Mike and Tim chat with Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren from Blue Force Technologies to hear about their experience in the defense tech sector and how they are trying to punch above their weight class—by building an unmanned fighter jet drone. ---- Links * Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge * Blue Force Technologies https://blueforcetech.com/  * Scar’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewvt/ ---- Follow us on... * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merge_newsletter * Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themergenews * Twitter https://twitter.com/MergeNewsletter * LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/themerge * Website https://www.themerge.co ---- Show Notes (01:05) intro (03:03) Scar intro (05:52) BFT (13:01) spicy take on digital engineering (15:28) BFT's SBIR experience (24:56) funding gaps (25:47) valley of death (34:47) end user vs. customer are not the same (36:18) Fury (37:35) practice squads (43:27) mission-specific vs multi-role engineering (46:30) autonomy and atrophy (48:28) speed of business vs govt (50:10) the ask – security and over-classification (52:03) Mike's spicy take (52:55) outro

E10 – Unmanned Fighter Drones

Military technology, trends, and national security...presented with unique insights, salt, and wit from combat aviator veterans and industry experts.

Fence in for interviews and anecdotes about the ins, outs, and happenings at the intersection of technology, industry, strategy, and policy of aerospace and national defense. 

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Government

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Mike hosts Andy Lowery to dig deep into directed energy weapons—specifically high-power microwave (HPM) systems.


Andy is the CEO of Epirus, a venture-backed defense tech startup inverting the cost equation of drone defense and swarm protection.

We talk about the tech, how it affects electronics, and how Epirus’ flagship product—Leonidas—is designed with adaptability and scale in mind. Turns out that HPM systems share more in common with an F-35 radar and an EA-18 jammer than a kitchen appliance!


The Army is currently in a rapid buy-and-try phase of these counter-UAS (CUAS) systems and is sending them to the Middle East. The systems have a host of other applications, though—the Navy is experimenting with them to disable boat motors, and the Air Force is also interested.


This episode is a defense tech episode you don’t want to miss!
For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #drone #drones #swarm #HPM #DEW #microwave #directedenergy


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• ⁠Andy Lowery (LinkedIn)⁠ 
• Epirus


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Show Notes
(00:47) Intro
(01:36) Epirus
(02:11) the “prime problem”
(02:43) 3 disruptions in modern warfare
(07:07) asymmetric advantage and cost imposition
(09:57) inverting the equation
(11:40) $1 billion in weapons
(11:59) Congressional hearing
(12:32) microwaves
(14:53) name origins
(17:04) serial killer vs mass murderer
(17:46) Star Trek
(18:26) Leonidas
(18:46) wicked fast tech development
(19:42) speed of technology
(20:19) inventory investment
(20:29) needs vs requirements
(22:02) Andy’s 3 careers
(29:19) product vs services
(24:32) 80/20 business model
(25:08) Thor HPM
(25:25) old school HPM
(26:03) new way of HPM
(26:20) like the next-gen jammer
(27:06) like an AESA radar
(27:32) GaN-based AESA
(30:09) designed to adapt
(31:02) how HPM actually works
(34:07) like radar jamming techniques
(35:13) YouTube video controversy
(35:58) copper tape vs HPM myth
(37:20) faraday cage concept
(38:41) copper tape studies
(40:10) a systems approach
(41:32) ballistic missile defense (BMD)
(41:57) Army IFPC program
(43:26) Army base defense charter
(43:50) SHORAD
(44:21) scenarios
(44:48) layers of SHORAD
(45:49) Anduril Industries
(46:12) layered defense problem
(46:41) GWOT killed SHORAD
(47:08) Syria and Jordan
(47:58) company culture
(49:33) government pain points
(49:59) export restrictions
(50:35) the “MRAP response” way
(51:26) 1990 policy blocker
(51:56) The FAA
(52:03) NOARD issue
(52:33) homeland defense issue
(53:45) pre-mortem
(54:43) team-of-teams approach
(56:43) the government’s budgeting problem
(58:55) boats!
(1:00:00) HPM vs other electronics
(1:02:18) airborne HPM?
(1:04:06) Epirus, the next few years
(1:06:04) factory and scale
(1:08:37) outro

E37 – High Power Microwave Weapons

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Mike hosts Perry Boyle to dive into Ukraine’s rapidly
developing defense industry.
Perry co-founded MITS Capital (Military Innovation
Technology Solutions), a US venture that just established the first defense tech accelerator in Ukraine. MITS’ vision is to revolutionize Ukraine’s defense industry by investing in Ukrainian defense tech startups, nurturing and
developing the ecosystem, and rapidly maturing and scaling military tech solutions to the front lines.
They are raising a $50M fund and just selected the first
cohorts for the accelerator.
We talk about the industry's ins and outs, compliance and
regulatory blockers, the promising upside, Ukraine’s insanely fast innovation cycle, key investing insights, “winning” vs. “losing” the war, investing in
peace, and much more.  
This episode is PACKED with insights, but we still had some fun along the way. You should expect nothing less!


For those interested in #military #ukraine #warfare
#nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #investing #venture #vc 
 
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Links
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• Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠!
• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)
• Perry Boyle (LinkedIn)
• MITS Capital
 
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Show Notes
(01:40) Intro
(02:27) Y Combinator for Ukraine defense tech
(03:10) what is an accelerator?
(04:01) what problem is MITS trying to solve
(05:28) MITS origin story
(09:11) we do read the emails
(10:43) MITS first investment
(11:32) US companies in Ukraine
(11:57) investing in Ukraine
(12:54) buy when the cannons are firing
(13:40) International support
(14:19) the US role
(14:31) Defense Innovation Unit
(15:58) US defense budget pie
(16:23) tech cycle vs. budget cycle
(17:21) adaption and iteration in Ukraine
(17:52) key investing insight
(18:15) tanks
(19:30) winning and losing
(22:35) relevancy through proximity
(23:26) grain and Kevin Bacon
(24:22) 1000 to 5
(25:33) virtuous cycle
(26:20) like Stanford and Silicon Valley
(27:52) red lines and promises
(28:51) partners and allies
(29:29) fixing corruption
(29:57) “new Ukraine”
(31:23) MITS vs Brave1
(33:17) Brave1 year 1 metrics
(34:47) Ukraine’s $10 Billion investing challenge
(39:11) magnets
(40:59) investor beware
(42:17) investing in the victory
(43:10) investing in the peace
(43:23) outro

E36 – Revolutionizing Ukraine's Defense Tech Industry

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Mike and Jake host Captain John Konrad to talk all things
Merchant Marine.
We talked about the Merchant Marine Academy, being a
merchant mariner, and how they fit into national security.
What is the Military Sealift Command thing, and why does it keep confusing the counting of Navy ships? What is the Jones Act, and why is it so political? 
The US has a ghost fleet of ships staged on both US coasts in case WWIII kicks off—but where are the people? Who were the most famous merchant mariners?
What went wrong with the USS Bonhomme Richard fire response? Why is Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge still not cleaned up?
Which US military branch is the biggest merchant mariner
customer? Hint….its NOT the Navy.
Tune in for answers to all of the above—and more!
John is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of
Fire on The Horizon. He is licensed to captain the world's largest ships, has sailed from ports worldwide, and managed billion-dollar offshore construction projects in some of the world's harshest marine environments.
This episode is PACKED with intel, but we still had some fun along the way. You should expect nothing less!
For those interested in #military #navy #mariner #sealift
#warfare #shipping #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense 
 
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• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)
• Jake Chapman X (@vc)
• John Konrad X (@johnkonrad)
• gCaptain newsletter
• Fourth Arm of Defense (free book!) 
 
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Show Notes
(01:21) Intro
(03:01) larger than aircraft carriers
(04:15) Military Sealift Command
(05:30) peacetime vs wartime
(06:18) WWII merchant mariners
(09:54) counting ships
(10:58) US-flagged ships
(11:25) Captain Phillips
(11:48) the shift away from US flags
(12:17) 85 of 50,000 ships
(13:10) The Jones Act
(14:57) railway to nowhere
(18:02) where are the people?
(20:28) Secretary Pete
(21:00) manning crisis
(23:59) 3,000 people short
(25:56) WWIII
(27:46) divested support ships
(28:58) USS Cole attack
(29:51) USS Bonhomme Richard fire
(31:19) Baltimore bridge cleanup
(32:33) USNS ship shortages
(33:28) no support, no projection
(34:26) the Air Force!?!
(35:06) the miracle of shipping containers 
(35:50) Vietnam logistics log jam
(37:20) famous merchant mariners
(39:30) sea story time!
(42:27) outro

E35 – US Merchant Marine

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Mike hosts Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn to discuss her new report: 


Evolution Not Revolution, Drone Warfare in Russia’s 2022
Invasion of Ukraine 


Stacie is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense
Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her expertise includes defense strategy, posture, force planning, the defense budget, airpower, and wargaming. Her current projects focus on the effect of drones on warfare, munitions stockpiles, and nuclear deterrence in a multipolar world.
We talked about drone tech, adaption since the 2022 invasion, innovation on both sides of the conflict, and despite all of that—what critical drone technology is still notably absent on the battlefield. 
This isn’t just about air drones…we chat drone boats too!
For those interested in #military #technology #drones
#warfare #russia #ukraine #war #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense 
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Links
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• Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠!
• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)
• Dr. Stacy Pettyjohn (LinkedIn)
• CNAS 
• Drone report 
• Girl Security 
• AI report 
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• ⁠Website⁠ 
----
Show Notes
(00:41) Intro
(03:28) drone report
(06:59) 4 bins of drones
(08:25) drone changes during the war
(10:28) Turkish TB-2 drones
(12:02) drones for air superiority?
(13:51) drone dogfighting
(14:46) the “air littoral”
(16:25) coordination altitudes
(18:57) evolution in the war
(21:16) 50,000 drones per month?
(23:37) drones vs. artillery
(26:32) wargaming
(27:26) battlefield innovations
(29:26) why not a revolution?
(31:18) where’s the AI?
(35:27) drone boats
(39:10) new largest air drones
(41:48) buying drones for war
(44:36) drones as cruise missiles
(45:41) outro

E34 – Drones in Ukraine

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Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to discuss what’s happening around the world through the lens of international relations.
John is a repeat guest—check out episode 16 to get caught up. In this episode, we discuss China, the South China Sea, the Taiwan elections, Russia in Ukraine, and even cautiously venture a bit into how US domestic
politics is muddying the waters with Ukraine aid. 
Should we even be involved? Why or why not? We look at both sides from a few perspectives you won’t hear
anywhere else. We also make a detour into AUKUS, Japan’s rebuilding of its military, and discuss what the real superpower of the US is. 
John Fowler runs International Intrigue, a daily newsletter
written by a team of former diplomats (link below!). It’s packed with great, easy-to-consume content and helps you keep a pulse on what’s happening in the world—and why it matters.


For those interested in #military #technology #strategy
#diplomacy #china #asia #security #government #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #russia #ukraine 
 
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Links
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• Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠!
• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)
• John Fowler (X)
• International Intrigue newsletter
• Dickerpicss (IG) 
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• ⁠Website⁠ 
----
Show Notes
(01:04) Intro
(05:06) China’s economic shifts
(08:14) China’s real estate crisis
(11:48) Taiwan elections
(18:22) South China Sea
(19:40) the “9-dash line”
(21:30) the Second Thomas Shoal
(31:08) coalitions and consensus
(34:37) Russia in Ukraine
(36:55) Ukraine aid in Congress
(41:02) the real superpower of the US
(45:06) the risk of hedging
(46:21) AUKUS, Japan, and China
(53:54) good for Russia, good for China
(55:11) China using history as a weapon
(58:02) outro

E10 – Unmanned Fighter Drones

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