Warfare Rewritten: From DIY Drones to State-Scale Swarms - Sam Bendett | Part I

08/07/2025 15 min Temporada 2
Warfare Rewritten: From DIY Drones to State-Scale Swarms - Sam Bendett | Part I

Listen "Warfare Rewritten: From DIY Drones to State-Scale Swarms - Sam Bendett | Part I"

Episode Synopsis

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 drones04:20 – Drone knowledge proliferation and global risk (cartels, terrorists)06:00 – Ukraine’s evolving defenses and Russia’s drone manufacturing scale07:40 – 500-drone salvos: Russia’s strategic plan to overwhelm defenses09:00 – NATO’s vulnerability and unpreparedness for high-scale drone warfare10:40 – Ukraine’s air defense strategy and Russia’s increasing volume12:10 – Poland’s high-tech border wall and broader European response13:15 – France offers nuclear umbrella amid U.S. NATO uncertainty14:45 – Why unmanned systems can’t fully replace manned operationsAbout 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.