The Race to Build America’s Drone Industrial Base | Craig Anders, AEVEX
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Craig Anders, Senior Vice President of Growth at AEVEX Aerospace, joins Steve to discuss the rapidly expanding market for military drones, the challenges of scaling American defense manufacturing, and what the war in Ukraine has taught the United States about modern warfare.
A retired Air Force colonel with 25 years of service, Craig previously served in Big Safari, the Air Force’s rapid acquisition organization. He recounts how a late-night request from the State Department led to a $20 million contract executed in just nine hours, followed by his deployment to train Ukrainian forces on long-range attack drones. That experience helped inform AEVEX’s expansion from a services business into a major manufacturer of unmanned systems.
The conversation explores the economics of drone production, including why government procurement timelines don’t align with manufacturing realities, why the U.S. needs commercial manufacturing expertise, and why scaling production requires sustained demand rather than promises of future orders. Craig also explains AEVEX’s approach to expanding through acquisitions, including its investment in additive manufacturing, autonomy, and maritime systems.
Steve and Craig also discuss the changing nature of naval warfare, the potential for unmanned surface vessels to transform military logistics, and the vulnerability of traditional military platforms to increasingly affordable autonomous weapons. They examine the role of human pilots in future air combat, the development of collaborative combat aircraft, and the growing importance of integrating unmanned systems across different domains.
Finally, Craig shares his perspective on defense acquisition reform, the differences between venture-backed defense startups and established manufacturers, and why the next generation of defense companies must deliver complete operational capabilities rather than simply selling hardware.