DIB Innovators

EP 72 — Zone 5's Thomas Akers on Why Production-Focused Requirements Beat Performance Goals

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Zone 5 Technologies cut cruise missile costs from $1.5 million to $200,000 by rethinking not just the engineering, but how you build the supply chain and factory floor around cost targets from day one. Thomas Akers, CEO, shares how his team goes from contract award to weapon flight in 4 months by keeping engineers right next to the production line, writing all their own software, and doing machining in-house. When a problem hits the shop floor, an engineer can be there in a minute.

 

The real insight is what he calls their "production-focused requirement set." Instead of designing for maximum performance and then figuring out how to build it, they start with manufacturing rate targets and work backward. Every design decision serves the question: how fast can we make this weapon at scale?

 

Topics discussed:

 

  • Reducing cruise missile costs from $1.5 million to $200,000 through production-focused design and vertical manufacturing integration.
  • Achieving contract-to-flight timelines of 4 months by co-locating engineers with production staff and maintaining tight feedback loops.
  • Implementing "production-focused requirement sets" that prioritize manufacturing rate targets over maximum performance optimization in weapon design.
  • Building affordable mass missiles using turbojet propulsion at 0.7 Mach and 25,000 feet for 500-nautical-mile range capabilities.
  • Operating as a bootstrap company for 14 years without outside investors to maintain long-term strategic flexibility and control.
  • Leveraging America's existing machine shop network instead of competing for capacity at specialized defense manufacturing facilities.
  • Navigating government acquisition through OTA contracts while maintaining proprietary software development and avoiding open-source security risks.
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    DIB InnovatorsBy RADICL