This Company is Launching Drones from Submarines | David Smith •94

Is the helicopter industry ready to lead the drone revolution? In this episode of Hangar X Studios, John Ramstead sits down with David Smith, CEO of ‪@robinsonhelicopterofficial‬ for a second deep dive into one of the most strategic pivots in aviation, Robinson's move into the unmanned world. From launching drones out of submarines to deploying helicopter-borne drone swarms for public safety, this conversation goes deep into what Robinson Unmanned really means and why it could reshape the future of vertical lift entirely. David shares hard truths about: Why the drone industry is deeply fragmented and what Robinson brings that startups can't How Robinson is launching drones from submarines, helicopters, trucks and boats Why the era of both manned and unmanned is already here The case for contested logistics as the first major unmanned use case Why clean sheet aircraft designs keep failing and Robinson's alternative approach How Robinson is building 100 FPV drones a week for the Drone Dominance program What the R66 hydrogen conversion means for the future of the fleet He also explains why Robinson's 50 years of manufacturing discipline is the foundation every autonomy innovator needs and why the sky is still the most untapped resource in the world. DAVID SMITH'S LINKS   / david-smith-43728213   ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY'S LINKS https://www.robinsonheli.com/   / robinsonhelicopter      / @robinsonhelicopterofficial     / robinson-helicopter-company   https://x.com/Robinson_Heli   / 18j3zu9jfj   TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Robinson's drone strategy revealed 05:30 The aircraft carrier in the sky concept 07:00 Drones stopping car chases in Los Angeles 09:15 The era of both manned and unmanned 13:20 Launching drones from submarines 15:45 Robinson Unmanned officially launched 20:00 The sky is an untapped resource 26:30 Choosing autonomy partners - Rotor vs Sikorsky Matrix 32:00 Contested logistics as the biggest opportunity 45:00 Drone integration into civil airspace FOLLOW HANGAR X STUDIOS Instagram:   / hangarxstudios   Facebook:   / hangarxstudios   LinkedIn:   / hangarxstudios   X: https://x.com/hangarxstudios IF YOU MISSED THESE… YOU’RE BEHIND ON THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT    • Is America Losing the Drone War? | Miriam ...      • Drone Supply Chains Still Depend on China ...      • Drones Just Became 10x Cheaper to Build | ...      • Mental Skills Every Pilot Needs | Tammy Ba...      • Expansion of Drone as First Responder | Bi...      • Airport Funding Crisis No One’s Fixing | G...      • Save Your Life in the Cockpit | Vincent Mi...   CREDITS Host: John Ramstead Follow John:   / johnramstead