Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense!
Mike and Jake host Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm.
Firestorm’s mission is to democratize the air by re-imaging the way drones are built.
They developed a method to 3D-print modular drones at the point of need, using a combination of shipping-container-based factories and localized supply chains. Best of all, the drones themselves are modular—from props to jets, AI to sensors, etc.
The conversation went deep into “the why”: how Ukraine led to Firestorm, the real-time changing of the guard on how the Air Force thinks about building a credible force in light of all this, the exciting concept of attritable mass, rapidly innovating via crash-and-learn, and some history to boot.
This is an episode you don’t want to miss!
For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #ukraine #drone #drones #battlefield #warfare
Links
• Sign up for our amazing newsletter!
• Support us on Patreon!
----
Follow us on...
• X
----
Show Notes
01:00 intro
01:28 counter-UAS startup
01:59 Ukraine starts Firestorm
03:43 the future is RF-denied
04:43:05 Firestorm name origin
05:22 competing in a crowded drone market
06:39 air superiority in the future
06:49 rapid iteration
07:09 Dan’s LinkedIn
08:16 adversaries are sharing tech and tactics
08:51 battle lab of the world
09:36 the pace of evolution - on LinkedIn
10:22 2-week evolution cycles
12:35 drones as physical decoys
13:28 cardboard drones must be honored
14:02 thermite dropping drones
14:32 keeping pace with battlefield innovation
16:00 Investors growing weary?
17:44 high-low mix
19:43 jet-powered drone
20:17 modular propulsion
20:58 autonomy differentiator
21:52 solving for non-recurring engineering
23:23 product iteration
24:08 crash and learn
25:47 failing fast - cost-effectiveness
26:48 VC investing
28:05 attritable mass
28:15 Ukraine's drone capacity
29:59 expeditionary manufacturing
31:15 localizing supply chains
33:47 attrition, reconstitution, and risk
36:25 attrition and operations
38:19 changing of the guard moment
39:50 personal risk?
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com