Manufacturing 1 million drones a year | Olaf Hichwa, Neros
Aug 11, 2026 · 1:06:28
Olaf Hichwa, co-founder and CTO of drone maker Neros, says the company now builds over 1,000 Archers a week and plans to reach a 130,000-drone annual run rate by December and one million drones a year by 2028 from its new 250,000 sq ft factory. In the episode he explains why drones cause roughly 70% of casualties in Ukraine, why Neros designs for operators rather than government specs, and how Archer AI lets a drone lock onto a target and strike even after losing comms or GPS. He also details the Bandit interceptor, the decision to vertically integrate components, and lessons from a Chinese production line making 2,000 Russian kamikaze drones a day, arguing the West must rebuild its drone industrial base to maintain credible deterrence.
