Silent Arrow - the C-130 of Drones

In this episode, Mike interviews Chip Yates, founder of Yates Electrospace Corporation.
With a background in racing, Chip has made a name for himself by setting numerous world records as a pioneer in electric-powered motorcycles and airplanes. His journey took a strategic turn when he encountered a complex military challenge, leading to the inception of his company.
Chip pivoted to defense, launching Silent Arrow-disposable cargo drones deployed from planes like the C-130. These drones must fly dozens-even hundreds-of miles yet be cost-effective enough to be discarded after just a single use.
Chip shares his decade-long journey in defense tech, offering insights into affordable, executable innovation in an industry full of giant companies and complex technology.
For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #aviation #airplanes #aerospace #c130 #cargo #mobility #logistics #supply #resupply #drones #unmanned #drone
Links
• Newsletter⁠! www.themerge.co/
• ⁠Patreon⁠! / the_merge
• Mike Benitez / mike-benitez
• Silent Arrow silent-arrow.com/
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Show Notes
00:50 intro
01:47 Chip's racing background
03:03 company origins
03:41 getting involved in defense tech
04:11 the idea and 1st concept vehicle
06:53 the Smithsonian
08:34 2,000 glider drone
08:48 how Silent Arrow works
10:14 the need for more standoff
12:10 operational evals of prototypes
13:50 crawl walk run
15:03 the Pacific Pivot?
15:52 Airbus partnership
17:26 powered cargo drones
19:29 interesting payloads
20:42 the C-130 of drones
20:59 design and looks
23:10 raising money in defense tech
24:27 more requirement creep
25:37 using a Tesla?!
28:34 timeline for Tesla-launch
29:28 advertising in defense
30:46 2025 expectations
31:26 a super size version
33:50 adaption vs invention
35:36 keeping the cargo intact
38:46 powered version
39:50 advice
40:37 raising money
42:21 outro

[@CoachJurieW]

What a great interview and a great story of how Silent Arrow got to do the crazy stuff it does!

[@densonsmith2]

Thankfully, we still have a few companies/people who deliver things that "just work" as they promised.

[@foobar3]

Wow, thank you Mike! I have been seeing all of this coverage of offensive CCAs and have always been obsessively curious as to whether or not logistics variants were being planned/implemented (now I find out that they have been flying around for some time now). If I saw that at 18:00 at distance and didn't know about Silent arrow I would be convinced that it was a von noyman probe from outside our solar system. Super sweet stuff.

[@RishBhav22]

Another great episode guys! This seems like very exciting tech and Chip is a badass.

[@ton73z28]

This is interesting to me, I was around JPADS in the beginning testing with the C-130J. I retired in 2011, wow a long time ago now. When I see what's going on here if I was 30 years younger I would be really interested in working for this program. 😊 It's fun to hear the lingos when you talk about these projects. Guess I'll just sit in my rocking chair and think of the good old days and I live vicariously through your 😊 32:45 videos

[@dorsai]

Chip's experiences with DOD sounds like one I was involved with, developing, a whole new type of reusable TADs, which simulate explosions, without using PYRO. Today that family of devices helps train troops world wide how to deal with things like land mines, claymores, VBIEDs, etc.

[@Sometungsten]

12.24.24 Excellent interview. Time flew by.

[@carlfischer4163]

Wow very informative stuff. PAKO this was one of the most interesting episodes and fun that I have seen. The Merge is great stuff. 👍🇺🇸 Thanks

[@TheMergeMedia]

Great way to cap 2024!🎉

[@bigboatben]

Eddie Rickenbaker was also a race car driver and Builder before aviation. The Pentagon should pay attention.

[@SoloRenegade]

Most early aviation engineers worked with bicycles, motorcycles, designed engines, etc.

[@ranig2848]

Awesome. Also, every missile - which the Air Force uses in thousands, is fire and then it’s trash and many costs hundreds of thousands, some millions, cheapest ones are tens of thousands. For us regular people that sounds a lot but having a one off cargo drone seems absolutely logical for these type of missions. Soon most missions would use these and larger ones rather than risk a large cargo plane landing in hostile territory

[@tomenglish9340]

Really a lot of fun, beginning to end.

[@ipanzerschrecku4732]

Like the towed gliders used during WW2 D-day landings in Normandy, pretty cool they managed to make them autonomous and stick the landing because they're coming in like a brick, but if it works it works! Here's a small footprint SF fun version: if you can fill it with 2000 pounds of stuff and land it on friendly forces you can fill it with 2000 pounds of stuff and land it on enemy forces - could even be laser/GPS guided and now you don't need fighter jet or bombers but kick it out the door on a Cessna Caravan/SkyCourier Twin Otter type deal already in service and now you have a really inexpensive way to land 2000 pounds of C4 talk about being disposable.

[@spidennis]

2k c4?! Big bang!

[@Utahdropout]

Great video. Did not know there was such a thing. Now I do. He definitely is a "Giterdun" type of guy.

[@tonysu8860]

Great stuff. Hello to Pendleton/,Corvallis, OR What a concept, a disposable use only once and throw it sway aircraft.

[@LorreLeiJackson]

Mike, this was fascinating and so informative. Question: how many 87 year old women do you think watched this interview? Asking as an 87 year old woman who subscribes to Merge for potential investment opportunities and chance to drive my stock broker crazy. Biggest buy was Palantir.

[@TheMergeMedia]

You might be the only 1! But that just makes you extra special!

[@Tonytlux]

Ma’am, what is your secret to keeping a nimble mind? Never stop learning?

[@FPVREVIEWS]

How many women watch is a better question 🙋‍♀️

[@dikirkland]

Super interesting and informative!

[@TheMergeMedia]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@-Hardstyle-]

Yesssss an early Christmas present! Love The Merge!

[@TheMergeMedia]

Merry Xmas!

[@-Hardstyle-]

​@@TheMergeMediaThank you. And to you also!

[@pf_n1ps]

Love this. Great stuff Chip. Somehow I foresee a JATO assist golf cart skateboard :) But what I like the best is that you DELIVER on time. That gets orders.

[@TheMergeMedia]

I like it!

[@danb1059]

Great interview thanks!

[@TheMergeMedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@SoloRenegade]

Beans, Bullets, Batteries, and Bandaids Parts, fuel, and other things are great too.

[@watchthe1369]

1 thousand pound of food and bang bang going to a platoon is a game changer.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

a thousand pounds of ka-boom, dropped from a loitering cargo plane 20 miles away, following a laser designator, will change the game at the platoon level

[@jtjames79]

​@@ricardokowalski1579 I can make it autonomous with like maybe a hundred bucks worth of compute. And I'm not a professional, I would just be following KZbin tutorials. Someone good at their job/hobby could probably do it a lot cheaper a lot faster.

[@5nowChain5]

Ukraine would love some of the long stand off delivery options that could deliver within 150ft.

[@its_jjk]

Disposable is wild

[@ranig2848]

All rockets and Homs are disposable, many cost significantly more, so not so wild…

[@connormckinney815]

PAKO we need a video on the new Chinese aircraft!

[@rachelgollub2924]

Wow, great podcast! Two comments from Silicon Valley -- 1) Most people never get funded; as you say, it's more about fashion and personality than any actual ability to see whether an idea is a good one -- glad you did it anyway! 2) Silicon Valley CEOs are "let's hold hands" types? Which ones? I haven't met one like that yet....

[@phrankus2009]

So, SpecOps HALO jumpers are often injured, during jumps, and the squads have difficulty "forming up" when scattered, across the "landing-zone". They also need mission gear (explosives, tools, eBikes, etc.). They (Navy Seals) could ride Silent Arrow, like a bobsled, and "bail off", just before "impact" (or splashdown), using individual chutes (or the glider can have a terminal "landing chute",) and their mission gear could tailgate, all the way down to the landing zone. I should just shut up, now, huh?

[@ranig2848]

Not so sure Tesla will be game providing skateboards as it’s 5000% focused on volume, but very likely some EV shop, which are becoming pretty common, would be happy to take new or used Teslas and do the conversions. It’s very common for this kind of stuff to be made by 3rd parties. A lot of military equipment is done this way.

[@TheMergeMedia]

Great point.

[@thewatersavior]

Interesting - it looks like it should be modular - just drop an engine and battery on the front and back and you go from glider to flyer but guess its not that simple when your reqs go up 60%

[@watchthe1369]

MISSION CREEP, the procurement bureaucrats do it apparently. I wonder how much cool gear is not making it to the fighters in the field because companies say good bye at that point?

[@watchthe1369]

GPS like the desert storm strap on kit, fuel tank to feed a small jet turbine with a paint on stealth coating..... Broad strokes, now can we use f-117 stealth materials in that airframe instead of the paint on stealth?

[@watchthe1369]

Oh, a plastic battery fuselage with electric motor, even better. The charge in the battery would have to screw with radar. An alcohol soaked crash scene sounds so USMC the fail still works.

[@pauljefferies9087]

Ukrainians definitely would want to see the cargo airplane. Trench warfare is a b word when supplies run low.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

At this price point, disaster relief will change significantly.

[@jzdude01]

I’m skeptical of that. Disclaimer: I’m only about a quarter through so maybe they discuss this more; if so invalidate my comment bc it’ll be irrelevant. However, the reason I have as to this being a game changer for disaster relief is because I’m not sure it resolves the fundamental problems of disaster relief aid drops. First I’m not sure it solves the issue of safety for the landing zone. In a conflict with trained soldiers, accidents can still occur (see Russia) where air drops will fall on and kill soldiers. See Gaza for examples of this happening to civilians getting humanitarian aid. Basic problem is you can’t control for descent path error and humans not listening or not knowing to where is and where is not safe to avoid the falling ton of supplies. Flying shipments in on planes into runways will be safer because it’s easier to make sure the runway is clear, the plane is less dangerous to people, and the pilot can always abort a landing if they notice a potential danger to human life. Second, it doesn’t solve the distribution problem. How are you going to get the aid to people. Unless you already have established operations on the ground, and an established distribution network, you’ll have people unable to get the aid out of the container or you’ll have hunger games: disaster relief mission of people scrambling for as much of the contents as possible. Also rapidly raises the organized crime growth. Organized crime lovessssss controlling essential resources via force. They find the landings, put some guys with guns there, take the aid and sell it for profit. That’s why a distribution system is so important. However once you have a distribution network established, often it’s more efficient to land a fixed wing aircraft bc of cargo sizes then use ground transport, or use helicopters who again, have pilots that can abort a landing if they’re going to kill someone. I do think this tech could have an impact but I don’t think it would usher in a new era of disaster relief. There are too many outstanding challenges I see that aren’t solved and could be exasperated by this tech.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

@jzdude01 Thanks for the respectful, reasoned comment. Appreciated. I see this technology used in those cases where landing is not possible. Remote areas where there is no runway, and the small capacity of Helos limits response. As for violent actors abusing during distribution, that is exactly what governments do all the time. I rather take my chances against an armed warlord than against a "sovereign" government. Again, respectfully. 👍

[@pauljefferies9087]

Soooo, why could they not make it reusable. The customer would understand the reasons for making it reusable. Remove cargo, press return button, etc.

[@pauljefferies9087]

Crud. Well, if it could return, it could carry a wounded soldier, which is almost as good as carrying a wounded warfighter? Probably.

[@RKW1138]

You just know the Russians/Chinese are going to attach wings to a foot locker.

[@TheMergeMedia]

😂😂

[@fteoOpty64]

Well, if they tried, the wings will break off!. Just building the support for the wings will going to cost 10 foot locker prices!..

[@GlenCook-d3x]

Building Single Use throwaway military gear completely understandable! Look at F-35 Lightning II. $50,000/flight hour 72%-76% mission capable. $1.7 trillion program. We already set the precedent.

[@lpdirv]

Why strip the car, just take the frunk and trunk off. Build a launch platform on top and go. Keep it simple stupid. And just use a driver for launch. We do that for float planes off the hard, its already a thing. And, just get some Nokian studded tires on 18’s. They work great in the snow and ice. Needs to be tested in cold weather anyway. Why not partner up with the Ukrainians, they need some cheap mass market extra long range easy to build delivery vehicles. Screw the trials, send it and iterate.