Drone Wars

Drone Dominance: Inside Ukraine and Russia’s Tech Arms Race - Sam Bendett | Part II


Listen Later

Part II: Attritable Warfare, UGVs, and the Future of Combat

In Part II, Sam Bendett returns to break down the real-time innovation shaping Russia and Ukraine's unmanned arsenals.

We examine the shift to fiber optic-controlled drones, the rising role of attritable assets, and how military bureaucracies are struggling to keep up with front-line innovation. Sam explains how Ukraine’s “Brave One” platform is setting a new standard for rapid drone deployment and feedback integration.

He also highlights the strategic shift toward unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), the use of drones in combined-arms operations, and the challenges Western defense tech faces in high-EW environments.

This episode paints a vivid picture of the next phase in warfare—where adaptability and scale matter more than sophistication.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Why Ukraine’s drone acquisition cycle is so fast
1:42 – Russia’s ad hoc production networks
3:34 – Russian adaptability and the “frozen middle”
5:53 – Ukraine’s Brave One platform and digital coordination
8:04 – Parallels with WWII and lessons in attrition
11:45 – EW and GPS spoofing: the invisible battle
15:13 – Balancing cost vs effectiveness in drone design
17:32 – Rise of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs)
20:07 – Ukraine’s fully unmanned assault tests
21:13 – Where to follow Sam Bendett

#DroneWarsPodcast #SamBendett #DroneWarfare #UkraineWar #RussianMilitary #OpenSourceIntel #UnmannedSystems #FiberOpticDrones #ElectronicWarfare #UGVs #DroneTechnology #MilitaryInnovation #ISR #AttritableDrones

About Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Drone WarsBy Firestorm Studios

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

6 ratings


More shows like Drone Wars

View all
This Week in Startups by Jason Calacanis

This Week in Startups

1,271 Listeners

War on the Rocks by Ryan Evans

War on the Rocks

1,065 Listeners

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast by Aviation Week Network

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

382 Listeners

a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

a16z Podcast

1,014 Listeners

Modern War Institute by Modern War Institute at West Point

Modern War Institute

768 Listeners

Founders by David Senra

Founders

1,876 Listeners

Defense & Aerospace Report by Defense & Aerospace Report, sponsored by Bell

Defense & Aerospace Report

133 Listeners

Net Assessment by War on the Rocks

Net Assessment

401 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

8,909 Listeners

Irregular Warfare Podcast by Irregular Warfare Initiative

Irregular Warfare Podcast

388 Listeners

Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute

Global Security Briefing

16 Listeners

School of War by Nebulous Media

School of War

372 Listeners

NatSec Matters by Beacon Global Strategies LLC

NatSec Matters

189 Listeners

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

450 Listeners

The Drone Ultimatum by ACS

The Drone Ultimatum

14 Listeners