HG S2 (Intel Bot)

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has signed an approximately $130 million agreement with Elbit Systems to integrate Israeli-made avionics, command-and-control, electronic warfare, and missile defense systems on the country’s future CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, the ministry said on Tuesday. The contract, signed by the Defense Procurement Directorate within the Israel Ministry of Defense, covers the integration of […]View the full article

Taiwan has reportedly begun receiving shipments of U.S.-made land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems. Photos and local reporting confirmed the arrival of convoy vehicles associated with the land-based Harpoon system, including missile launcher trucks, radar vehicles, and command-and-control units. The launcher vehicles are based on the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck platform, commonly known as HEMTT. […]View the full article

Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern has unveiled a new portable reconnaissance-strike system that closely copies Israel’s Hero-90 loitering munition, according to images and specifications released ahead of the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia. The system, designated RUS-PE, is scheduled to be formally presented at the World Defense Show in Riyadh from Feb. 8 to Feb. 12. […]View the full article

Russian forces used captured M113 armored personnel carriers during an assault on Ukrainian positions near the village of Hryshyne in eastern Ukraine, according to reporting by Militarnyi. The incident occurred amid dense fog, which allowed Russian troops to advance largely undetected. According to the report, two M113 armored personnel carriers and one infantry fighting vehicle […]View the full article

Russian military bloggers and media outlets linked to the Ministry of Defense confirmed widespread disruptions of Starlink satellite internet terminals used by Russian forces across the front line and in border regions, sharply degrading battlefield communications. Reports of mass Starlink outages were acknowledged by several of Russia’s largest pro-war Telegram channels and defense-focused publications, which […]View the full article

As I said on Monday, I can argue both sides of the battleship debate. I think it is time to flesh that out a bit. If you didn’t read Monday’s post linked above, follow the link and catch up. I’ll reference a few items there that I don’t think I need to repeat here. Additionally, this post is really a follow-up to the earlier one, or at least that is my intention at the start. At the moment, I’m going to do my best to put my emotions and biases I outlined Monday to the side for a bit, and look at it with as cold of an eye as I can. If you are really on team battleship, there are some critical vulnerabilities from the start that you need to accept. The Trump Class: this is the foundational error of what by all logic and tradition should be called the Defiant Class. At the start, this automatically makes 38% of the American public and their elected representatives dislike the entire project. In the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area, where our ruling class lives, 75% of voters supported Harris in the 2024 election. Calling a class of warship that will need bipartisan support, in both the Executive and Legislative branches of government through the length of the program, this poisons the program from the start. For an unnecessarily large percentage, you cannot even begin to argue the merits of the program, their ears and minds are closed to it. I’m not sure how you mitigate that unforced error at the start. Program and Technology Risk: This is a radically new hull design. This will be the largest displacement non-carrier surface ship we will have built in decades. Every new surface warship designed by the US Navy since the end of the Cold War has been a failure. We have not changed the bureaucracy, process, or procedures that were used to create these failures in any meaningful way—and yet we will try again to leverage that failed system to create a monumental warship class. Designing Warships Around PPT Weapons: Will Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) be the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) missile of A-12 Avenger? Hey, CPS is further along than NLOS was ever…but each LCS ship’s NLOS void is a warning about expecting the magic weapon to appear. The BBG renderings have a railgun at the bow. We don’t have an operational railgun ready for sea. If you honestly dig into those top-three critical vulnerabilities to even get to the point of cutting steel (note I didn’t even include industrial capacity. This list could easily be double), you don’t get too far until you realize that you need a Plan-B. As I see it, the best-selling points for BBG remain. We need CPS at sea, forward, in number. No, it isn’t simply because it uses the Salamander-approved cold-launch system. Zumwalt won’t do it, and you cannot just put these things anywhere. You have to appreciate the scale of this weapon system. The CPS (12 missile) capable Virginia Block V and VI SSNs are years away from being commissioned…and at a very slow rate. Fun note about the Block V and VI, they are almost as long as an Ohio class SSBN. Our Arleigh Burke DDG that are Captain Commands and designed to take over the Air Warfare Commander role our decommissioned Ticonderoga CGs had, are not fit for purpose. We are “making it happen” as we always do, but these ships are not designed to support an afloat staff, nor do they have the VLS cells they need. (min 128 like the Ticos). If the Defiant class BBG winds up displacing water or not, these two baseline requirements remain. So, if we don’t get BBG, then what is Plan-B? We only have one option—another PPT-thick warship class—the DDG(X). Note the caveats at the bottom, but we have to work with what we have to work with. Let’s define a few more terms. If CPS numbers are so important…which they are…then we need to know what is behind each VLS hatch. The “launch tubes” you see in the Zumwalt pictures further up-post, are the Advanced Payload Module (APM). APM holds three CPS “all up round” and canister (4 AUR-C x 3 APM = 12 CPS armed ships…at $40/50 million a missile, give you $600 million of America’s affection coming your way with a full salvo). My understanding is that is the round container OK, the “12 Large Missile Launcher Cells” in the blue text of the DDG(X) slide, could those be the Growth-VLS (GVLS)? Are they the square object on the CPS slide between the AUR and the AUR-C? If it is, then we are talking about 12 CPS per modified DDG(X) that replaces 32 of the 96 VLS cells. I’ve looked for more information on the Destroyer Payload Module (DPM) but nothing more than “additional capability.” OK, fine. Well, that is an up-sell system that will take an already ludicrously large destroyer and would turn it into a cruiser. "The Navy has indicated that the initial [DDG(X)] design now prescribes a displacement of 14,500 tons—1,000 tons more than the design under the [FY]2024 [30-year shipbuilding] plan and 4,800 tons [about 49.5%] more than a DDG-51." How many more tons on top of that 14,500 is it? It gets up pretty close to Japan’s planned 20,000-ton lady, their Aegis system equipped vessels (ASEV). I’m sorry, but that is a cruiser with 128 VLS cells. Yes, yes, yes…that is their smarter answer to ballistic missile defense than Aegis Ashore, but that is, my friends, what CG(X) was supposed to be. I just want to get nakid and roll in it. Wait, let’s not get distracted by coveting thy neighbor’s cruiser, we’re looking for Plan-B to BBG. Focus. So, we have your baseline DDG(X). Let’s call that Flight I a DDG that takes over the mission set of the Arleigh Burke DDG (PBUH). The Navy has envisaged the DDG(X) as a ship with (1) DDG-51 Flight III Aegis combat system elements; (2) more growth margin than the DDG-51 Flight III design, meaning more space, weight-carrying capacity, electrical power, and cooling capacity (aka SWAP-C) for accepting additional or higher-power equipment and weapons (including directed-energy weapons) over the ship's service life; (3) an integrated power system (IPS); (4) reduced vulnerability due to reduced infrared, acoustic, and underwater electromagnetic signatures; (5) increased cruising range and time on station; and (6) increased weapon capacity. Without the BBG in play, we still need to fill the requirements of the BBG. I can already see requirements for three different flights of DDG(X). Flight II would be a CAG. Yes, a guided missile attack cruiser. Baseline Flight I with the addition of the DPM and substituting the 32 VLS forward for 12 CPS in what I assume will be G-VLS…unless, as I have heard rumored, you have to remove the 5” gun forward in order to have your CPS configured like in the Zumwalts with the 4 APM. If you can put 4 APM or 12 G-VLS in the DPM, then that still leaves you, what, 64 MK-41 VLS aft for SM-2/3/6, ASROC, etc? Rumor has it you can pack multiple PAC-3 missiles in the G-VLS as well, so mix and match? Sounds fun either way. Also, sorry about all the acronyms, but as a recidivist staff weenie, this is my happy place. Flight III would be your Air Warfare Commander CVN escort. It’s a CG. Baseline Flight I with the DPM full of G-VLS loaded with PAC-3 missiles, and expanded square footage to support afloat staff. In Sal’s world, in a fit of pique, I’d mandate that we build all three flights in parallel in three different yards. If, as we swag’d Monday, you can buy a bit more than three DDG(X) for each BBG…and let’s say 2.5 CG and CAG for each BBG…then you have a very solid Plan-B. If you really want to seal the deal, bring in the conversation about the intangible advantages of not so much “Distributed Lethality” but “Distributed Risk.” Most of the nightmares that come with the concentrated risk of the Arsenal Ship concept, are there with the BBG as well. Ponder. I can still be sold either way. 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

Soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division conducted drone bomber training using a C100 Medium Range Reconnaissance unmanned aerial system during a Table VI exercise for Spartan Focus, the division said. According to the 3rd Infantry Division, the training involved unmanned aircraft system operators from the Multi-Function Reconnaissance Troop, 6th Squadron, […]View the full article

France’s defense procurement agency, the Direction générale de l’armement, has delivered 1,000 low-cost “drone du combattant” systems to the Armée de Terre, marking the first tranche of a rapid acquisition program launched last year. According to the DGA, the 1,000 micro-drones were delivered following an order placed on June 30, 2025, with French company Harmattan […]View the full article

Overland AI announced it has raised $100 million in new funding to scale deployment of autonomous ground systems across the U.S. Armed Forces, as demand for operational ground autonomy accelerates beyond experimentation. According to the company, the equity round was led by 8VC, with continued participation from Point72 Ventures, Ascend Venture Capital, Shasta Ventures, and […]View the full article

Leonardo announced at the Singapore Airshow that it has signed a Letter of Intent with PT ESystem Solutions Indonesia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia to cooperate on the supply and support of M-346F “Block 20” aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force. According to Leonardo, the Letter of Intent follows the […]View the full article

A new assessment by Sam Cranny-Evans of Calibre Defence says Chinese defense exports are increasingly under scrutiny as international operators report recurring reliability failures and weak after-sales support across a wide range of systems. According to the analysis, concerns span decades of Chinese arms exports and affect land, air, and naval platforms delivered to multiple […]View the full article

One of the foundation stones of any understanding of the national security requirements of the United States is a requirement to fully understand that we are primarily a maritime and aerospace power. That is our comparative advantage. Aerospace isn’t just air-breathing aircraft, it includes space. For far too long, narrow-thinking people for the most base reasons have neglected space. Like many things, we gained a huge advantage over everyone else, and then decided the money would be better spent buying votes and currying favor with…whoever was going to help buy votes. From Carter’s malaise to Obama’s obsession with using NASA for “Muslim outreach” when it wasn’t trying to block efforts to get away from reliance on Russian rocket engines, you could not find poorer stewardship of what was once a national jewel. With the new administration, we hear talk of space being a priority—and know the challenges from ballistic and hypersonic missiles has never been greater—but where are we going? The best way to find out what the Trump Administration wants to do, what its priorities are, and where the puck is going, is not to read second-hand reports from people who often have their own agendas or blinkered views of personalities and politics. No. The best thing you can do is go to primary sources. Yesterday Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke at Cape Canaveral on his “Arsenal of Freedom Tour.” I’ll post the full video at the bottom of the post, but this part of his speech is the juicy center that should get your attention. …we’re rebuilding our military. That’s why we’re on the Arsenal of Freedom Tour. That’s why we’re here in Florida. We’re going across the country for a couple of months talking to industry large like this one and small. We need all of them and we need you to move fast at scale at cost to out compete our adversaries to rebuild our arsenal of freedom. President Trump did it in his first term and we’re doing it again. As you may have heard, the one big beautiful bill provided the War Department an historic down payment of $150 billion to supercharge President Trump’s defense capabilities. He has announced the goal to to spend 1.5 trillion for our national defense in 2027. That is a massive message to the rest of the world that American strength uh is not going anywhere anytime soon. We will dominate in every domain. That one big beautiful bill also provided 25 billion for the Golden Dome for America, revolutionizing our homeland defense through cutting edge spacebased cap capabilities, which we’re going to need. We’re talking about a vigilant constellation of next generation sensors and satellites that will see every threat from every corner of the globe paired with a network of space-based interceptors ready to neutralize any ballistic missile, any hypersonic weapon, any drone long before it threatens our homeland. The kind of protection President Trump has promised the American people and the War Department will deliver. That is how we establish total orbital supremacy. That is how we guarantee the safety and security of the American people. Space Force’s General Guetlein has done a fantastic job so far leading the charge. He knows the path of what’s expected for Golden Dome. I get briefed monthly on its progress. This is not something where some you see President Reagan helped defeat the Soviets by casting a vision of SDI of a of a dome. President Trump, given the companies we have in this country like this one, can now make that vision a reality for the American people, a huge conundrum for our adversaries who are counting on a whole different dynamic. We will continue to work with our partners because we have to dominate the space domain. That means we’ll ensure that we keep building rockets and engines and landers that you make here at scale and at speed. Weaponizing space is back on the menu. Image credit: LeonardoShare 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

Lockheed Martin has delivered the first Sentinel A4 radar from Low-Rate Initial Production 2 to the U.S. Army and completed the first phase of Initial Operational Test and Evaluation, the company said. As noted by Lockheed Martin, the delivery represents the first of 19 Sentinel A4 systems planned under the LRIP 2 phase. The company […]View the full article

The Department of the Navy awarded an $86.2 million contract to L3Harris Technologies on Jan. 30 for the Precision Attack Strike Munition, a new weapon intended to enhance the lethality and survivability of U.S. Marine Corps rotary-wing aircraft. The Precision Attack Strike Munition, or PASM, will provide Marine Corps AH-1Z attack helicopters with a longer-range, […]View the full article

Raytheon has completed a ballistic test of the United States Army’s Next Generation Short Range Interceptor, a new man-portable air defense missile intended to replace the Stinger, the company announced on Feb. 2, 2026. According to Raytheon, the test demonstrated the interceptor’s ability to track drone targets and be launched from a shoulder-fired system. The […]View the full article

Raytheon, an RTX business, has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop an advanced sensing and targeting system intended to protect commercial shipping and naval logistics vessels from emerging threats such as unmanned surface vehicles, the company announced on Feb. 2, 2026. According to the announcement, Raytheon’s Advanced Technology team will […]View the full article

Soldiers from the 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery conducted a live unmanned aerial system demonstration on Jan. 29, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas, testing counter-UAS integration in front of senior leaders from III Armored Corps and the 1st Cavalry Division. The event paired air defense crews with civilian personnel […]View the full article

United States Army soldiers assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division conducted mounted maneuver operations on January 31, 2026, while serving as opposing forces during the NATO Winter Camp exercise near Tapa, Estonia, the U.S. Army said. The training took place at and around the Tapa Training Area and involved U.S. […]View the full article

Vietnam’s Ministry of Defense has reportedly signed an agreement with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to equip the Vietnamese army with the “Maoz” drone, known as the Spike Firefly loitering munition, in a deal valued at approximately $250 million. According to a report by Intelligence Online, the agreement includes the establishment of a production facility in […]View the full article

The French Navy will become the first operator of Airbus’ Aliaca vertical take-off and landing uncrewed aerial system after France’s Directorate General of Armament ordered a new VTOL configuration under the SMDM program, Airbus Helicopters said on February 3, 2026. According to Airbus Helicopters, the Directorate General of Armament (DGA) approved an amendment to the […]View the full article

A Florida-based advanced air mobility company, AIR, on Monday announced the public debut of the DrN-600, a sub-600 kg maximum takeoff weight uncrewed electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, developed in partnership with ST Engineering, marking a new step toward regulated electric cargo operations in Europe and Asia. The announcement was made through a company […]View the full article

U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing has confirmed it is no longer pursuing the F-15 fighter jet program for Indonesia, effectively ending a high-profile procurement effort that had been central to Jakarta’s military modernization plans. The decision was disclosed on February 3 during the Singapore Airshow, according to comments made by a senior Boeing defense executive. Speaking […]View the full article

When we started talking about the cost of the new proposed battleship with CBO’s Eric Labs on the latest Midrats Podcast, I knew the topic I wanted to start this week with. First of all, let’s look back at the marker I put down right before the announcement. For planning purposes (and budgeting), assume it will wind up costing at least 2/3 of a Ford CVN w/o her CVW. OK, let’s look at the costs of the Ford Class CVN. Some of the sources I see include the $5 billion of development cost added on to the cost of a bit more than $13 billion for a total of $18 billion for Hull-1 of the Ford CVN, with the follow-on Kennedy, Miller, etc coming in at $14/15 billion. Let’s call it $15 billion for the follow-on ships. So, my ‘2/3’ cocktail swag would put the BBG-1 cost at $12 billion and BBG-2 and on at $10 billion per hull. The latest Flight III Arleigh Burke DDG are running about $2.7 billion a hull. The question that needs to be asked is: would a BBG-1 be worth 4.4 Flight III Arleigh Burkes? Would each follow-on ship be worth 3.7 Flight III Arleigh Burkes? Would it be worth 3-3.5 DDG(X) (whenever that shows up and we can estimate the cost. I’ll assume it is significantly more)? Well, hold on there. Before you get carried away, what does the CBO think BBG will cost? The initial specs are saying that the displacement with be north of 35,000, so think between that and the 40K in the graph above. It looks like my estimates were a bit below CBO’s, but not too much, considering. Gold Star Happy Face to me. One cost or another, there is the core question about the investment. Is the squeeze worth the juice? The opportunity cost is a valid topic of conversation…and one I think well-meaning people can take both sides of. Me? As I really want to get as many conventional prompt strike warheads as possible at sea as soon as possible…and that does not even start to review the railgun possibilities. The Zumwalts are just technology demonstrators. In theory, you can modify DDG(X) to carry CPS, but not as many and there are other tradeoffs and additional costs. As I prefer diverse fleets and spreading program risk around, I’m still leaning towards full-throated support for BBG if we can get the sustained funding for it. (there are other concerns that I may discuss tomorrow) I won’t think you’re an idiot for opposing BBG. Buy me a few drinks, and I can make the anti-battleship argument with vigor as I’ve had that argument with myself a few times. Pro usually wins, but not every argument with myself. The case still needs to be made. 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

South Korea has begun fielding anti-drone protective nets on frontline armored vehicles after publishing official photos showing K2 Black Panther main battle tanks and K21 infantry fighting vehicles fitted with lightweight foldable screens during a January 2026 force-on-force exercise. The images, released following training by the ROK Army’s 8th Maneuver Division, show both platforms operating […]View the full article

Taiwan has confirmed that the third batch of its ordered M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks has been completed in the United States and will be shipped to the island, as the military moves closer to fielding the new armored units into its operational force structure. The third batch of 28 M1A2T tanks has finished production […]View the full article