What if the First Responder Wasn't Human? - Brett Kanda | Part II
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy continues his conversation with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. In Part II, Brett offers his expert predictions on the future of the drone industry, the emerging threat of nefarious drone use, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur in deep tech.Brett shares his candid thoughts on the drone industry's biggest surprises, from the saturation of the consumer market to the game-changing use of FPV drones in Ukraine. He explains why the next decade will be the "golden years" for the industry, driven by a changing global supply chain, new FAA regulations, and the relentless advance of automation.Join us as Brett provides invaluable advice for the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs, drawing on lessons from his unique career as a top-ranked amateur golfer and a drone industry pioneer.Learn why being good at losing is a critical skill, why you should be "absolutely relentless," and how the industry is shifting from manual control to a future of seamless, automated operations.LinkedIn: ( www.linkedin.com/in/brett-kanda-78168583/ )Flock Safety Website: www.flocksafety.comwww.launchfirestorm.com/Timestamps:01:24 - The Biggest Surprise in a Decade of Drones01:50 - Why the DJI Monopoly Is Over02:56 - Welcome to Drone War 1: Lessons from Ukraine03:55 - The Threat of Nefarious Drones07:43 - Why the Next 10 Years are the Golden Years for Drones09:12 - When Drones Become Boring: The Future of Automation12:15 - The One Thing I Share with Tiger Woods13:50 - The #1 Piece of Advice for My Younger Self15:05 - Why Entrepreneurs Need to Be Good at Losing17:31 - How to Get Hired in the Drone Industry19:50 - Where to Find and Follow Brett Kanda20:02 - Outro#DroneWars #PublicSafety #DFR #FlockSafety #BrettKanda #CounterUAS #DroneIndustry #UAS #FutureOfWarfare #Entrepreneurship #CareerAdvice #VentureCapitalAbout 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.
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What if the First Responder Wasn't Human? - Brett Kanda | Part I
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. Brett pulls back the curtain on the revolutionary "Drone as a First Responder" (DFR) program, explaining how automated drones are transforming law enforcement and public safety.Brett shares his unique journey from being one of the original pioneers in the drone industry back in 2012 to leading the charge in deploying DFR systems across the country. He reveals critical lessons learned from the early days of strapping GoPros to Phantom drones, working with the FAA, and scaling drone operations for public safety.Join us as we explore the massive technological shifts that are enabling police departments to respond to emergencies in under 90 seconds, clear a significant percentage of calls without dispatching an officer, and enhance transparency with their communities. Brett explains how this technology is no longer a futuristic fantasy but a practical solution being implemented today.LinkedIn: ( www.linkedin.com/in/brett-kanda-78168583/ )Flock Safety Website: www.flocksafety.comwww.launchfirestorm.com/Timestamps:00:00 - The Future of Law Enforcement01:10 - Introducing Brett Kanda, Head of Aviation at Flock Safety01:43 - A Friendship Forged in Diapers02:40 - The "Wild West" of the Early Drone Industry03:30 - From Golf Courses to Crime Fighting: The Evolution of a Drone Business04:15 - Learning the Ropes: From Film School to FAA Test Sites06:30 - Inside Look at a Global Drone Industry Leader08:00 - The Tragic Inspiration Behind a Public Safety Drone Company11:26 - What is "Drone as a First Responder" (DFR)?12:27 - Why Every Police Chief Wants DFR13:13 - The Surprising Stat: Clearing 25% of Calls with Drones18:01 - Gaining Community Trust for Police Drones19:15 - Is DFR Working? The 86-Second Response Time21:00 - DFR 1.0 vs 2.0: Removing the Human from the Rooftop22:48 - The Future is Now: What DFR 3.0 Looks Like24:00 - How Drones Are Ending High-Speed Chases26:22 - My Prediction for the Drone Industry in the Next Decade26:55 - Outro#DroneWars #PublicSafety #DFR #FlockSafety #BrettKanda #PoliceDrone #LawEnforcement #Robotics #AutonomousSystems #UAS #Drones #FirstResponders #Podcast #AI #FutureOfPolicingAbout 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.
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What Top VCs Look For in Defense: Beyond Just Great Tech | Aaron Jacobson
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Aaron Jacobson, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and the lead investor in Firestorm's Series A. Aaron pulls back the curtain on what top-tier venture capitalists look for when investing in the future of robotics, autonomy, and defense technology.Aaron shares his unique journey from a young gamer obsessed with StarCraft and EverQuest to a leading investor shaping the future of deep tech. He reveals the critical lessons he learned from working on a DARPA-funded robotics project and why he believes the most effective solutions are often the simplest.Join us as we explore the massive geopolitical and technological shifts that are forcing the U.S. and its allies to rethink military strategy, and why Aaron believes the "Zergling rush" — overwhelming an adversary with mass-produced, low-cost, attritable systems — is no longer a video game fantasy, but a strategic imperative.Twitter: @aaronejLinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronejacobson/)NEA Website: www.nea.comwww.launchfirestorm.com/Timestamps:00:00 - The Biggest Mistake in Robotics00:26 - Introducing Aaron Jacobson, Lead Investor from NEA01:05 - From Gamer to Tech Geek to Venture Capitalist02:07 - The DARPA Robot That Changed Everything02:51 - Why I Joined NEA: The Dream Job for a Tech Futurist04:06 - What is NEA? A Venture Firm Built for Generational Companies05:39 - The Most Important Question: What Were Your Favorite Video Games?06:18 - How StarCraft Explains the Future of Warfare07:29 - The "Zergling Rush" Strategy for Modern Defense08:17 - Where Do Autonomous Systems Fit in Today's World?09:55 - How Robots Will Reshape Global Industries10:07 - My Controversial Take: Humanoid Robots Are a Mistake11:38 - How a VC Picks a Winner in a 10-Year Arms Race14:34 - The Investment Thesis for Defense-First Technology15:23 - Why Now? The Geopolitical Shift Forcing Innovation19:10 - The #1 Thing I Wish I Knew When I Started in Venture Capital20:40 - My Prediction for Autonomous Systems in the Next Decade23:20 - Why We Chose to Invest in Firestorm25:48 - Where to Find and Follow Aaron Jacobson26:11 - Outro#DroneWars #DefenseTech #VentureCapital #NEA #AaronJacobson #Firestorm #MilitaryTechnology #Robotics #AutonomousSystems #UAS #Drones #Investing #Podcast #StarCraft #AI #FutureOfWarfareAbout 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.
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Warfare Rewritten: From DIY Drones to State-Scale Swarms - Sam Bendett | Part II
In Part II of our interview with Sam Bendett, Dan Magy continues the deep dive into how unmanned systems are transforming modern warfare—this time, focusing on the maritime domain. Sam explores how commercial tech is enabling smaller nations to rival traditional naval powers, why large legacy systems like aircraft carriers may soon be vulnerable, and how even civilian cargo ships could be weaponized through modular drone-launch systems. They also discuss the implications of proxy conflict, containerized drones, and how global shipping may be the next front in the drone war era.Timestamps:01:04 – Maritime drones go global: Taiwan, Turkey, Saronic03:00 – Aircraft carriers vs. $200K boats: The power shift05:30 – Ghost fleets: Modular, hidden, and fast08:00 – When navies finally adapt: The “incident” theory10:15 – Iran & China’s DIY drone carriers13:30 – Civilian ships as drone platforms: The ethical gray zone16:00 – Global shipping under threat: Red Sea to piracy-proof tankers19:00 – Defense primes for commercial fleets?20:30 – Proxy war, satellite intel, and global coordinationTwitter/X: @SamBendettLinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-bendett-06996018/)#DroneWarfare #UkraineWar #RussiaMilitary #FPVdrones #UnmannedSystems #SamBendett #Firestorm #DronePodcast #ElectronicWarfare #MilitaryTech #DefenseTech #UGV #USV #NATO #DroneTactics #DroneSwarmAbout 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.
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Warfare Rewritten: From DIY Drones to State-Scale Swarms - Sam Bendett | Part I
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.
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.
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