Defense & Aerospace Report
Defense & Aerospace Report, sponsored by Bell
Welcome to the Defense and Aerospace Report podcast, our weekly podcast on the global defense and aerospace business sponsored by Bell, and hosted by Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. Each week, we’ll bring you interviews with industry leaders and the business’ best analysts to put events in context, identify trends and keep an eye on what’s next in a fast-moving world. Defense & Aerospace Report is your global source for national security and aerospace news, thought leadership and analysis, founded and edited by Vago Muradian.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 29, 2026 • 1h 1min
Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Mar 29 ’26 Business Report]
Richard Aboulafia, aerospace strategist; Sash Tusa, European defense analyst; Dr. "Rocket" Ron Epstein, Bank of America equities analyst. They discuss soaring munitions burn rates and missile stock replenishment. They cover jet fuel spikes and impacts on commercial aviation. They debate production bottlenecks, solid rocket motor constraints, and new entrants’ promises. They examine regional air-defense deals and emerging platforms like the KF-21 and Ghost Bat.
Mar 27, 2026 • 1h 7min
Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Mar 27, ’26 Washington Roundtable]
Dr. Patrick Cronin, Indo‑Pacific strategy expert at the Hudson Institute. Dr. Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon comptroller and security analyst. Michael Herson, Washington defense policy and budgeting adviser. They discuss the US‑Israel war on Iran and global economic shocks. They debate congressional war powers, wartime supplemental and budget politics. They examine Europe and Asia scrambling over energy, Ukraine’s munitions strain, and regional deterrence risks.
Mar 26, 2026 • 53min
Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Mar 26, 26] Season 4 E11: Building Storm
Mike "JDAM" Dahm, retired U.S. Navy intel officer and Senior Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies, explains China’s rapid air force buildup and visible industrial expansion. He discusses public signaling through selective reveals, new bases and runways, and how lessons from Iran and Ukraine shape PLA training. The conversation covers factory scale-up, island reclamation, and whether current U.S. programs match China’s pace.
Mar 25, 2026 • 50min
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 25, 2026] Machina Labs Ed Mehr on Intelligent Factories
Ed Mehr, co-founder and CEO of Machina Labs, leads an AI-driven manufacturing and robotics firm building flexible, deployable factories. He discusses mid-volume, high-mix production, combining robotics and AI for rapid product switching, design for manufacturability, supply-chain and scaling challenges, and the case for distributed, deployable factories with allied partnerships.
Mar 24, 2026 • 56min
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 24, 2026] Echodyne's Eben Frankenberg on Affordable Electronically Scanned Radars
Eben Frankenberg, CEO and co-founder of Echodyne, which builds compact metamaterial‑based electronically scanned radars. He discusses turning lab metamaterials into affordable radars for counter‑drone and airspace surveillance. He covers scaling manufacturing, commercial vs. defense markets, ITAR‑free exports, and how recent wars and funding shifts shape demand for radar networks.
Mar 23, 2026 • 34min
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 23, 2026] Look Ahead w/ Byron Callan
Byron Callan, Washington-based defense analyst and founder of Capital Alpha Partners, provides concise analysis of looming Iran conflict dynamics and what a pause in strikes means. He covers the size and politics of a $200B war supplemental and FY27 budget request. He also examines strain on readiness from intense operations, industrial and procurement shifts, and rising second-order global risks.
Mar 22, 2026 • 1h 1min
Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Mar 22 ’26 Business Report]
Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory, Sash Tusa, London-based equity researcher, and Dr. Ron Epstein, Bank of America senior analyst, discuss soaring oil and jet-fuel prices, stranded and parked aircraft, and whether higher energy costs end the recent airline boom. They examine Strait of Hormuz risks, supply-chain chokepoints, and defense budget pressures amid wartime supplemental requests.
Mar 20, 2026 • 60min
Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Mar 20, ’26 Washington Roundtable]
Dr. Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon comptroller and defense budget expert; Jim Townsend, ex-DoD Europe chief and NATO analyst; Michael Herson, Washington defense policy and lobbying veteran; Dr. Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security specialist. They discuss the US-Israel war on Iran, energy market shocks from Gulf strikes, Strait of Hormuz escort plans, rising pressure on munitions and force readiness, and shifting allied politics.
Mar 19, 2026 • 1h 4min
Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Mar 19, 26] Season 4 E10 Mind Kaboom
LtGen Clint Q. Hinote, retired USAF strategist and former planning chief, discusses airpower, autonomy, and future force design. He breaks down airpower vs ships and the limits of autonomy. He explores human-machine teaming, frontline autonomous forces, next-gen platforms like CCA and B-21, and how sustained campaigns reshape deterrence and munitions strategy.
Mar 18, 2026 • 34min
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 18, 2026] David Schild on the Comeback Factories Securing America’s Tech Future
David Schild, executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America and PCB industry expert, discusses the new film Comeback Factories and why printed circuit boards are strategically vital. He covers the full PCB supply chain, domestic reshoring challenges, policy tools like tax credits and Section 851, raw-material risks, and how faster, lower-cost PCB plants can help surge production.
