The Drone Ultimatum

Air Defense, Counter-UAS, and Re-Industrializing the US Defense Base | Heather Armentrout, Kongsberg US

Freitag, 6. Februar 2026 · 57 min

MP3

Shownotes

Heather Armentrout, President and General Manager of Kongsberg US, joins the show for a candid look at how a European defense leader is scaling real production inside the United States.

We cover NASAMS, CROWS, and how lessons from Ukraine are shaping air defense, counter-UAS, and “affordable mass.” Heather breaks down what it actually takes to deliver programs of record: supply chain, manufacturability, and why production is the hard part.

We also talk about Kongsberg’s US expansion, new facilities, and how partners think about China, export controls, and re-industrializing the arsenal of democracy. Practical, inside-baseball, and heavy on execution.

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