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The Merge

The Merge

Military technology, trends, and national security...presented with unique insights, salt, and wit from combat aviator veterans and industry experts. Fence in for interviews and anecdotes about the ins, outs, and happenings at the intersection of technology, industry, strategy, and policy of aerospace and national defense. Brought to you by The Merge newsletter.
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  • 22 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 43 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • Feb 23, 2025 · 22 min

    The Future of Air Warfare: Weapons (Sponsored)

    Jon "Stormin" Norman, Vice President of Requirements & Capabilities at Raytheon, a business of RTX, joins us to discuss the cutting-edge air-to-air and -surface weapons and effectors Raytheon delivers for our warfighters.

  • Feb 16, 2025 · 53 min

    E46 – Expendable Tech for F-35 Threat Training

    Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! In this episode, Mike sits down with Brett “Snappy”Abbamonte, a former Marine Corps F-35 pilot now at Advanced Strategic Insight (ASI) Inc. Snappy is the program manager for ELITE (ExpendableLower-cost Integrated Training Emitter), a compact, cost-effective system designed to mimic high-end surface-to-air missile (SAM) threats. Dive into how this innovative tech is reshaping training,enhancing readiness, and solving a critical warfighter problem—offering a firsthand look at how operators are using ELITE in the field to sharpen their edge. If you're into military training, cutting-edge technology,and boosting warfighter readiness—this episode is a must-listen. Links • Sign up for the newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez on LinkedIn • Brett “Snappy” Abbamonte on LinkedIn • ASI company • ELITE product ---- Follow us on... • LinkedIn • Instagram⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- 00:00 start 01:11 intro 03:08 Snappy 04:49 F-35 magnifies a growing problem 07:21 the 3-solution problem 10:31 good-enough solution space 12:12 ELITE 13:51 size and power 15:35 as a target 17:45 customers 20:27 remote controlled 22:00 how to keep it low cost 23:34 creative training 25:09 how the training looks 26:47 RAF Lakenheath 31:19 SBIR experience 38:02 valley of death 38:34 end of year money 40:27 squadron innovation funds 42:14 expendable concept validated 42:50 Marine Corps weapons school example 44:40 expendable allocation 46:14 tools for innovative training 49:30 memory lane 49:45 callsign story 51:40 outro #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity#defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #usmc#innovation #war #strategy #aerospace #china #airpower #f35 #training #readiness #electronicwarfare

Showing 21–22 of 22 episodes