south of Sri Lanka lies about 40 nautical miles south of the island. Until you understand the above, you really should not be even starting a conversation about the sinking of the Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, by a US Navy SSN. Where was she sunk? Authorities told Al Jazeera the frigate IRIS Dena, located about 40 nautical miles (75km) off Galle in southern Sri Lanka, sent out a distress call between 6am and 7am (00:30 to 01:30 GMT). The ship had about 180 crew members on board, and a search and rescue operation was continuing, Sri Lankan officials said. The Iranian frigate was returning from having taken part in the 2026 International Fleet Review last month in eastern India’s coastal city of Vishakapatnam. The United States and Israel are presently in a naval and air conflict with Iran. Over the last 96 hours, we have sunk almost all the Iranian Navy. In spite of this, an Iranian frigate armed with anti-ship cruise missiles left a neutral port and headed west toward the American fleet conducting combat operations. She was sailing athwart the major Indian Ocean SLOC our fleet was using. A wise Commanding Officer, faced with such overwhelming overmatch, would have done what COs have done for thousands of years in such situations: he would not have put to sea. He knew thousands of years of war at sea. He knew what was going on, but he persisted. No naval leader in the last three thousand years would have looked at this scenario and said, “No, leave that warship alone.” This was probably one of the most justifiable sinkings of a warship in recent history. You would be hard pressed to find a reason not to sink this ship. You are under no requirement to wait for it to come within ASCM range of one of your ships. Indeed, I would consider it professional malpractice not to engage a warship from a nation you are at war with if it is closing your fleet. The right tool was chosen for this task as well. There are few units better at rampaging through SLOCs than an SSN. I like how our friend Brent Sadler put it, “The strongest use of submarines is unleashing the captains of those boats with a set of orders: Go in this area and kill anything that meets the following conditions, and act as you see fit,” Sadler said. “Independence, stealth and aggressiveness, that’s the best use of submarines, and I think you’re seeing some of that here.” ‘Nuff said. 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

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the launch of strategic cruise missiles from the newly built Choe Hyon destroyer during inspections of the warship earlier this week, according to state media reports published Thursday. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Jong-un visited the Choe Hyon destroyer on Tuesday and Wednesday to inspect […]View the full article

United States Marines with the 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division are operating Rheinmetall Mission Master Silent Partner autonomous ground vehicles during field operations at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, as part of a combined Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation. According to a statement from the Marine Corps, the Mission Master Silent Partner vehicles were […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command confirmed that the United States used the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) in combat for the first time during Operation Epic Fury, marking the operational debut of the long-range surface-to-surface missile developed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). In a statement, U.S. Central Command said: “In a historic first, long-range Precision […]View the full article

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on March 5, 2026, that unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iranian territory struck Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The ministry said the attack originated from Iran and involved drones crossing the border into Azerbaijani territory. The incident has raised immediate security concerns along […]View the full article

Two Iranian drones crossed into Azerbaijani airspace and struck Nakhchivan International Airport, injuring two people and causing damage to civilian infrastructure, according to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry. The incident occurred near the Iranian border in the Nakhchivan exclave, roughly 10 kilometers from Iranian territory. According to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, two drones entered the country’s airspace and […]View the full article

The United States Navy torpedoed and sank the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dana in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka late Tuesday night, according to statements from U.S. officials and Sri Lankan authorities. The strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine and resulted in at least 80 fatalities aboard the Iranian […]View the full article

Everyone should be familiar with what a “stress test” is, like your doctor gives you if he thinks you have a problem with your ticker. That or if you served, a “smoke check” with either a piece of equipment or a person. If you really want to find out where there is a weakness in a system is so you can make changes, reinforce, or simply know where the limits are—you need to stress the system to its design limit. The problems will reveal themselves. Even weak and suboptimal systems can get along just fine as long as they are not under stress. Do that too long, and you never really know if the system will function fully as designed when you need it at full performance. Heck, it can get existential if your assumptions are wrong. Along those lines, a good secondary effect of Operation Epic Fury has been to point out where our allies stand. Much of our planning around the globe is centered on the assumed access to various bases hosted in allied nations, and an understanding that we will stand up for them when they need us, and they will stand for us when we need them—or at least not get in our way. Oops. At the end of the day, we really only have use of those bases if the host nation is gracious to allow us. Spain and the United Kingdom, really, have done us a favor here. They’ve reminded us of the fragility of many of our planning assumptions when it comes to overseas bases. You are only an election away. Let’s start with Spain. The Spanish government on Monday said that it had denied the use of its military bases to U.S. forces involved in the attack on Iran, including key refueling aircraft that departed Spain for other countries on Sunday. At least 11 U.S. KC-135T and KC-135R tanker aircraft left the southern Spanish bases of Rota and Morón late Sunday evening, after the left-wing Spanish government objected to an operation it considered outside of international law. “Spanish military bases will not be used for anything that falls outside the agreement with the United States and the United Nations Charter,” José Manuel Albares, Spain’s foreign minister, said Sunday in an interview on Spanish television. He called the U.S.-Israeli operations “unilateral.” The new policy is the latest criticism of the United States from Spain, which has stood out in Europe for its consistent opposition to the Trump administration, including American immigration policies, support for Israel’s war in Gaza and the military operation to abduct and arrest President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. Given that the party of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, is the same one that joined the Popular Front with the communists in the 1930s—no shock here. The Labour Party in the UK (seeing a trend here) isn’t covering itself with glory. It started where you would expect and has wobbled over the weekend and will probably wobble again. Weak. Sir Keir Starmer has told MPs that the government “does not believe in regime change from the skies”, putting him at odds with President Trump over the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. In his first statement to Parliament since the strikes, Sir Keir defended his decision not to permit the use of UK bases for the initial wave of attacks. “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” he told MPs. However, the situation changed on Sunday when Iran’s “outrageous” response became “a threat to our people, our interests and our allies”, the PM said. Canada started strong—but then it appears that their Prime Minister got different marching orders from his backers. When Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada met with reporters for the first time since the start of airstrikes against Iran, he swiftly qualified the statement of support he gave in the immediate aftermath and called for a de-escalation of the conflict. He said that Canada’s support for the military action comes “with regret, because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order.” Speaking on Wednesday in Sydney, where he is on an official visit, Mr. Carney said Iran had persisted in its nuclear ambitions in defiance of years of diplomatic efforts. But he also criticized the United States and Israel, which “have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada.” He also made the conflict another case for his call to “middle powers” to strike new alliances. Carney, another man of the left, is quickly turning into one of the worst bad-faith actors on the First World stage. Oh, Canada, indeed. On the other side of the coin, I must admit I am impressed by the German Chancellor. German politicians scrambled to interpret the situation in the Middle East this weekend. Conservative voices in government urged caution in assessing the strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran. Although the German government had long anticipated that US President Donald Trump might act against Tehran’s regime, German politicians were initially as stunned by the events as observers worldwide. On Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center‑right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) delivered a brief statement to the press. His spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, said Merz had been informed in advance about the military actions and had also spoken by telephone on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Over the weekend, Merz met with his cabinet’s security ministers before declaring: “The mullah regime is a terror regime, responsible for decades of oppression of the Iranian people.” He warned that Iran threatens Israel’s very existence and bears responsibility for the terror carried out by groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. “Together with the United States and Israel, we share the goal of ending the terror of these regimes,” he said. Note that part in the middle, “…Merz had been informed in advance about the military actions…” What does Carney say again, “…United States and Israel…have acted without … consulting with allies…” Huh. Place your bets. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is also solid. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday praised ​U.S. and Israeli military action ‌against Iran, saying it was degrading Tehran’s ability to get its ​hands on nuclear and ​ballistic missile capability, but he said ⁠NATO itself would not ​be involved. “It’s really important what the ​U.S. is doing here, together with Israel, because it is taking out, ​degrading the capacity of Iran ​to get its hands on nuclear capability, ‌the ⁠ballistic missile capability,” he told Germany’s ARD television in Brussels. I hope everyone is keeping score here. I can guarantee you the Trump Administration is. We have about 6,000 Americans of one stripe or another stationed in Rota, Spain alone—mostly related to our destroyers stationed there. Why are they there? Why, they are doing ballistic missile defense for <checks notes> Europe, while Spain only spends 1.4% of her GDP on defense. Hey, that is 0.1% of GDP more than Canada. Ahem. Perhaps Italy would be a better place to station those destroyers. Maybe Portugal. Maybe we can just transfer everyone back to CONUS (my preferred option). Either way, this is a useful exercise. If your bases are not on your territory, you can only use them with the agreement of the host country. When you have entire political parties, mostly of the left, as part of the political systems of our allies, then you have to consider the reality that they may decide that we will not be able to use them when we want to. If you are lucky, they’ll let you leave. If you are unlucky, they won’t. Don’t snicker at the latter. As the leftist parties continue to align themselves with the worst Islamists in their nations, this problem will only become sharper. What is a way to avoid or mitigate this problem with access to foreign bases? You guessed it—a properly resourced and capable Navy backed up with an exceptionally capable and robust logistics and replenishment force. We are a 10 carrier Navy in a 15 carrier world…maybe more. You can add to the risk of precision long-range strike becoming a common threat to all your static bases to the political risk of the nations who host our bases we just assume will always be there for us to use them when our national security requirements need them. This is a gift, regardless of the next election in the UK and Spain, if we are willing to take it. 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

Chinese armored units have been observed operating Type 96A main battle tanks equipped with the active protection system, according to video footage circulating on Chinese social media. The footage shows several Type 96A tanks being transported while fitted with the APS equipment, suggesting the vehicles belong to an operational military unit rather than a factory […]View the full article

India’s Ministry of Defence signed a contract on March 3 with Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport to procure ship-based vertical launch surface-to-air missiles for the Indian Navy’s Shtil-1 air defense system, according to a report by the news agency UNI. The deal is valued at 2,182 crore rupees, or approximately $238 million, and will supply […]View the full article

The United States Air Force conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile late March 3 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to Air Force Global Strike Command. The missile, equipped with two test reentry vehicles, lifted off at 11:01 p.m. Pacific Time as part of a routine flight […]View the full article

The United States Army is converting the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team into a Mobile Brigade Combat Team, with the transition scheduled to take effect by March 31, 2026, according to an announcement from Joint Force Headquarters – Pennsylvania National Guard. The change will replace the brigade’s Stryker armored vehicle structure […]View the full article

The United States Marine Corps has awarded BlueHalo Labs, a subsidiary of AeroVironment, a $22,8 million contract modification for the procurement of additional Titan SV MPv3 counter-drone systems and spare parts kits to support the service’s Organic-Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (O-CsUAS) program, according to a March 3, 2026 contract announcement. The award modifies a previously […]View the full article

The United States Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.9 billion contract for the C-130J Maintenance and Training System (JMATS) IV, according to a contract announcement. The agreement covers production, modernization, sustainment, and support of training systems used by crews and maintenance personnel operating the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The program addresses the continued […]View the full article

Ukrainian long-range drones struck a chemical plant in the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk in Russia’s Kirov region, according to local reports describing a nighttime attack on an industrial facility located more than 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The strike reportedly targeted the Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Combine, a major industrial complex situated at the confluence of the […]View the full article

SRT Marine Systems announced it has signed a new $261 million contract with a sovereign government customer to deliver a national Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system, the company said in a statement. The agreement represents a new addition to SRT’s Sovereign Partnership Programme and will provide the customer with an integrated platform for monitoring activity […]View the full article

Russian forces likely shot down one of their own military helicopters in the Rostov region during a Ukrainian drone attack late on March 3, according to reports cited by the Militarnyi. The incident reportedly occurred near the town of Millerovo, where Russian air defenses were responding to a large wave of unmanned aerial vehicles. Crew […]View the full article

It is D+3, and there is one part of Operation Epic Fury that keeps popping up to top-of-mind for me, the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). First of all, like I said Sunday, BZ to the staff weenie(s) who came up with that acronym for the best blatant copy-job by the U.S. military since the Springfield 1903 looked at Mauser and said, “Nice gun you have there.” Let’s go back to this announcement from around Christmas time that I’m a little pouty did not come into my scan at the time. Centcom launched Task Force Scorpion Strike four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology. The task force is designed to quickly deliver low-cost and effective drone capabilities into the hands of warfighters. The new task force has already formed a squadron of low-cost unmanned combat attack system drones. These drones, deployed by Centcom, have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched with different mechanisms including catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems. "This new task force sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent," said Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, Centcom commander. "Equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases U.S. military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors." In September, Centcom launched the Rapid Employment Joint Task Force led by its chief technology officer to fast-track processes for outfitting deployed forces with emerging capabilities. The joint task force is coordinating innovation efforts among service components in three focus areas: capability, software and technological diplomacy. Task Force Scorpion Strike's efforts to build the one-way attack drone squadron are led by personnel from U.S. Special Operations Command Central and align with the joint task force's capability focus area. I cannot find a firm description where the attacks were launched from. Some rumors were that they were fired from a LCS, but I have not seen anything official to that end. I think they might be confused with the pics of USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) doing a test launch in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 16, 2025. CENTCOM could barely hold in the news on the first day of strikes. I think everyone is proud not just of the swift timing of it all, but the trollish nature of the capability. The V‑shaped LUCAS drones, developed by SpektreWorks, are reverse engineered Shahed-136, Iranian drones which have been used extensively by Russia in Ukraine and by Iranian‑backed militias across the Middle East. This is when we need to pause and soak it all in. People made fun of it when it first appeared, until they saw what it was. Heck, I still call it the “flying lawnmower” (though there is a jet powered version now). When you look at it holistically, this is an impressive weapon. Yes, it is slow, has a small warhead, and does not have any fancy construction materials in its construction, but that is also its strength. No one expects it, so it is hard to defend against. We’ve had to create new weapons off of old platforms just to find a way to economically defend against them. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Because of its performance in the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Russians are making a clone. Now the USA is as well. We’re not even paying royalties. The math is what is so powerful. Howard Altman over at TWZ has a real solid summary on the same day. The LUCAS drones are designed to be a far less expensive strike weapon than missiles, which not only cost more, but are far more difficult and time-consuming to produce. “Costing approximately $35,000 per platform, LUCAS is a low-cost, scalable system that provides cutting-edge capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional long-range U.S. systems that can deliver similar effects,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told TWZ back in December. “The drone system has an extensive range and the ability to operate beyond line of sight, providing significant capability across CENTCOM’s vast operating area.” The math. A TLAM costs, what, about $2 million each. The Block V $2.5 million? That means you can buy 71 LUCAS for ~the cost of at TLAM. Want to shoot one down? Don’t even look at a Patriot missile, heck a NASAMS air defense missile is the AIM-120 AMRAAM. That’s $1 million a pop. You can’t have aircraft with the high-demand/low-density anti-drone Hydra rockets all over the place either. It only goes ~100 knots. So. OK, this isn’t a first strike weapon…but it is a strike weapon…one you can send in swarms. Even with its relatively small warhead, it will ruin your fuel farm, ship, warehouse, or vacation home it if gets there. With large numbers, you can strike a wide variety of second and third tier targets or those that are not time-critical, forcing your opponent to either spread already limited defensive assets thinly, or simply allow those targets to be hit. It will force its defensive fighters in the air…or again…force them to take the hits. Whoever that Iranian design team is, well done folks. You approached the problem from a unique perspective and the world is copying you. Let’s get back to the LCS rumor. I’m not content with one launched off the stern. Oh no. This is what I want to see. How many of these containers can we fit on the back of an Independence Class LCS? How many can you fit and still fly a helo off it? How many of these can be carried on a resupply ship? Can they be transferred at sea for expeditionary reloads? Is there any way to leverage the stern door and mission bay? There are what, five LUCAS in each container? That isn’t even a standard length container either. If you can get five containers on the ship, that gives you 25 LUCAS to send downrange. Depending on how a DDG might have their 90 to 96 VLS cells loaded out, that might be a DDG’s worth of TLAM. Can you keep the container and simply reload it with LUCAS in the back of the bay, stacked up like so many Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raiders in a Basestar? That would probably get you even north of 25. How many commercial ships can be converted into auxiliary cruisers with their decks full of these? Modify them. Make them USS, and man them from within the USNR. You see how I’m tying a whole series of threads we’ve discussed over the years here? In summary, more. I want more. BZ to Task Force Scorpion. Now let’s scale 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

The United States Army on March 2, 2026, issued a notice for follow-on Technical Assistance and Field Service Representative support for the PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, Defense System covering program years 2027 through 2029. The notice, published by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, calls for industry capability statements by March 17, 2026. The […]View the full article

Daimler Truck AG announced on March 3, 2026, that its Mercedes-Benz Zetros defense vehicles successfully completed intensive winter testing in the Finnish Arctic Circle, where temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius and road conditions were largely icy and snow-covered. The testing campaign was conducted to verify that the Zetros defense vehicle series can maintain […]View the full article

The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency on March 2, 2026, published new details of its Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects, or NOBLE, announcement, establishing a five-year acquisition framework running through March 27, 2030. The announcement consolidates multiple contracting authorities under a single structure to support missile defense research, prototyping, and rapid capability development. The NOBLE […]View the full article