Category: Random Stuff

Here is an interesting article about how silicon valley start ups are trying to take on established defense contractors and build weapons specialized for a war with China:

Luckey, now 31, is a new breed of startup founder and defense-company executive. He is rarely seen wearing anything other than his trademark flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts, lashes out on social media against “idiots” who criticize his company, and says he models himself after a character in a Japanese anime series. 

His company, Anduril Industries—named after a magical sword from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” novels—is central to Silicon Valley’s quest to take on weapons makers like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Since its founding in 2017, Anduril has raised $3.7 billion in venture funding, including $1.5 billion announced this past week. The newcomers’ hope is that the Pentagon will eventually kill off what Luckey calls “old legacy zombie programs,” like expensive jet fighters and attack helicopters, and instead buy autonomous weapons, like drones and uncrewed submarines.

These weapons, Luckey argues, are needed for a potential conflict with China, which the Pentagon two years ago announced is the greatest danger to U.S. security. The U.S. military, Luckey and others say, needs large numbers of cheaper and more intelligent systems that can be effective over long stretches of ocean and against a manufacturing and technological power like China. 

The Wall Street Journal

You can read more at the link.