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PODCAST

Drone Wars

Firestorm Studios

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.

technology entrepreneurship

All Episodes

42:40

The AI Arms Race with China: Andy Markoff

Drone Wars ·

2026/02/11

Andy Markoff is a former Special Operations Officer in the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, and currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Smack Technologies, which uses deep reinforcement learning and machine learning to accelerate critical decision-making from the command center to the front lines. Dan and Andy discuss speeding up military kill-chains and command decisions for better "decision dominance" in future conflicts, especially amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions. About Drone Wars Firesto...

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37:52

Ukraine Has the BEST Drones in the World: Lito Part IV

Drone Wars ·

2026/02/04

Lito Villanueva is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a communications specialist, and was most recently a combat drone pilot in Ukraine. Born in the Philippines and raised in a military family in California, he served in the Air Force before working with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and supporting Joint Special Operations Command through a Special Missions Unit. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lito volunteered on the ground, initially delivering humanitarian aid ...

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32:22

Combat Drone Pilot in Ukraine Speaks Out: Lito Part III

Drone Wars ·

2026/02/04

Lito Villanueva is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a communications specialist, and was most recently a combat drone pilot in Ukraine. Born in the Philippines and raised in a military family in California, he served in the Air Force before working with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and supporting Joint Special Operations Command through a Special Missions Unit. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lito volunteered on the ground, initially delivering humanitarian aid ...

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25:54

Arriving On the Frontlines of Ukraine: Lito Part II

Drone Wars ·

2026/02/04

Lito Villanueva is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a communications specialist, and was most recently a combat drone pilot in Ukraine. Born in the Philippines and raised in a military family in California, he served in the Air Force before working with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and supporting Joint Special Operations Command through a Special Missions Unit. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lito volunteered on the ground, initially delivering humanitarian aid ...

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24:33

How He Ended Up Fighting in Ukraine: Lito Part I

Drone Wars ·

2026/02/04

Lito Villanueva is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a communications specialist, and was most recently a combat drone pilot in Ukraine. Born in the Philippines and raised in a military family in California, he served in the Air Force before working with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and supporting Joint Special Operations Command through a Special Missions Unit. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lito volunteered on the ground, initially delivering humanitarian aid ...

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22:34

A Century of Drone Wars: Most Prominent Shifts in UAV...

Drone Wars ·

2026/01/28

This episode dives into the most prominent shifts in the combat history of UAVs. Dan covers UAV tech from the following eras: Radio-Controlled Aerial Weapons (WWI 1917). Reconnaissance UAVs (Cold War & Vietnam1950s-1970s). UAVs in the 90s (Desert Storm). UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan (2001-2021). Mass-Scale, Low-Cost Drone Warfare (Russia-Ukraine War, 2022 - Present). About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores...

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26:07

The West’s New Defense Marketplace: Mike Sims Part II

Drone Wars ·

2026/01/21

Mike Sims is the Co-Founder and CEO of Empirium, a unified marketplace platform connecting verified buyers and suppliers across aerospace, defense and manufacturing. This convo covers: Why China dominates 45% of global manufacturing & how we became dangerously dependent. Building a trusted defense/aerospace marketplace. Amplifying the voices of end-users. About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of...

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22:35

Becoming a Marine Raider Post 9/11: Mike Sims Part I

Drone Wars ·

2026/01/21

Mike Sims is the Co-Founder and CEO of Empirium, a unified marketplace platform connecting verified buyers and suppliers across aerospace, defense and manufacturing. This episode covers: 9/11 moment that made him drop everything to join the fight. Arabic language mastery. Becoming a Marine Raider. About 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 t...

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23:10

Taiwan, China and the Future of Drone Wars: Ellen...

Drone Wars ·

2026/01/08

Ellen Chang is a deep-tech investor focused on the maritime and space domains. She is Managing Director at CapZone Impact Investments, and Co-Founder and Co-President of Wharton Aerospace. She served the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Officer, later working on JP Morgan’s aerospace team and founding a B2B aviation parts sourcing startup. She spent 12 years at Northrop Grumman, holding leadership roles across systems engineering, program management, and advanced systems, with work spann...

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28:23

Taiwan’s Strategy and Scaling Tech for Modern...

Drone Wars ·

2026/01/08

Ellen Chang is a deep-tech investor focused on the maritime and space domains. She is Managing Director at CapZone Impact Investments, and Co-Founder and Co-President of Wharton Aerospace. She served the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Officer, later working on JP Morgan’s aerospace team and founding a B2B aviation parts sourcing startup. She spent 12 years at Northrop Grumman, holding leadership roles across systems engineering, program management, and advanced systems, with work...

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29:36

Winning the Pacific with xCell: Chad McCoy

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/31

Chad McCoy is a Co-Founder and the Chief Growth Officer at Firestorm Labs. He’s a Special Operations Veteran and retired Chief Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron. The convo covers: -Importance of a military background as a defense tech founder. -Speeding up DoD adoption. -Firestorm’s strategy. -Winning the Pacific. About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground...

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15:22

Most Viral Drone Moments of 2025

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/24

Dan reacts to his 12 most viral drone moments on LinkedIn of 2025. Check out his top posts below: 12. Counter UAS Fishing 11. Chinese Robo-Cop Drone 10. Counter UAS Fishing Nets 9. Autonomous Aerial Construction 8. Russia’s Pearl Harbor 7. Tempest in a Suitcase 6. The Quad Bomber 5. Balloon-Launched 'Eagle' 4. Robo Dog Drone 3. Liaowan-1 2. Narco Sub 1. Chicken drone About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems ...

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25:15

3D Printed Drones, Ukraine Lessons & Fixing DOD Lag:...

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/17

Joslyn Tarr is a seasoned UAS engineering leader with deep expertise in aircraft development and systems engineering. She’s worked for several defense companies including Kratos and General Atomics, loves all things aviation and is currently pursuing her private pilot's license. Not to mention she’s our very own Senior Vice President of Engineering here at Firestorm Labs. This convo covers: - Working for a defense prime vs a startup. - 3-D printing drones. - ...

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8:50

Jamie Dimon Drops a Bombshell for U.S. Defense: Dan...

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/10

Jamie Dimon is the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, a global financial services firm with assets of $3.2 trillion and operations worldwide. He’s been one of the most influential voices on Wall Street for the last 2 decades. JP Morgan Chase recently announced the Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance and invest advanced manufacturing, defense, energy, AI and quantum computing. Dan reacts to Dimon’s recent remarks at the America Business Forum as...

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28:19

The Truth About Being a Defense Entrepreneur: Larsen...

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/04

Larsen Jenson is a 2x Olympic medalist, former U.S. Navy Seal and founder of Harpoon Ventures and Vector Defense. Their convo covers: - Founders must thrive in discomfort. - Startup failure in the U.S. vs other countries. - Why Harpoon invested in Firestorm. 00:00 – Intro. 01:41 – The Origin Story: From almond farming to Olympic Silver and Bronze medals. 04:10 – Joining the Navy SEALs: Seeing the technology gap on the battlefield. 06:15 – The Psychology of Success: Being comfortable in unco...

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23:16

America’s Defense Tech Revolution: Larsen Jenson Part I

Drone Wars ·

2025/12/03

Larsen Jenson is a 2x Olympic medalist, former U.S. Navy Seal and founder of Harpoon Ventures and Vector Defense. They dive into: - Founding one of the first defense tech VCs before anyone in Silicon Valley cared. - Geopolitical urgency and rapid tech progress. - VC trends: why physical products are making a comeback. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: The "Tequila Story" and the shift in defense investing. 01:23 – Guest Introduction: Larsen Jensen and the Harpoon Ventures mission. 03:04 – Defining...

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11:58

Defense Tech Founder Reacts to Palmer Luckey on Rogan

Drone Wars ·

2025/11/26

Founder of Anduril, Palmer Luckey recently appeared on the #1 podcast in the world, the Joe Rogan Experience. Founder and CEO of Firestorm Labs, Dan Magy reacts to key moments of the show. Topics include: - Dan Driscoll’s AUSA talk. - National security and private companies. - China’s commercial vessels building to military standards. - Should the U.S. become the world’s gun store? About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of auto...

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31:31

What We Can Learn From Defense Tech Primes: Brandon...

Drone Wars ·

2025/11/20

Brandon Florian has over 20 years of experience in aerospace and defense at Northrop Grumman and Starburst. He’s the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Grid Aero, building rugged, long-range autonomous aircrafts to revolutionize cargo logistics at scale. They cover: Grid Aero is building a “pickup truck of the skies”. Which top defense primes work the best with startups? What separates successful companies? About Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you Th...

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22:41

Defense Is An Away Game, Stephen Rodriguez Part II

Drone Wars ·

2025/11/13

“Defense is an away game; we’re not going to be able to fight our way in” Stephen Rodriguez is the Founder of One Defense and an Operating Partner at DCVC. He invests in and serves on the boards of leading defense-tech companies, including Applied Intuition, Firestorm, Ursa Major, Mach Industries, and ZeroMark. He chairs Booz Allen’s Defense Technology Board, leads Blue Forge Alliance as Chairman and serves as a Commission Director at the Atlantic Council. This episode covers: &nb...

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22:14

Defense Investor Insights, Stephen Rodriguez Part I

Drone Wars ·

2025/11/12

Stephen Rodriguez is the Founder of One Defense and an Operating Partner at DCVC. He invests in and serves on the boards of leading defense-tech companies, including Applied Intuition, Firestorm, Ursa Major, Mach Industries, and ZeroMark. He chairs Booz Allen’s Defense Technology Board, leads Blue Forge Alliance as Chairman and serves as a Commission Director at the Atlantic Council. This episode covers: What should our defense policy be? Drone manufacturing reforms. Ho...

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71 results

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