In this episode of the Tactics & Tech podcast, we're joined by Stephen Bornstein, founder of Cyborg Dynamics Engineering and Managing Director of Athena AI.

Stephen walks us through the story behind Australia's first robotic Javelin missile fire, shares how AI-driven battlefield tech is transforming the fight, and offers rare insight into what it really takes to build a defence tech startup in Australia.

This episode is packed with lessons on the future of uncrewed systems!

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Robotic Javelin Fire – His team conducted Australia's first live Javelin missile fire from a robotic platform, pushing the boundaries of UGV firepower.

• Startup to Scale-Up – From an Army Reservist and aerospace engineer to leading two cutting-edge defence tech companies.

• AI for Decision Dominance – AI compresses the decision-making cycle by integrating target recognition, geospatial terrain analysis into live battle maps.

• Dual-Use Pivot – Originally defence-focused, both Athena and Cyborg have expanded into civil applications like perimeter security and underwater robotics.

• Breaking Into the U.S. – It took 18 months of collaboration with Tomahawk Robotics before landing their first U.S. contract. 

• UGVs in Warfare – With manpower shortages and the rise of FPV drones, uncrewed ground vehicles offer real mass and casualty reduction potential on the modern battlefield.

TTPs, lessons learned and battlefield doctrine for Group 1-3 drones: https://dronesec.com/?ttp

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Learn more:
🔗 Athena AI
🔗 Cyborg Dynamics Engineering

Find more on our website:
🌍 www.ttpod.net
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🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/ttpod