Cole Merrick's data-driven defense-systems column, mining WeaponSpecs' own spec database for original analysis.https://www.weaponspecs.com/en-usPublic defense-systems specifications, sourced and credited per-item.Sat, 29 Aug 2026 17:57:36 GMThttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/hellfire-jagm-army-8000-missile-solicitation/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/hellfire-jagm-army-8000-missile-solicitation/The Army wants 8,000 new short-range missiles a year. WeaponSpecs data shows that exact range band already spans $22,000 to $319,000, a 14x cost gap.Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonmissilesprocurementarmycostmunitionshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/three-missile-programs-one-disclosed-price/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/three-missile-programs-one-disclosed-price/Three U.S. programs now promise thousands of low-cost cruise missiles, but only one of three FAMM vendors has published what a single round costs.Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrycruise missilesprocurementAndurilFAMMprice transparencyoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/b-52-radar-upgrade-two-decades-late/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/b-52-radar-upgrade-two-decades-late/The Air Force just paid $603M for a B-52 radar type the Navy has flown since 2007. Our database shows 75% of US fighters/bombers already had one.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merricknewsbombersradarair forceprocurementfighter jetshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/north-korea-kn-30-payload-claim/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/north-korea-kn-30-payload-claim/North Korea's new KN-30 missile claims a 2,500 kg warhead that matches South Korea's own bunker-buster almost exactly, before it has ever flown in combat.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonnorth korearussiaballistic missileukraineprocurementhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/army-mobile-tactical-cannon-wheeled-howitzer/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/army-mobile-tactical-cannon-wheeled-howitzer/The Army picked Hanwha's wheeled K9 over two combat-exported wheeled howitzers already fielded across NATO. Here is what the specs actually show.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merricknewsartilleryprocurementarmyself-propelled howitzer155mmhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/m18-inspection-doesnt-settle-p320-lawsuits/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/m18-inspection-doesnt-settle-p320-lawsuits/The Air Force found zero failure signs across 113,479 M18s, but most civilian P320s lack the external safety hardware that review actually covered.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickbuyingsmall armsprocurementpistolsafetybuying guidehttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-force-500k-counter-air-missile-camp-glca/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-force-500k-counter-air-missile-camp-glca/The Air Force wants 3,500 supersonic counter-air interceptors at $500K each. WeaponSpecs' own database shows no fielded system occupies that price and capability tier.Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merricknewsair defenseprocurementmissilesUS Air Forcedroneshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/fa-xx-carrier-fighter-range-gap/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/fa-xx-carrier-fighter-range-gap/The Navy picks an F/A-XX builder this month citing 'longer range.' WeaponSpecs data shows why: no carrier jet in the world clears China's DF-21D threat radius.Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonfighter jetscarrier aviationanti-ship missilesprocurementUS Navyhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/golden-dome-7800-satellites-10-missiles/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/golden-dome-7800-satellites-10-missiles/The Pentagon calls Golden Dome's latest test a success. The CBO's own math says its space layer needs 7,800 satellites to stop just 10 missiles.Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrymissile defenseGolden Domeprocurementspaceoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gcap-fighter-cost-transparency/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gcap-fighter-cost-transparency/GCAP is the only next-gen fighter with real, dated government contracts on record, and the £4.6B/$6.1B deal still only funds design, not a jet.Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryfighter jetsprocurementGCAPcost transparencyhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-submarine-contract-real-unit-cost/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-submarine-contract-real-unit-cost/The Navy's $76.6B submarine contract implies $4.68B per Virginia-class boat and $5.9B per Columbia-class boat, but neither figure is a real unit price.Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merricknewssubmarinesnavyprocurementshipbuildingcost transparencyhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-hypersonic-missile-cost-gap/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-hypersonic-missile-cost-gap/Navy hypersonic missiles range from a $300K target price to $67M a round. The 150x gap reflects two competing theories of hypersonic warfare.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryhypersonic missilesnaval warfareprocurementanti-ship missilesoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/tomahawk-17x-production-claim/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/tomahawk-17x-production-claim/The Navy's $22.9B Tomahawk deal promises a jump from 60 to 1,000+ missiles a year, but the industrial base has never sustained that pace before.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrycruise missilesprocurementindustrial baseTomahawkoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/counter-drone-lasers-only-one-fielded/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/counter-drone-lasers-only-one-fielded/Of five directed-energy weapons WeaponSpecs tracks, only Israel's Iron Beam is operational; the rest are prototypes, demonstrators, or sensors, not fielded.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickguidedirected energylaser weaponscounter-droneair defenseprocurementhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/soviet-artillery-production-dwarfs-nato/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/soviet-artillery-production-dwarfs-nato/Ten Soviet-era artillery platforms in our database total 29,238 units built, more than double the 11,207 built across 22 modern systems from 15 countries.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryartilleryprocurementoriginal dataindustrial baseRussiahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/attritable-isr-price-gap/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/attritable-isr-price-gap/WeaponSpecs' UAV database shows an 11x price cliff, $90,000 to $1,000,000, with zero priced systems in between, the exact gap the Air Force needs filled.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickindustryUAVprocurementair forcedronesISRhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/ugv-control-range-untested-claims/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/ugv-control-range-untested-claims/Only 15 of 47 combat robots in the WeaponSpecs database publish a control range, and the longest claim, 15 km, has never been fielded in combat.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickcomparisonUGVunmanned ground vehiclescombat robotsprocurementoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/helicopter-climb-rate-vs-power-to-weight/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/helicopter-climb-rate-vs-power-to-weight/AH-1Z Viper tops 22 database helicopters at 15.24 m/s climb, but hp-per-kg barely predicts who's fastest (r=-0.11), and fighters still climb 15-20x quicker.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonhelicoptersfighter jetsperformanceoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/m10-booker-airlift-math/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/m10-booker-airlift-math/Every tank and IFV in WeaponSpecs' database fits a C-17 by weight. Two M10 Bookers didn't, and that math killed a $2.6B Army program.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickcomparisonarmytanksairliftprocurementM10 Bookerhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/pentagon-drone-price-floor/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/pentagon-drone-price-floor/The Pentagon's Drone Dominance Program targets a $2,000 drone, undercutting all 19 priced UAVs in WeaponSpecs' 101-system database, some by 45x.Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merricknewsuavprocurementdefense economicsoriginal dataloitering munitionshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/trainer-jet-price-transparency-t7a/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/trainer-jet-price-transparency-t7a/Boeing's April 2026 T-7A contract divides to $15.6M a jet, half our database's $32M figure. Only 5 of 17 trainer jets publish a price at all.Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickbuyingtrainer jetsT-7A Red Hawkprocurementprice transparencyU.S. Air Forcehttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/baltic-gps-jamming-missile-guidance/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/baltic-gps-jamming-missile-guidance/Baltic GPS jamming hit a 2026 record, but WeaponSpecs' database shows only 30% of missiles reference GPS, and none of those rely on it alone.Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrymissileselectronic warfareguidance systemsprocurementoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/rifle-design-country-concentration/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/rifle-design-country-concentration/Just 4 of the 20 countries represented in our 81-rifle database, the US, Russia, Germany, and Belgium, together design 58% of every system we track.Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrysmall armsriflesprocurementoriginal datadefense industrial baseNATOhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-defense-engagement-altitude-space/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-defense-engagement-altitude-space/Of 56 air-defense systems that publish an altitude ceiling, only 4 claim to reach above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized edge of space.Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickguideair defensemissile defenseprocurementballistic missile defensehttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/e3-awacs-replacement-endurance-gap/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/e3-awacs-replacement-endurance-gap/WeaponSpecs data show the E-2D Hawkeye has the shortest range and shortest endurance of all six AEW&C aircraft in its own database, by a wide margin.Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryairborne early warningprocurementair forceoriginal dataAWACShttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/mv-75-vs-black-hawk-speed-range-claim/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/mv-75-vs-black-hawk-speed-range-claim/The Army says its MV-75 flies twice as fast and far as the Black Hawk. Checked against 46 helicopters in our database, the claim mostly holds up.Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickcomparisonhelicopterstiltrotorprocurementFLRAAoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/patriot-stockpile-42-month-rebuild/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/patriot-stockpile-42-month-rebuild/CSIS estimates Patriot interceptor stocks fell 65% during the Iran war. The Army's new $58.6B contract still takes 42 months to deliver one.Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryair defenseprocurementdefense economicsoriginal datainterceptorshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gas-turbine-tanks-abrams-m1e3/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gas-turbine-tanks-abrams-m1e3/Only 5 of 55 database tanks still run a gas turbine, all Abrams or T-80. The M1E3 is swapping its AGT1500 turbine for a hybrid diesel drivetrain.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickindustrytanksenginesprocurementM1E3Abramshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gun-based-air-defense-rate-of-fire-vs-range/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/gun-based-air-defense-rate-of-fire-vs-range/Rate of fire spans a 45x range across 7 gun-based air-defense systems, but inside the CIWS tier it barely moves engagement range at all.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryair defensecounter-droneprocurementnaval gunsCIWShttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/fighter-engine-thrust-to-weight-ranked/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/fighter-engine-thrust-to-weight-ranked/Eurofighter's EJ200 hits a 9.18 thrust-to-weight ratio, the best of 10 fighter engines in our database. The F-35's F135 ranks last at 6.70.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonfighter jetsenginesthrust-to-weightF-35original datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/nbc-protection-armored-vehicles/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/nbc-protection-armored-vehicles/Of 134 tanks and IFVs in our database, 110 confirm sealed NBC protection. The 7 that don't are almost all light, wheeled, and under 19 tonnes.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole MerrickguidearmorCBRNprocurementoriginal datatanksIFVshttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/pistol-rounds-per-kilogram/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/pistol-rounds-per-kilogram/9x19mm pistols from 1982 on average carry 20.7 rounds per kilogram versus 15.4 for older designs, a 34% gain from polymer frames alone.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonpistolssmall armsengineeringprocurementhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/tank-armor-thickness-classified/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/tank-armor-thickness-classified/Zero of 132 tanks and IFVs in our database publish an armor thickness figure. The only protection rating that appears at all tops out at 32 tonnes.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrytanksifvsarmor protectionprocurementoriginal datahttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/naval-drone-cost-per-kg-warhead-vs-missile/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/naval-drone-cost-per-kg-warhead-vs-missile/Ukraine's naval drones deliver warhead payload for about $289/kg, versus $735-$13,500/kg for guided missiles in our database, a real cost gap.Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickbuyingnavalunmanned systemsUkraineprocurementanti-ship missilescost analysishttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/torpedo-range-heavyweight-vs-lightweight/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/torpedo-range-heavyweight-vs-lightweight/South Korea's K761 Tiger Shark claims a 50 km range, 5.5x the US Navy's lightweight Mk 54 at 9.1 km. The gap is weight class, not a technology lead.Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisonnavaltorpedoessubmarinesprocurementhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-modular-missile-explained/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/navy-modular-missile-explained/NMM aims to replace SM-2, SM-6, and SM-3 Block IIA, whose ranges span 170-2,500 km, with one common 10-inch interceptor body and four swappable boosters.Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustrynaval systemsmissilesprocurementair defensehttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-to-air-missile-guidance-vs-range/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/air-to-air-missile-guidance-vs-range/All 15 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles in our database top out at 50 km; all 15 active-radar ones start at 60 km. Guidance, not country, sets the tier.Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickguideair-to-air missilesmissile guidancefighter jetsBVRprocurementhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/anduril-zero-price-disclosure/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/anduril-zero-price-disclosure/Anduril's 23 database entries span 8 of WeaponSpecs' 23 categories, matching decades-old primes in reach, but none of the 23 publish a price.Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickindustryandurilprocurementdefense industrial baseoriginal dataprice transparencyhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/c-17-vs-kc-46-cargo-per-km/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/c-17-vs-kc-46-cargo-per-km/The C-17 moves 7x more cargo per km of range than the KC-46 Pegasus, not because it's a better airlifter, but because tankers spend their weight budget on fuel.Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickcomparisontransport aircrafttankersairliftprocurementcomparisonhttps://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/state-of-the-arsenal-2026/https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/state-of-the-arsenal-2026/An audit of WeaponSpecs' own 1,143-system database: zero records are independently verified, and the full catalogue is now downloadable as CSV.Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTCole Merrickguidedatabasemethodologytransparencyprocurementopen data