DiscoverThe Startup DefenseHeads Down Building, Battlefield Autonomy, and Chaos Industries with Will Hurd
Heads Down Building, Battlefield Autonomy, and Chaos Industries with Will Hurd

Heads Down Building, Battlefield Autonomy, and Chaos Industries with Will Hurd

Update: 2025-10-29
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Description

 Will Hurd joins Callye to break down autonomy at the tactical edge—and why time, not just tech, decides outcomes. He explains Chaos Industries’ approach to expeditionary radar, delivering minutes of warning instead of seconds and working in comms- and EW-denied environments. 

Topics We Cover

  • Autonomy in contested battlespaces: giving operators time to understand, decide, and act 
  • Expeditionary radar that sets up fast, survives harsh conditions, and scales via clustered nodes 
  • Two-way time transfer, picosecond sync, and separating TX/RX for wider, smarter sensing 
  • Building over marketing: why working hardware + rapid iteration wins every time 
  • Partnerships that unlock capability (e.g., Forterra autonomous ground vehicles)

Key Takeaways

  • Time is the decisive edge: moving from “~22 seconds” of warning to “10 minutes and 22 seconds” changes survivability and employment of effects. 
  • Speed > might: OTA updates at the edge, rapid two-week sprints, and modular product deltas outcompete exquisite, slow systems. 
  • Credibility is earned in T&E and combat use: build something that works out of the box in tough places—and prove it.
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Heads Down Building, Battlefield Autonomy, and Chaos Industries with Will Hurd

Heads Down Building, Battlefield Autonomy, and Chaos Industries with Will Hurd

Callye Keen