Today, Dan Magy welcomes back Sam Bendett, open-source intelligence expert and senior fellow at CNA, for a hard-hitting breakdown of how drone warfare is evolving at breakneck speed. 

Sam explains how Ukrainian innovation and Russian industrial adaptation are reshaping military doctrine, what happens when thousands of drones are unleashed in a single night, and how the rise of unmanned systems is exposing weaknesses in NATO’s readiness. 

From North Korean pilots learning drone tactics to France's nuclear umbrella, no geopolitical thread is left untouched.

Timestamps:
01:30 – Russian assault tactics using forward-launched FPV drones
04:20 – Drone knowledge proliferation and global risk (cartels, terrorists)
06:00 – Ukraine’s evolving defenses and Russia’s drone manufacturing scale
07:40 – 500-drone salvos: Russia’s strategic plan to overwhelm defenses
09:00 – NATO’s vulnerability and unpreparedness for high-scale drone warfare
10:40 – Ukraine’s air defense strategy and Russia’s increasing volume
12:10 – Poland’s high-tech border wall and broader European response
13:15 – France offers nuclear umbrella amid U.S. NATO uncertainty
14:45 – Why unmanned systems can’t fully replace manned operations

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.