Long-form analysis
Intelligence Analysis
Written assessments on AI in defence, cyber intelligence, defence procurement, and strategic topics that don't live inside a head-to-head comparison. For platform-by-platform comparisons, see Comparisons.
America Promised Australia Submarines It Can't Yet Build: The AUKUS Industrial Gap
AUKUS Pillar 1 commits the US to transferring Virginia-class submarines to Australia from the early 2030s. The binding constraint isn't money or political will — it's shipyard throughput. An operator's read of the gap, with a three-branch forecast.
China Built 13 Destroyers. America Delivered Two. The Maths of a Broken Line
Last year China launched and commissioned 13 large destroyers. The US delivered two. An operator's read of why the American surface-combatant line is mathematically broken this decade — and the answer the Navy actually chose.
The Type 076 Sichuan: China's First Drone Carrier, and Why the Catapult Matters
China's Type 076 Sichuan fits an electromagnetic catapult — normally reserved for 100,000-tonne supercarriers — onto a 40,000-tonne assault ship. A platform brief on the world's first purpose-built drone carrier and what it means for Taiwan.
America's 11-Year Missile Gap: The PL-17 vs the AIM-260
China's PL-17 air-to-air missile has been operational since 2022. America's answer, the AIM-260, still isn't fielded — and was cleared for export before the USAF could use it. An operator's read of the Pacific air-superiority gap.
AI in Defence — What's Real, What's Marketing
An operator's read of the UK and NATO defence-AI moment. Where the capability is real, where the vendor narrative isn't, and what institutional investors and defence-tech founders should actually test.
The Asgard Programme: Inside the UK MOD's 26-Company AI Defence Contract
The UK Ministry of Defence awarded four-year AI decision-support contracts to 26 companies under the Asgard programme in January 2026. Here's who won, what they do, and what it tells investors and founders about the UK defence-AI market.
How to Read a Defence-Tech Pitch Deck Like a Target Pack
A structured intelligence analyst's framework for stress-testing defence-tech pitch decks. For investors, founders, and procurement leaders who need to separate capability from capability-marketing.