Interesting film clip of the Dillon Aerospace minigun, with supressor

These have been running for a week now, are you finding them useful, is 8.30 in the morning a good time, or would you prefer them at the end of the day, is the content split OK?

Daily UK defence and security brief from Think Defence, Friday 25 September 2026, covering the previous 24 hours. NEWS RAF Hawk Crash Jet Was Steered Away From Homes, Commander Says Group Captain Gez Currie said the Hawk T2 that crashed near Pencarnisiog was aimed toward open ground to avoid built-up areas before both pilots ejected; they are expected to make a full recovery. The RAF has paused Hawk T1 and T2 flying, including Red Arrows operations, while the investigation continues. BBC bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crx2… UK Intelligence Climate Security Warnings Briefed Abroad After Suppression Row A Guardian explainer sets out why a Joint Intelligence Committee assessment on climate-driven ecosystem collapse and UK national security matters, after ministers briefed foreign counterparts on findings previously withheld under Keir Starmer. The report warns of food, migration, conflict and infrastructure risks that could affect the UK as early as 2030. The Guardian theguardian.com/environment/… UK Furthering Orbital Warfare Capabilities With Space Effects Squadron Jane's reports Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth's Space Power Conference account of UK space control and orbital warfare work, including No. 3 Space Effects Squadron to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile activity against UK satellites. The Defence Investment Plan earmarks about £880 million for space-based ISR and space control through 2029/30. Jane's janes.com/defence-intelligen… HMS Agamemnon Leaves Barrow for Scotland Sea Trials HMS Agamemnon, the sixth Astute-class attack submarine, left BAE Systems' Barrow yard on Thursday after a bridge closure on Michaelson Road, heading for Faslane to continue trials. She was commissioned in September 2025 after a long build; the Astute boats carry Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles. UK Defence Journal ukdefencejournal.org.uk/new-… Development Aid as Security Policy? RUSI analysis of the USAID shutdown finds African regions with higher prior US aid exposure saw more conflict afterwards, arguing abrupt aid cuts can weaken the opportunity-cost channel against violence faster than rent-seeking pressures fade. The authors urge donors to treat well-designed development spending as part of wider security policy. RUSI (analysis) rusi.org/explore-our-researc… CONTRACT UPDATES MoD Awards Overseas Territories Fuel Supply Worth About £31 Million Contracts Finder shows an MoD award to Stonewin AG, valued at about £31.4 million, for 23,775 cubic metres of F-35 and 13,000 cubic metres of F-76 fuel to British Overseas Territories under the Global Bulk Fuels Framework. Contracts Finder contractsfinder.service.gov.… DE&S Transparency Notice for Joint Command and Staff Training Defence Equipment and Support published an award notice naming Mass Consultants Limited for Joint Command and Staff Training simulation support, with a value of about £9.36 million (ex VAT), covering Tier two to four combined joint task force exercise capability. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… DE&S Plans WECDIS and Combat System Interface Award to OSI Maritime A planning update says the National Armaments Director Group intends to award OSI Maritime Ltd a two-year contract, estimated at about £12.5 million (ex VAT), to design, manufacture, install and assure replacement WECDIS and combat system interface units. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… UKHO Tenders Pipelines Support and Development Contract The UK Hydrographic Office opened a tender, valued at about £5.5 million (ex VAT), for four years' support, maintenance and development of its Product Aggregation Pipeline systems for digital navigation products, with an option to extend. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… MoD Plans N3 Dauphin Emergency Simulator Training Contract The MoD published a planning notice for N3 Dauphin emergency simulator training for aircrew, expected to run about two years and two months with options to extend, valued at about £1.5 million (ex VAT). Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… MOD UPDATES Record £34.1 Billion Defence Spend With UK Industry MoD figures for 2025/26 show spending with UK industry rose 3.2% in real terms to a record £34.1 billion, with Northern Ireland up 63% and SME spend reaching £1.3 billion. The department links the rise to the Defence Investment Plan and wider reindustrialisation. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/recor… Defence Spending With Scottish Industry Rises Above £2.5 Billion MoD and Scotland Office figures show investment in Scottish defence industry rose 13% in real terms to £2.53 billion in 2025/26, or about £460 per person in Scotland, supporting an estimated 12,200 jobs linked to the MoD footprint. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/defen… Defence Industry Pledge Targets 50,000 Youth Opportunities Wes Streeting and major defence employers signed a youth participation and employment pledge aiming for 40,000 skilled defence opportunities a year for young people by 2030 and 50,000 by 2035, including more apprenticeships and work experience. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/thous…

I need an intervention

Exclusive: Tens of billions of pounds spent on "British" defence investment has actually been funnelled to foreign companies, data shows. Figures we obtained by FOI show the hundreds of contracts being awarded to foreign firms - but counted as UK suppliers because they have offices in Britain. Some of these companies remove 100% of their British profits from the UK for the benefit of overseas shareholders, which include foreign governments. Obviously, the MoD needs to hire foreign companies to get the best defence hardware - much of which is then built in the UK - but critics say it is disingenuous to sell this to voters as investment in the homegrown defence sector.

Daily UK defence and security brief from Think Defence, Thursday 24 September 2026, covering the previous 24 hours. NEWS UK Military Jamming Other Nations' Satellites, BBC Told The RAF has for about a year used a ground-based system to jam or block other countries' satellites, a defence source told the BBC, including to hinder tracking of nuclear submarines or special forces. The disclosure coincided with the unveiling of No. III Space Effects Squadron to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile threats in space. BBC bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c32l… UK to Launch Military Squadron to Protect Satellites in Space The MoD announced No. III Space Effects Squadron to counter hostile activity in orbit and protect satellites used for missile warning, communications and navigation, alongside existing space operations and warning squadrons. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Britain must keep pace in the new space race as adversaries' threats grow in scale, speed and sophistication. The Guardian theguardian.com/politics/202… Space Command Chief Suspended Over Sexual Assault and Theft Allegations Air Vice-Marshal Jamie Thompson, head of UK Space Command, has been suspended amid allegations of serious sexual assault and theft, with Air Commodore Darren Whiteley appointed interim commander. The Defence Serious Crime Command said a RAF member was arrested over theft and a serious sexual offence; the theft case has been referred for a charging decision while the sexual-offence inquiry continues. The Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09… RAF Jet Crashes and Explodes in Anglesey After Pilots Eject A Hawk T2 training jet crashed and exploded near Pencarnisiog shortly after take-off from RAF Valley on Wednesday; both pilots ejected and were treated for what police said were thought to be minor injuries, with no reports of wider casualties. An investigation is under way and emergency services brought the fire under control. The Guardian theguardian.com/uk-news/2026… RAF Grounds Hawk Fleet Following Crash Jane's reported that the RAF has temporarily suspended flight operations of Hawk T1 (including Red Arrows) and Hawk T2 advanced jet trainers after the Valley crash on 23 September. Both crew ejected successfully and no ground injuries were reported; the MoD has given no further detail on duration. Jane's janes.com/defence-intelligen… Options for a NATO Multinational Drone-Interception Squadron RUSI analysis by Justin Bronk argues a dedicated multinational NATO squadron of armed jet trainers could shoot down Russian one-way attack drone incursions without burning through frontline fighters and scarce air-to-air missiles, assessing options including the Aero L-39NG with laser-guided rockets. RUSI (analysis) rusi.org/explore-our-researc… Somali Piracy in 2026 Is Not Just a Resurgence of a Past Problem RUSI analysis links the 2026 surge in Somali and Gulf of Aden hijackings to warship redeployments, rerouted shipping and a wider Iran–Yemen–Somalia maritime threat ecology, including unconfirmed reports of Houthi links to pirate groups. RUSI (analysis) rusi.org/explore-our-researc… CONTRACT UPDATES Human Performance System Enterprise Agreement Awarded The MoD awarded HPO Technologies Limited a two-year Human Performance System Enterprise Agreement with a limit of liability of about £4.17 million, enabling tasking for access to a digital human-performance platform and related evaluation across Defence. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… DE&S Awards Contract for 40mm Grenades Defence Equipment and Support awarded ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering Pte. Ltd. a contract for the supply of nine variants of 40mm high and low velocity grenades. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… MoD TailSpend Framework Award Worth About £95 Million Contracts Finder shows an MoD award to Unite Procurement UK Limited valued at about £95 million for miscellaneous goods and services under the TailSpend Framework RM6202. Contracts Finder contractsfinder.service.gov.… DIO Tender for Low Voltage Works at Kenyan Barracks The Defence Infrastructure Organisation published a tender valued at about £200,000 for low voltage distribution network system works at Nyati and Kifaru Barracks in Kenya. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… MOD UPDATES £84 Million to Boost Plymouth's Defence Growth Plans Lord Coaker confirmed an £84 million package for Plymouth, with £50 million from government unlocking up to £34 million from industry and local partners, to establish a National Centre for Marine Autonomy and create nearly 1,000 jobs. The deal also backs skills schemes focused on veterans and young people. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/84-mi… Defence Secretary Keynote at UK Space Power Conference In a published transcript, Wes Streeting set out why space is central to UK deterrence and daily life, highlighted No. III Space Effects Squadron, and linked more than £3 billion in Defence Investment Plan space funding to industrial growth and NATO-first alliances. He also updated the conference on the Hawk crash near RAF Valley and wished the crew a speedy recovery. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/speeches/d…

Before you poo poo the idea, hear me out

Land Cruiser UGV idea from last week, cab gone or optionally crewed, take your pick

Daily UK defence and security brief from Think Defence, covering the previous 24 hours. NEWS New UK Agency to Tackle Hostile-State Disinformation Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the UN that a National Centre for Information Defence will detect, attribute and disrupt foreign information attacks, including AI-enabled deepfakes, with Russia singled out as a principal threat. The Guardian theguardian.com/technology/2… Evacuation Plans Revised Over WW2 Bomb Near Falmouth Docks More than 300 homes were due to be evacuated on Wednesday as Royal Navy bomb-disposal specialists prepared to deal with a suspected 250lb US Second World War bomb found in the water near Falmouth Docks, after earlier plans for a wider cordon were scaled back. BBC bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9rk… British Drone Submarine Fires Heavyweight Torpedo Off Scotland A Royal Navy extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle, XV EXCALIBUR, fired a US Mk 48 exercise heavyweight torpedo at BUTEC under AUKUS Pillar 2 Project Broadsword, in what officials described as a first for an allied autonomous underwater platform. UK Defence Journal ukdefencejournal.org.uk/brit… DCE and ARX Robotics Push UGVs Towards UK Operational Use Janes reported that the British Army’s order for Digital Concepts Engineering X3 unmanned ground vehicles marks the UK’s first operational UGV fleet buy, while ARX Robotics and GDLS UK outlined an Ajax-linked UGV concept at DVD 2026. Jane’s janes.com/defence-intelligen… Putin’s Predictable Victory, Russia’s Uncertain Future RUSI analysis of Russia’s wartime parliamentary elections argues the vote was staged to legitimise the war in Ukraine even as drone strikes, economic pressure and mobilisation risks leave Moscow’s longer-term position more uncertain. RUSI (analysis) rusi.org/explore-our-researc… CONTRACT UPDATES Air Traffic Control Visual Simulators Awarded for RAF Sites The MoD awarded Metaverse VR Ltd a contract worth about £1.67 million (ex VAT) for 16 visual control simulators to train and assure RAF air traffic control and air and space operations specialists. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… Bramble AV Contract Update for CSOC Audio-Visual Solution An MoD award update valued at about £2.08 million (ex VAT) covers an audio-visual solution across CSOC functional areas, including installation, assurance, support and training, with Excel AV Ltd as supplier. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… Challenger Traverse Gearbox Repair Framework Notice An MoD award notice valued at about £1 million (ex VAT) covers repair and overhaul of hand-operated traverse gearboxes for Challenger vehicles, with Davall Gears Ltd named as supplier. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… DE&S Threat Emulator Support at Boscombe Down Defence Equipment and Support published a transparency award for through-life support of the L3Harris High Power Threat Emulator in Anechoic Chamber Test Facility 2 at MOD Boscombe Down, valued at about £600,000 (ex VAT). Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… DE&S GNSS Simulator Support Contract DE&S awarded Keysight Technologies UK Limited a five-year through-life support contract for the Keysight GSS9000 GNSS Simulator at Boscombe Down ACTF2, valued at about £400,000 (ex VAT). Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… Close Quarter Combat Training Systems Market Engagement The MoD opened a request for information and preliminary market engagement for two modular close quarter combat training systems to be installed in existing training infrastructure. Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… RFA Liquid Cargo Operations Training Awarded The MoD awarded Solent University a contract for commercially provided liquid cargo operations and handling training for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over five years, valued at about £89,000 (ex VAT). Find a Tender find-tender.service.gov.uk/N… Two further smaller MoD-family awards in the same window were omitted under the soft cap. MOD UPDATES RAF Launches First Dedicated Space Effects Squadron The RAF stood up No. III Space Effects Squadron to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile threats to UK satellites, announced at the UK Space Power Conference as part of the government’s Control of Space requirement. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/raf-l… UK Military Support to Saudi Arabia Against Houthi Threat Following a Saudi request, the MoD said an RAF Voyager will provide air-to-air refuelling to support Saudi defensive activity linked to the internationally recognised government of Yemen after renewed Houthi attacks. GOV.UK (MoD) gov.uk/government/news/uk-mi… DEFENCE IN PARLIAMENT Written Answer on Sovereign Munitions Manufacturing Lord Coaker said the government is taking forward Strategic Defence Review and Defence Investment Plan commitments on sovereign munitions and energetics, including £6 billion for munitions this Parliament and at least six new UK factories, with construction expected to be underway by 2030. questions-statements.parliam… questions-statements.parliam… Written Answer on Space Weapons and Capabilities Responding on space weapons, Lord Coaker said the government does not comment on specific defence capabilities or future operational plans where that would risk national security, while stressing space is congested, contested and competitive and that the UK works with allies on norms and restraint. questions-statements.parliam… questions-statements.parliam… Written Answer on MoD Use of Microsoft Lord Coaker said Microsoft products provide core productivity, collaboration, cyber security and infrastructure capabilities across Defence and remain critical to enterprise and operational ICT, with reliance kept under review against operational and security needs. questions-statements.parliam… questions-statements.parliam… Written Answer on Nuclear Test Medal Criteria On veterans and radiation exposure, Lord Coaker said the Nuclear Test Medal recognises UK nuclear testing service between 1952 and 1967 and related monitoring operations, with criteria expanded to include UK personnel who directly supported the programme. questions-statements.parliam… questions-statements.parliam… Written Answer on Armed Forces Pension Administrators Lord Coaker confirmed Sopra Steria Ltd has provided MoD pension administration services since May 2020, with Equiniti Paymaster acting as a subcontractor for payment services and holding no direct MoD contract. questions-statements.parliam… questions-statements.parliam…

Imagine the billable hours to sort through this.

I can see why establishment old farts lecturing young working class men about British values and signing up for war grates with them. We live in a very different world now.

Never been a fan of motorhomes and camper vans, but could be persuaded.

Commemorating 20 years of @HelpforHeroes Cycling 250 miles from Saint Mere Eglise. Along with over 100 intrepid cyclists i will be taking part in my 14th Big Battlefield Bike Ride through Normandy from Saint Mere Eglise and finishing in Le Harvre. justgiving.com/page/steve-cr…

This short marketing clip shows Ajax early reliability and growth trials