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 drones
04:20 – Drone knowledge proliferation and global risk (cartels, terrorists)
06:00 – Ukraine’s evolving defenses and Russia’s drone manufacturing scale
07:40 – 500-drone salvos: Russia’s strategic plan to overwhelm defenses
09:00 – NATO’s vulnerability and unpreparedness for high-scale drone warfare
10:40 – Ukraine’s air defense strategy and Russia’s increasing volume
12:10 – Poland’s high-tech border wall and broader European response
13:15 – France offers nuclear umbrella amid U.S. NATO uncertainty
14:45 – Why unmanned systems can’t fully replace manned operations

About Drone Wars

The Drone Wars Podcast serves the warfighters, builders and innovators who all share a common goal: get the best tech into the hands of those on the frontlines. 

Dan Magy, Co-Founder and CEO of Firestorm Labs, explores all things defense and geopolitics with experts in the industry.