Tactics & Tech Podcast (TTP)

Joshua Bailey

TTP is your source for interesting stories involving tech, drones, robotics and automation for Defence and industry. We've got some jaw-dropping stories from people across the globe and aim to talk about some of the challenges we're facing across Defence and industry now and want to share our vision for the future of these technologies! Your hosts, Andrew Crowe and Josh Bailey have spent years in UAS, CUAS, Robotics and Defence tech and want to democratise robotics, drones and autonomous systems, by sharing inspiring stories, education & information through podcasts, YouTube and education through our website. If you're interested in being on the show or working with us, please get in touch at info@ttpod.net or our website www.ttpod.net

  1. 23 hrs ago

    Test Your Will: Alex Bristol on Gray-Zone Drones, Power Projection and Helping Veterans Transition

    In Part 2, Alex Bristol makes the case for getting physically closer to the threat, and he's putting his money where his mouth is, heading to the Baltics and Eastern Europe to learn from the Finns, the Poles and Ukraine, because that's where the ground truth is. In conversation with host Josh Bailey, we get into the gray-zone use of uncrewed systems as a way to test a nation's will without triggering a hard response, the blurring of civil and military lines, and the constraints on counter-UAS in the homeland where kinetic, EW and laser options are largely off the table. Alex frames the geopolitical shift bluntly: power projection is back, and adversaries are probing how far they can push. The episode closes on something more personal: Unit Decode, the veteran-transition platform Alex is building, and his conviction that using AI well, being able to do the job of five to ten people, is the edge that matters coming out of service. Key takeaways Getting closer to the threat: why Alex is heading to the Baltics and Eastern Europe (15:08 to 17:14) Uncrewed systems as a gray-zone probe: testing will without a hard response (17:14 to 18:39) Civil-military blurring, and Chinese vessels fitted with missiles and drones (18:39 to 19:28) Hands tied at home: no kinetics, no EW, no lasers on the civilian front (19:28 to 21:44) Power projection is back, and the fight for firm specs on attritable systems (21:44 to 25:45) Unit Decode: rebuilding veteran transition around voice-based AI coaching (25:45 to 29:48) You can't be afraid of AI: it's a tool, not the Terminator (29:48 to 31:25) If you missed Part 1 on counter-UAS ground truth from Syria and why complexity kills, start there.

    Test Your Will: Alex Bristol on Gray-Zone Drones, Power Projection and Helping Veterans Transition

  2. 23 hrs ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: Morning Brew Daily

    Introducing Trump Charges Instant Access to Truth Posts & AMC Says Movies Are So Back from Morning Brew Daily. Follow the show: Morning Brew Daily #896: Oil prices cross the $100/barrel mark for the first time since May as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies. Trump Media plans to sell ‘real-time’ access to the President’s Truth posts. AMC shares soar after a string of box office hits, signaling the movie theater might be back and better than ever. The cyclospora outbreak is dragging down visits to many fast food chains.  Got difficult questions? Head to https://www.claude.ai/mbd to answer them.  Get tickets for our trivia tournament! https://caveat.nyc/events/the-morning-brew-trivia-tournament-2026-07-30  Grab tickets to our Performance Revue show! https://www.morningbrew.com/events/brew-performance-revue-2026?utm_campaign=performance_revue_2026&utm_source=mbd Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: Morning Brew Daily

  3. 19 July

    Simple Always Wins: Former Green Beret Alex Bristol on Counter-UAS Ground truth from Syria and Why Complexity Kills

    This week Alex Bristol joins Josh to bring something a bit different to the show: ground truth. A former US Army Special Forces Green Beret, Alex left service, felt the pull back, and last year found himself in Syria working Counter-UAS on a rocket-based project, standing on the ground as a defense contractor with, in his words, nothing in his hand. In conversation with host Josh Bailey, Alex makes a blunt case that US defense technology has built itself too complex, too costly and too slow, when the soldiers who actually have to use it, often National Guard or conscripts with limited train-up, need solutions that are stupid simple. He argues a 50 cal with a CROWS mount and an infrared sight can knock down a Shahed, and that a $73,000 pair of drones just doesn't scale. It's a hard look at the gap between what industry ships and what works when a high-threat window hits and everyone's order goes out the window. The conversation also covers how the Syrian drone threat compares to the saturation in Ukraine, and the shift toward smaller, attritable, swappable-sensor systems that units can actually afford to lose. Key takeaways From 18X-ray off the street to Green Beret, and the pull back to Syria (00:50 to 03:05) Ground truth on a rocket-based counter-UAS project, and kinetics beyond drone-on-drone (03:05 to 05:46) Syria versus Ukraine: why the threat depends on the actor and their wartime economy (05:46 to 07:40) Too complex, too costly, too slow: the case against exquisite US systems (07:40 to 09:26) When the threat window hits, order goes out: simple kit you can grab with your eyes closed (09:26 to 11:57) Attritable and swappable: a 50 cal, an hourglass, and why $73k a pair doesn't scale (11:57 to 15:08) Stick around for Part 2 next week!

    Simple Always Wins: Former Green Beret Alex Bristol on Counter-UAS Ground truth from Syria and Why Complexity Kills

  4. 28 June

    Stolen drones lead to bigger threats - DroneSec GM Darren DelSignore Pt 2

    This week Darren DelSignore returns for Part 2 of his conversation with Josh, focusing on the counter-UAS response now taking shape across the West and where DroneSec sees the next frontier of drone intelligence. Darren walks through Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the August proclamation that has driven a major uptick in US, NATO and Latin American counter-UAS activity. He details what good intelligence sharing now looks like across allies, why the world's largest stolen drone database matters (including drones stolen from US military bases as recently as last week), and how the details matter in Threat analysis - an agricultural drone seen over downtown Sydney can tell you more than a generic detection. The conversation also looks at where DroneSec is heading next, including interactive red-versus-blue simulations built into its TTP database, and why humans, not machines, remain the alpha in a counter-UAS fight. Key takeaways (00:00 to 02:30) Collective intel beats adversary speed (02:30 to 05:00) JIATF 401 mobilises the West (05:00 to 07:30) Red versus blue at scale (07:30 to 09:30) The cyber 2016 inflection point (09:30 to 12:30) Interactive TTPs and live simulations (12:30 to 15:00) Drones stolen from US bases (15:00 to 17:00) Ag drones over downtown Sydney (17:00 to 18:00) Humans hold the alpha If you missed Part 1 on the cyber parallel and the new criminal toolkit, start there.

    Stolen drones lead to bigger threats - DroneSec GM Darren DelSignore Pt 2

  5. 21 June

    Why UAS Is the Next Cyber Frontier - DroneSec GM Darren DelSignore Pt 1

    This week Darren DelSignore joins Josh for Part 1 of a conversation on the parallels between cybersecurity and UAS threat intelligence, and why drone-related risk is reaching a decade-long inflection point. Darren is the General Manager of DroneSec, joining the company after five years at Google running sales for VirusTotal, the cyber threat intelligence platform widely used across the public sector, military and intelligence community. Darren maps the current UAS threat picture onto the early days of cyber: a constantly shifting cat-and-mouse game where today's most effective counter tool can be obsolete in a year. He argues the intelligence layer matters more than any single piece of hardware, and explains how a $1,000 drone and a few hours of practice are already letting organised criminals move contraband into prisons and even lift people out of them. The conversation also covers why bureaucracy gives bad actors a real speed advantage, and why a globally shared intelligence picture is what gives the good guys a chance to keep up. Key takeaways (00:00 to 02:30) From VirusTotal to DroneSec (02:30 to 05:30) Finance, then cybersecurity, now drones (05:30 to 09:00) Why the intel layer wins (09:00 to 11:00) Today's tool, tomorrow's relic (11:00 to 13:30) $1,000 buys you a problem (13:30 to 15:00) Bad guys move faster Stick around for Part 2 next week!

    Why UAS Is the Next Cyber Frontier - DroneSec GM Darren DelSignore Pt 1

  6. 14 June

    Smart Mass: Joni Sytsma Pt 2 - on Counter-UAS Rockets, Components and Australia's Drone Future

    This week Joni Sytsma returns for Part 2 to talk about the Western drone industry's inflection point, building counter-UAS interceptors from drone components, and her vision for sovereign Australian manufacturing. Joni argues that the US ban on foreign drone components is creating a vacuum Australian makers can fill, provided they can build the picks and shovels: the autopilots, flight controllers, motors and ESCs that every platform depends on. She explains her own approach at Rocket Fast Drones, where in-house fabrication is cutting costs and reducing reliance on overseas suppliers, while a recent test flew one of her autopilots to 5,000 feet on a rocket in New South Wales. The episode also looks at her safety-first destructive testing program, why she believes smart mass delivered by rocket-launched interceptors could be a missing piece of the counter-UAS puzzle, and her vision for keeping Australia worth living in. Key takeaways (01:01 to 03:30) US bans and the Western inflection (03:30 to 07:00) Picks and shovels, not just gold (07:00 to 09:00) Big Bird and SpaceX dreams (09:00 to 11:00) Safety, thermals, walking the drone (11:00 to 13:30) Aerospace jobs for Brisbane (13:30 to 17:00) Rocket-launched counter-drone interceptors (17:00 to 19:30) Keeping Australia good If you missed Part 1, go back and catch the build-it, crash-it, rebuild-it story first.

    Smart Mass: Joni Sytsma Pt 2 - on Counter-UAS Rockets, Components and Australia's Drone Future

  7. 7 June

    Build It, Crash It, Rebuild It: Joni Sytsma on Speed, Sovereign Hardware and Saving Lives

    This week Joni Sytsma joins Josh to talk about counter-UAS, hypersonics and the engineering philosophy behind her new high-speed medical delivery drone. An aerospace engineer with a career spanning micro air vehicles, hypersonics, space launch and counter-drone systems, Joni is now founder of Rocket Fast Drones, where she is developing a VTOL platform purpose-built around the medical golden hour. Joni walks through a career arc that began building autonomous aircraft at the University of Florida in 2004, ran through US Air Force Research Laboratory (including early work on the loitering munition that became Switchblade), pivoted into hypersonics and the AIM-260 air-to-air missile, then brought her to Australia for the HiFire program, Gilmore Space, and a stint as CTO of Department 13. She also unpacks how leading the $200M iLaunch program sharpened her conviction that sovereign hardware, not software, is the real bottleneck for the entire sector. The episode also looks at her build-fly-crash-rebuild methodology, why she believes speed will define the next generation of drones, and her mission to make Australian-made medical delivery drones a reality. Key takeaways (00:00 to 03:50) From uni drones to Switchblade (03:50 to 06:00) Sequestration, hypersonics, then Australia (06:00 to 09:00) Pokemon counter-drone at Department 13 (09:00 to 11:55) iLaunch and sovereign space manufacturing (11:55 to 14:30) Rocket Fast Drones and the Western inflection (14:30 to 16:30) AeroMed 1000 and the golden hour (16:30 to 19:30) Build it, crash it, rebuild it Stick around for Part 2 next week!

    Build It, Crash It, Rebuild It: Joni Sytsma on Speed, Sovereign Hardware and Saving Lives

  8. 31 May

    From Drone Racing to the Battlefield: Keirin Joyce Part 2

    Wing Commander Keirin Joyce returns for Part 2 of his Tactics & Tech conversation, turning to where uncrewed systems are heading next. Drawing on his PhD in technology prediction, Keirin argues the hardware problems are largely a matter of time, while the real challenges lie in software, autonomy, and trust. In conversation with hosts Andrew Crowe and Josh Bailey, Keirin explains why certification has become the long pole in the tent for the whole industry, from AI-generated code that 1990s-era standards were never built to handle, to hydrogen-electric propulsion no aviation safety authority yet knows how to certify. The tension is clear: in a society that grants no trust until something is certified, regulation may be a bigger brake on progress than technology. The episode also looks at how military drone racing builds social licence for drones, opens STEM pathways into defence industry and academia, and creates adaptive sport for injured and veteran personnel. Key takeaways (00:00 to 01:15) The ScanEagle began as a tuna-spotting aircraft before soldiers repurposed it for surveillance, a perfect example of Keirin's theme that technology becomes powerful or not depending on how people use it. (02:28 to 04:55) Military drone racing is gaining momentum, with upcoming events in the US and UK, growing interest from Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, and a possible event in Australia's north around 2027. (05:22 to 06:45) Hardware is advancing steadily, but software, AI and autonomy are the hard problems, along with how to trust code a human did not write. (06:52 to 07:55) Certification is the biggest bottleneck, with software standards rooted in 1990s aircraft practice and poorly suited to AI-generated code. (08:23 to 09:55) Hydrogen-electric propulsion is a major focus for new designs, yet no safety authority anywhere has a regulation for certifying it. (09:55 to 10:55) Regulation, not technology, may be the primary constraint, with the real challenge being the balance between under and over regulation. (12:36 to 13:25) Australia has grown to around 30,000 remote pilot licences in a decade, while the regulator's capacity has not kept pace. (13:25 to 16:25) Military drone racing is building social licence, STEM and recruitment pathways, and adaptive sport for veterans, with a pitch for Invictus around 2031.

    From Drone Racing to the Battlefield: Keirin Joyce Part 2
See All (28)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

TTP is your source for interesting stories involving tech, drones, robotics and automation for Defence and industry. We've got some jaw-dropping stories from people across the globe and aim to talk about some of the challenges we're facing across Defence and industry now and want to share our vision for the future of these technologies! Your hosts, Andrew Crowe and Josh Bailey have spent years in UAS, CUAS, Robotics and Defence tech and want to democratise robotics, drones and autonomous systems, by sharing inspiring stories, education & information through podcasts, YouTube and education through our website. If you're interested in being on the show or working with us, please get in touch at info@ttpod.net or our website www.ttpod.net

Information

You Might Also Like