The Merge

The Merge
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The Merge

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.

  1. VOR 1 TAG

    E43 – The Laser-Guided Bomb

    Sign up for our ⁠newsletter, where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Speaking of knowledge bombs, Mike hosts Ed Cobleigh to talk about Paveway: the laser-guided bomb. Ed flew 375 combat missions during the Vietnam War in the F-4 Phantom and was one of the first people to drop the Paveway laser-guided bomb in combat. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and went on to attend Fighter Weapons School, where he remained in order to stand up the guided weapons division and teach Paveway LGB employment. Ed’s had a wild life beyond the Air Force and is now an author with 5 books (and counting). This episode covers not just the tech and tactics but also a first-person account of dropping LGBs in combat 56 years ago!   ---- Links • ⁠newsletter⁠⁠! • Support us on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠! • ⁠Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)⁠ • ⁠Ed’s website⁠ • ⁠Ed’s books on Amazon⁠ ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠• Instagram⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠   ---- Show Notes 00:34 intro 01:58 How Ed got to Vietnam 02:31 background of guided bombs 03:35 Paveway history 07:19 Project White Lightning 09:03 the first laser designator 10:19 Dropping the LGBs 12:15 results from the first tests 14:00 training for the first LGB drop 15:04 Zot nickname 17:49 Ed's 2nd tour 20:17 Navy gets Paveway 22:21 teaching LGBs at Nellis 23:45 Red Flag 25:16 Targeting Pods 26:57 Linebacker 1972 27:56 Dragons Jaw Bridge 29:51 Paveway’s legacy 30:46 F-117 and Paveway 32:37 Paveway III 34:29 Paveway lawsuit 35:26 Ed's books 37:45 outro For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #F4 #vietnam #aviation #airplanes #aerospace

    38 Min.

  2. 20. OKT.

    E42 – B-52 BUFF modernization

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike hosts Col. Joseph Little, callsign “Little Joe,” to discuss how the US Air Force is modernizing the legendary B-52 BUFF to keep it flying into the 2050s—100 years after its first flight. Col Little is a B-52 Weapons Systems Officer, a US Air Force Weapons School graduate, a former test squadron commander, and currently serving as the Detachment 5 Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC), where he oversees the B-52J program. The B-52J modernization program is a $48 Billion transformation designed to extend the bomber's life into the 2060s. It includes new engines, advanced cockpits, upgraded radar, and more, making it the most significant overhaul in the aircraft's history. This episode covers not just the tech but also tactics, weapons, historical milestones, and untold war stories. Whether you're a fan of military aviation or interested in strategic operations, this insider’s look at the B-52 is a must-listen! For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #b52 #BUFF #bomber #aviation #airplanes #aerospace   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Joseph Little (LinkedIn) • AFOTEC, Det 5 (LinkedIn)   ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ • Instagram⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- Show Notes 00:49 intro 03:24 yesterday vs today 04:57 B-52 in 2024 05:17 changing the crew roles 05:53 bombardier wings 06:12 The youngest oldest B-52s 08:04 BUFF origins 08:39 Orange BUFF 10:14 test units 11:13 test lessons from Vietnam 13:32 B-52 modernization 14:40 the B-52J 16:18 radar upgrade 21:15 quad crew concept 23:29 Fox-4 kill 24:30 new engines - why 8? 28:22 fixing the tanker bill 28:46 Iraqi Freedom tankers 30:10 engine nacelle issues 32:20 testing validated the model 33:05 rest of the engine mods 35:10 alert start requirements 36:21 cockpit upgrades 38:15 BUFF legacy - James Earl Jones 39:01 culture and change 42:49 the nuke consideration 43:29 AEHF radio upgrade 44:50 B-52 nose job? 46:54 Story 1 - aerial mining 48:44 Story 2 - CBU-105 combat drop 52:05 brakes? 52:51 outro

    54 Min.

  3. 15. SEPT.

    E41 – Firestorm

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm. Firestorm’s mission is to democratize the air by re-imaging the way drones are built. They developed a method to 3D-print modular drones at the point of need, using a combination of shipping-container-based factories and localized supply chains. Best of all, the drones themselves are modular—from props to jets, AI to sensors, etc. The conversation went deep into “the why”: how Ukraine led to Firestorm, the real-time changing of the guard on how the Air Force thinks about building a credible force in light of all this, the exciting concept of attritable mass, rapidly innovating via crash-and-learn, and some history to boot. 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 #innovation #ukraine #drone #drones #battlefield #warfare   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Dan Magy (LinkedIn) • Firestorm website ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ • Instagram⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- Show Notes 01:00 intro 01:28 counter-UAS startup 01:59 Ukraine starts Firestorm 03:43 the future is RF-denied 04:43:05 Firestorm name origin 05:22 competing in a crowded drone market 06:39 air superiority in the future 06:49 rapid iteration 07:09 Dan’s LinkedIn 08:16 adversaries are sharing tech and tactics 08:51 battle lab of the world 09:36 the pace of evolution - on LinkedIn 10:22 2-week evolution cycles 12:35 drones as physical decoys 13:28 cardboard drones must be honored 14:02 thermite dropping drones 14:32 keeping pace with battlefield innovation 16:00 Investors growing weary? 17:44 high-low mix 19:43 jet-powered drone 20:17 modular propulsion 20:58 autonomy differentiator 21:52 solving for non-recurring engineering 23:23 product iteration 24:08 crash and learn 25:47 failing fast - cost-effectiveness 26:48 VC investing 28:05 attritable mass 28:15 Ukraine's drone capacity 29:59 expeditionary manufacturing 31:15 localizing supply chains 33:47 attrition, reconstitution, and risk 36:25 attrition and operations 38:19 changing of the guard moment 39:50 personal risk?

    42 Min.

  4. 25. AUG.

    E40 – Air Force Weapons Czar

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Andrew Hunter, the US Air Force’s chief weapons buyer. As the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (ATL), he oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition activities totaling an annual budget in excess of $60 billion for more than 550 acquisition programs. He is the principal adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff for research and development, test, production and modernization efforts within the Air Force. We talked about how he’s driving acquisition innovation and shaping the Air Force for great power competition. The discussion ranged from the good and bad on specific weapons programs—the B-21 bomber and Sentinel ICBM—negotiating the E-7 Wedgetail deal, workforce development, industry incentive alignment on price vs value, and a ton more. He even shared some new Collaborative Combat Aircraft insights that have not been made public before. 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 #innovation   Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Jake Chapman X (@vc)   ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ • Instagram⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Website⁠   ---- Show Notes 00:34 intro 01:07 why a civilian weapons buyer? 02:07 how to keep track of 500+ programs 02:42 PEOs 03:48 the aquisitions perfect storm 06:02 cost plus vs fixed price contracts 08:01 E-7 Wedgetail negotiations 09:46 phone-a-friend negotiator 12:23 B-21 bomber 14:13 B-21 active management 15:47 B-21's unique hybrid contract 19:41 commercial vs defense markets 20:18 maintaining competition in industry 21:15 competition and investing signals 22:32 structuring the market for industry 25:00 government architectures to lower switching costs 27:13 workforce development 29:58 Sentinel ICBM cost over-run 30:07 Nunn-Mccurdy Breach 31:01 too big for 1 company? 33:44 New 'Quickstart' authority 35:58 watching the CCA engineering 36:16 non-traditionals forced to traditional prime? 37:46 Elon Musk for Pentagon processes? 39:10 CCA landing gear development 40:19 what keeps you up at night? 40:36 the pacing challenge 41:17 outro

    42 Min.

  5. 29. JUNI

    E39 – Anduril & General Atomics CCAs

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That'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

    43 Min.

  6. 16. JUNI

    E38 – Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar: REAL defense innovation

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That'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'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

    54 Min.

  7. 2. JUNI

    E37 – High Power Microwave Weapons

    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

    1 Std. 10 Min.

  8. 26. MAI

    E36 – Revolutionizing Ukraine's Defense Tech Industry

    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'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

    44 Min.
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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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