Drone Delivery for Defense

TL;DR: Civilian markets are an economic engine to reshape America's defense industrial strategy. Europe's proactive regulations have enabled drone startups like Ireland’s Manna to build robust, scalable commercial industries that inadvertently prepare them for wartime. By contrast, America's FAA has constrained drone innovation through outdated rules designed for traditional aviation. The U.S. risks falling behind in a crucial technology that could economically transform defense capabilities. Allowing drones to scale commercially would reignite the competitive economics that once powered America's wartime industrial dominance, revitalizing manufacturing, driving innovation, and breaking free from reliance on entrenched, government-dependent defense contractors. Last week, I listened to Ben Thompson interview Bobby Healy, the founder and CEO of Manna Drone Delivery, an Ireland-based startup using autonomous drones to deliver everyday items directly to suburban homes. At one point dur ... Read full article.