Don’t miss our newsletter! That&#39;s where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike hosts an exclusive episode to discuss the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program with the 2 companies selected to build the first platforms: Anduril and General Atomics. We discuss what the companies have in common and how they both view that as one of their superpowers. We also explore the origins of the CCA program, the origins of the winning vehicle design, how the program structure is a model for innovation and more. Though they won the hardware contracts, both companies have unique software and autonomy insights, so we also discussed software as the enabler and the integration challenges of bringing these ‘loyal wingmen’ into the force. While there was a ton to agree on, they also shared unique and varying perspectives—something that you can only get when you have them in a discussion together. 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 #sofware #startup #innovation #drones #ai #autonomy #anduril #ga-asi #airplanes #airpower #airsuperority   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Anduril • General Atomics • Diem Salmon - Vice President, Air Dominance and Strike at Anduril • Mike Atwood - Vice President, Advanced Programs at General Atomics ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ • Instagram⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- Show Notes 00:48 CCA intro 02:00 company intros 06:01 why the push for CCAs? 07:26 exploring the CCA space 09:09 origins of the winning designs 10:16 2 for 1 - win win 11:55 software 12:43 the software part is the hardest 14:33 the shift in trust in kill chains 15:01 Skyborg 15:40 trust and blending 16:25 delegation via trust or necessity 17:53 the need to get it into operators hands 18:47 DOTMLPF-P 19:11 teaming 19:44 starting simple 20:29 starting with complexity 22:09 iteration is the pathway 22:55 CCA program structure 26:56 capability efficiency vs resiliency 28:35 groundbreaking challenges 29:04 solving system-level optimization 31:13 culture change 31:36 F-16 Auto GCAS 32:50 MAGIC CARPET 34:14 composites for scale? 38:31 the future 41:27 closing thoughts 42:43 outro

The Merge

E39 – Anduril & General Atomics CCAs

Don’t miss our newsletter! That&#39;s where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar to talk about software-defined warfare, defense modernization, and all the things we’d change to drive innovation to help the warfighter. Shyam started as employee #13 at 23 and slowly climbed the ranks of the largest and fastest-growing US defense software company. No topic is off limits—including how and why Palantir sued the Army…and won. For a conversation with a software tech executive, we spent most of the time talking about culture, leadership mentalities, history, and structure changes that are as relevant in the Pentagon as they are in any other industry. Of course, no episode would be complete without some lively banter and spicy takes! For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #sofware #startup #leadership #innovation #palantir   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Shyam Sankar (LinkedIn) • Shyam Sankar (X) • Palantir   ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- Show Notes (00:58) intro (2:07) Shyam early years (02:59) Palantir early days (04:56) security clearance moat (06:43) Palantir&#39;s software thesis (07:51) outspoken CTO (09:12) urgency without panic (10:16) WWII ramp to production (11:06) best at software (12:24) suing the Army (18:14) focus on winning (19:14) hard-headed leadership (20:16) the real tragedy of the last supper (21:36) consolidation of opportunities (23:55) F-35 Joint Program Office (24:25) flourishing ideas to deal with uncertainty (25:04) process creates mediocracy (25:24) the power of options (27:01) software-defined warfare (27:16) deductive vs inductive reasoning (27:48) hardware vs software company structures (28:53) The Army’s TITAN program (30:28) when govt left the engineering to industry (33:33) business idea - help 0 to 1 (34:11) multi-vendor ecosystems (36:19) government-provided tools for success (38:10) commercial R&D explosion (38:21) conviction with commercial tech (38:53) military labs (39:34) DJI vs General Atomics (40:07) wild idea - make the primes more valuable (41:47) value vs cost (44:16) the next few years (45:23) kill chains and value chains (46:03) car sensors to tank sensors (46:57) sustainment incentive mismatch (47:58) attacking the sustainment tail (49:04) spicy take (49:15) creating multiple buyers (49:39) multiple program offices competing (49:58) make programs compete with each other (52:12) undeclared state of emergency (52:39) save the shire (53:26) more LOTR geekery (53:51) outro

E38 – Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar: REAL defense innovation

Don’t miss our ⁠newsletter! 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 ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠⁠⁠amazing newsletter⁠⁠⁠! • Support us on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠! • ⁠⁠Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)⁠ • ⁠Andy Lowery (LinkedIn)⁠ • Epirus ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- 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

Don’t miss our newsletter! 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&#39;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   ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Perry Boyle (LinkedIn) • MITS Capital   ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- 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

Don’t miss our newsletter! 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&#39;s largest ships, has sailed from ports worldwide, and managed billion-dollar offshore construction projects in some of the world&#39;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   ----   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • John Konrad X (@johnkonrad) • gCaptain newsletter • Fourth Arm of Defense (free book!)   ----   Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ----   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

Don’t miss our newsletter! 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 ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Dr. Stacy Pettyjohn (LinkedIn) • CNAS • Drone report • Girl Security • AI report ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠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

Don’t miss our newsletter! 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    ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • John Fowler (X) • International Intrigue newsletter • Dickerpicss (IG) ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠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

E33 – Keeping up Foreign Relations

Our lowdown of the week&#39;s military tech happenings. We release these in between our more in-depth discussions to keep our audience up to speed. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

E32 – Lowdown 3.26.24

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host Dr. Christine (Chris) Michienzi, supply chain expert and former senior Pentagon executive, on the US government’s recently released National Defense Industrial Strategy—plan to revive its fragile defense industrial base. With 30 years of experience in this sector, she was recently the Chief Technology Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy and the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. Chris knows all the ins and outs of the woes of the industrial base—she saw the issues first-hand when she led the Pentagon’s efforts to surge munition production lines to support Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Hear just how big the problem is—and how it’s WAY harder to fix than it may sound. For those interested in #defense #military #business #technology #nationalsecurity #industry #supplychains #logistics ---- Links! • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Chris Michienzi (LinkedIn) • 2023 National Defense Industrial Strategy ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:27) Intro (02:36) investing supply chains (6:26) CTO of the supply chain office (8:11) what is the Defense Industrial Base? (9:52) the 2023 NDIS   (17:16) efficiency vs resiliency (23:40) don’t compare this to WWII (26:52) multi-year buy authorities (30:28) reverse engineering obsolete parts (31:40) ball bearings (33:28) incentivize companies? (35:05) the investor side of the equation (37:10) solid rocket motors (40:15) what does success look like? (42:10) the F-35 magnet story (44:03) how supply chain visibility doesn’t work (45:58) Chinse brushless motors (48:31) COVID-19 raised supply chain awareness (49:31) crystal ball of badness (51:33) isolation the solution? (54:11) magic wand for Chris (56:21) metrics for success (59:30) outro

E31 – The plan to fix the US military's industrial base

Our lowdown of the week&#39;s military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! mandatoryfunday IG post we refer to at the end ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

E30 – Lowdown 2.20.24

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host John Ferry to discuss the ins & outs and the highs & lows of trying to sell tech to the Pentagon, and the US government—how it really works. Warning: We had a ton of fun—maybe a bit too much. This episode is full of spicy takes and unvarnished thoughts and opinions based on 15+ years of experience and scar tissue. Hang on for a ride deep down the rabbit hole of govcon and fedtech nerdiness, but we make it out ok at the end—discussing the next AI vs. AI front. For those interested in #defense #military #business #technology #nationalsecurity ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • John Ferry (LinkedIn) • Rogue.com ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:10) John Ferry (08:30) coming out of the shell (10:52) selected not funded (wtf!) (11:22) confessions of a SBIR scorer (14:06) GovCon Merit Badges (17:57) SBIR “consultants” (19:50) SBIR mills (21:56) founder horror story (26:05) John’s creative process (29:48) PowerPoint Ranger (32:43) change the industry vs change yourself (34:17) the same, but also never easier (43:38) play the game, roll the dice (44:50) pump those numbers up! (cost plus) (46:06) recent fixed-price pushback (50:42) using AI to write government proposals (54:57) AI vs AI proposal writing/scoring (1:00:10) outro

E29 – Inside Look on Selling Tech to the Pentagon

Our lowdown of the week&#39;s military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

E28 – Lowdown 2.8.24

Our lowdown of the week&#39;s military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

E27 – Lowdown 1.30.24

Our lowdown of the week&#39;s military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ 

E26 – Lowdown 1.23.24

In the latest episode of The Merge Podcast, Mike sat down with Joe DeAntona, Raytheon vice president, Requirements & Capabilities, Land & Air Defense Systems, to discuss the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) a product that re-purposes AIM-120 and AIM-9X missiles for air defense. They cover various topics, including the system&#39;s capabilities, its deployment in different countries, its success in combat situations (including Ukraine), and its potential applications. They also talk about system flexibility, collaboration with partners like Kongsberg, recent developments, and a demo conducted to enhance the system&#39;s capabilities, especially in countering cruise missiles.   Show notes: ●     Introducing Mike [01:05] ●     Joe’s background [03:30] ●     Overview of NASAMS and its capabilities [04:29] ●     The key part of NASAMS [06:39] ●     Different generations of NASAMS, and where it is in the U.S. military [11:13] ●     The key elements of NASAMS [19:45] ●     Discussion on ground-based air missiles [23:20] ●     Raytheon’s history, and the IRAD project [33:13] ●     NASAMS’ successful demonstration supported by the U.S. Air Force [38:00] ●     Discussion on radars [41:57] ●     NASAMS involvement in the IFPC [48:00] ●     NASAMS&#39; combat success and its deployment in Ukraine [54:53] ●     On developing a counter cruise missile solution [01:05:18]   Links: ●     Sign up for our newsletter⁠ ●     Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ ●     Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)   Follow us: ●     ⁠Instagram⁠ ●     ⁠Facebook⁠ ●     X (Twitter)⁠ ●     LinkedIn⁠ ●     ⁠Website⁠

E25 – Ground-Launched AIM-120s!

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. Brought to you by The Merge newsletter.

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