Aerospace & Defense Technology

What happens when military units can build, repair, and modify critical systems without waiting on a supply chain?
On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, we speak with Chad McCoy, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Firestorm Labs, a Special Operations Forces veteran and retired Chief Master Sergeant from theU.S. Air Force's 24th Special Tactics Squadron. Drawing on years of operational experience and work in defense innovation, McCoy discusses one of the military's most pressing challenges: sustaining capability in contested environments wheretraditional logistics networks may be delayed, disrupted, or denied.
At the center of the conversation is Firestorm's xCell, a containerized manufacturing platform that brings industrial-grade production capabilities directly to deployed forces. Designed to operate at the point of need, the systemenables teams to produce, repair, and adapt unmanned aircraft systems in the field, reducing dependence on lengthy supply chains and improving operational flexibility.

Sponsored by: Allient

Over five decades, Tech Briefs has helped tell countless stories of NASA technology transfer, highlighting how discoveries made for space exploration find new life in products and applications here on Earth.
This special episode focuses on a remarkable example of tech transfer: a treadmill technology that began as a solution forexercising in reduced-gravity environments and has since helped people recover from injury, improve athletic performance, and maintain mobility as they age.

SAE Media Group’s Editorial Director Chitra Sethi speaks with Tom Allen and Sean Whalen, founders of Boost Treadmills. Boost Treadmills was founded in 2017 and prior to starting Boost, they each played key roles in the creation of AlterG®.
As Tech Briefs celebrates its 50th anniversary, we're reflecting on five decades of stories just like this one in its special 50th anniversary issue. It's both a look back at how far we've come and a look ahead at the technologies that will define the next generation of innovation.
Read the Tech Briefs 50th Anniversary Special Edition.
Sponsored by Rohde & Schwarz

As military ground vehicle manufacturers add autonomous navigation, advanced sensing, counter-UAS capability, and survivability features to next-generation platforms, the production environment behind those systems isbecoming as critical as the vehicle architecture.
Digital engineering, model-based workflows, mixed reality, automation, and advanced materials are helping defense suppliers accelerate production, improve installation quality,reduce weight, and move complex designs from prototype to fielded system.
On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Season 16’s focus on military ground vehicle systemscontinues with a look at the manufacturing and design technologies enabling more efficient vehicle production. ClickBond, a Nevada-based manufacturer of adhesive-bonded fastening systems, provides structural hardware, adhesives, tooling, and installation methods for aerospace, defense, industrial, and vehicle applications.
The interview explains how Click Bond is using digital tools tomodernize manufacturing and installation, and work around digital twins, AI, robotics, and human-augmented production. These capabilities reflect a broader defense-industry shift toward digitally connected design and manufacturingenvironments. The guest on this episode is Bill Perez, Senior Product and Application Strategy Manager at Click Bond.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Robert Jacobson, CEO of Lite Coms, discusses howtactical SATCOM systems are evolving to support resilient, multi-orbit connectivity for expeditionary, fixed, and mobile military operations.
Lite Coms designs and delivers tactical SATCOM terminals for mission-critical communications, including fly-away auto-acquire systems, rugged flat-panel terminals, and modemassemblies built for LEO, MEO, and GEO network environments.
The conversation explores multi-orbit network integration, modular terminal engineering, accelerated development cycles, advanced manufacturing, and emerging approaches to command-and-control communications.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Bryan Bockmon, CEO of AimLock, discusses how autonomous targeting and AI-enabled fire control are being applied to one of the fastest-evolving battlefield threats: small unmanned aerial systems. The conversation examines AimLock’s latest collaboration with FN America and howthe companies are integrating sensor fusion, autonomy, and precision engagement capabilities into vehicle-mounted weapon systems designed for counter-UAS missions.
RELATED:C-UAS Magazine Call for Papers
During SOF Week 2026, AimLock and FN America unveiled the Dunetechnology demonstrator, which brings AimLock’s autonomy suite for networked, layered counter-UAS defense into FN America’s FN DEFENDER® Medium remote weapon station. The integrated system is designed to give militaryvehicles a scalable, mounted countermeasure against low-cost attack drones and other aerial threats.
The episode also explores why defense organizations areprioritizing modular, open-architecture solutions that can improve force protection without requiring full platform replacements. Bockmon shares insights on emerging trends in autonomy, precision engagement, and layered counter-drone defense as military forces adapt to a rapidly changing threatenvironment.