More from Dakota Piteo
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The race for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft: Weapon of the week
More than two years ago, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall announced plans for the Air Force to build a fleet of autonomous drones to fly into combat alongside crewed platforms. Called the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), five companies were initially selected for the contract competition: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and… -
Going hypersonic with the Mako missile: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team goes hypersonic. Host Ryan Robertson talked with one of the decision-makers behind Lockheed Martin’s entry into the race: the Mako Multi-Mission Hypersonic Missile, a stand-off hypersonic weapon designed to fit the F-35A/C and F-22A. Also featured in this episode: You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare… -
Filling in capability gaps with Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic weapon: The Mako
The proliferation of hypersonic missiles and the Unites States’ position in the world relative to its near-peer adversaries presents an ongoing discussion over what weapons to prioritize and what gaps to close. Lockheed Martin’s director of Air Dominance and Strike Weapons Advanced Programs, Scott “Fish” Fisher, recently visited with Ryan Robertson to discuss Lockheed’s latest… -
Operation Hard Kill’s counter-drone warfare showcased: Weapon of the week
One of the many lessons learned from Ukraine’s war against Russia’s illegal invasion is the effectiveness of drone warfare. While the offensive advantages to drones are clear, the ability to defend troops against drones in the hands of bad actors is equally crucial. This was the motivation behind Operation Hard Kill, a critical counter-drone warfare… -
Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is shifting the lines in the war of information
A little more than a month ago, the Ukrainian military showed that it was not afraid to take the fight to Russia on Russian soil. The offensive push into Kursk Oblast caught Vladimir Putin and the rest of the world by surprise, and Russia is still trying to muster forces to mount a viable defense… -
What Ukraine’s Kursk incursion means for the war: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team takes a look at Ukraine’s switch from defense to offense with their incursion into the Kursk region of Russia. Host Ryan Robertson visited with some senior fellows from the Center for European Policy Analysis to get their assessment of what Ukraine’s offensive means for the next phase… -
Ghost Shark making waves in the Pacific: Weapon of the week
Ghosts and sharks often top the list of things people fear. It is unclear if defense contractor Anduril had this in mind when naming its advanced extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle, but the name’s attention-grabbing nature earned the Ghost Shark a feature as the weapon of the week. Ghost Shark is a product of a 2022… -
EpiSci’s AI technology shines in Silent Swarm 2024 as pilot, captain
Southern California-based software development firm EpiSci had a significant year. In May, the company participated in an effort that put Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall in the cockpit of an AI-piloted F-16 for a capabilities demonstration. Recently, EpiSci took part in Silent Swarm 2024, where it moved its AI pilot from the air… -
Testing plug-and-play AI pilots: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team met with a company taking AI pilots out of the cockpit and putting them into the captain’s chair. Host Ryan Robertson takes a look at EpiSci’s most recent effort to plug and play its AI into multiple platforms. Also featured in this episode: You can subscribe to… -
The US Army’s Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company: Weapon of the week
The U.S. Army’s multi-functional reconnaissance company (MFRC) represents a new era in combat. The war in Ukraine remains an active conflict, but the lessons learned are reshaping how American military leadership views the future of combat. Lighter, more lethal units, equipped with state of the art technology, are being seen as the way forward for… -
The US’ ironclad commitment to Israel means lots of ships, jets
The United States has a significant amount of naval and air assets in the Middle East right now. The Pentagon said those forces are “postured to support the defense of Israel and protect U.S. troops and assets in the region.” Israel’s war against Hamas is still mostly contained to Gaza, and the back-and-forth attacks with… -
Taking additive manufacturing to the fight: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team explores a solution to the military’s billion-dollar parts problem. Host Ryan Robertson looks at additive manufacturing and how military leadership sees it as a solution to boats that need repairing and planes that need maintenance by shortening the supply chain. Also featured in this episode: You can… -
Military embraces additive manufacturing to maintain aging equipment
Despite the modern advancements in America’s national defense, the military still relies heavily on decades-old equipment. The B-52 Stratofortress, the CH-47 Chinook and the M-61 Vulcan are all still in service because they remain effective. However, maintaining such old equipment presents challenges, as parts that were once easy to obtain are now scarce or no…