The defense industry is undergoing a transformation as advances in autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing, and modern weapons technology reshape how the United States develops and deploys military capabilities. A new generation of entrepreneurs is bringing Silicon Valley-style engineering, faster development cycles, and commercial innovation into a sector traditionally defined by long procurement timelines and established defense contractors.
At the center of this shift are leaders building companies focused on everything from precision manufacturing and autonomous defense platforms to electronic warfare and deployable military systems. Here are five executives whose companies are helping shape the future of defense technology.
Chris Power — Founder and CEO, Hadrian
Chris Power founded Hadrian with a focus on modernizing American manufacturing, particularly the industrial capabilities needed to support aerospace and defense production. The company uses software, automation, and advanced manufacturing processes to make complex components more efficiently, addressing challenges that have long affected suppliers in highly specialized industries. Its approach centers on building a more responsive manufacturing infrastructure capable of supporting demanding production requirements.
Power’s work reflects a broader effort to strengthen the domestic industrial base as demand for aerospace and defense systems grows. Rather than treating manufacturing as a collection of disconnected facilities and manual processes, Hadrian aims to make production more standardized, technology-driven, and scalable. That mission positions the company within a larger conversation about reshoring critical capabilities and ensuring that the United States can manufacture essential components at the pace modern defense programs require.
Brian Schimpf — CEO and Co-founder, Anduril
Brian Schimpf leads Anduril, a defense technology company built around the idea that software, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems should play a central role in modern military operations. A former Palantir executive, Schimpf helped establish a business model that emphasizes developing advanced products with company investment and bringing them to defense customers, rather than relying exclusively on traditional government-funded development cycles. Anduril’s portfolio spans autonomous aircraft, counter-drone systems, surveillance technologies, and command-and-control software.
Under Schimpf’s leadership, Anduril has become part of a broader movement challenging conventional defense procurement and development practices. The company’s approach combines hardware with software that helps operators interpret information and coordinate complex systems, with the goal of delivering capabilities more rapidly. Its growth illustrates how technology companies are increasingly competing to supply military infrastructure, particularly as armed forces seek ways to respond to evolving threats and operate more effectively in contested environments.
Andy Lowery — CEO, Epirus
Andy Lowery leads Epirus, a defense technology company known for developing high-power microwave systems designed to counter electronic threats, including swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles. The company’s technology uses directed electromagnetic energy to disrupt or disable electronic components, offering an alternative to conventional approaches that rely on interceptors or projectiles. Its Leonidas platform is designed to address the growing challenge of defending military installations and other critical assets against increasingly accessible drone technology.
Lowery’s leadership comes at a time when low-cost drones are changing the economics of air defense. Defenders may face multiple incoming threats that are expensive or difficult to counter using traditional munitions, creating demand for systems that can address several targets with fewer consumable resources. Epirus is developing technology for this changing environment, where electronic warfare and directed-energy capabilities could become increasingly important parts of layered defense strategies. Its progress highlights the growing role of engineering-led companies in addressing operational challenges that established systems were not originally designed to solve.
Bryon Hargis — Co-founder and CEO, Castelion
Bryon Hargis is co-founder and CEO of Castelion, a defense technology company working to accelerate the development and production of advanced strike systems. A veteran of the aerospace industry, Hargis previously led sales, business development, and early product definition for SpaceX’s national security satellite programs. At Castelion, he is helping build a company focused on combining rapid engineering iteration, vertically integrated development, and scalable manufacturing to address evolving defense requirements.
Castelion’s approach reflects a growing push to make advanced weapons more affordable to produce and faster to bring into service. The company is developing hypersonic strike systems while investing in manufacturing infrastructure designed to support higher production volumes. Its strategy emphasizes not just developing new capabilities, but also building the industrial capacity needed to manufacture them at scale. For Hargis, the challenge sits at the intersection of engineering, production, and national security, where manufacturing speed can be as consequential as technological performance.
Dan Magy — Co-founder and CEO, Firestorm Labs
Dan Magy leads Firestorm Labs, a defense technology company developing expeditionary manufacturing systems that allow military units to produce unmanned aircraft closer to where they are needed. Its xCell platform is a containerized microfactory designed to manufacture drone systems in the field, reducing dependence on distant production facilities and conventional supply chains. Magy, a serial entrepreneur with previous experience founding and exiting the counter-drone company Citadel Defense, brings experience in defense hardware and emerging technologies to the company’s mission.
Firestorm’s model addresses a persistent military logistics challenge: getting adaptable equipment to operational units in environments where transportation routes, supply availability, and timelines can be unpredictable. By bringing manufacturing capabilities closer to deployed forces, the company aims to make it easier to produce and configure drones for different missions, including surveillance and electronic warfare. Its approach illustrates how additive manufacturing and modular hardware could give military operators greater flexibility while reducing the time between identifying a need and fielding a capability.
Rebuilding the Future of Defense
The next chapter of defense technology will depend on more than breakthroughs in individual weapons or software platforms. It will also require companies that can manufacture at scale, respond to changing operational demands, and shorten the distance between innovation and deployment.
These five leaders represent different parts of that transformation, from modernizing the industrial base and developing autonomous systems to advancing electronic warfare, hypersonic capabilities, and deployable manufacturing. Their work reflects a wider shift toward a defense ecosystem in which engineering, software, and production capacity are increasingly interconnected. How effectively these companies turn their ambitions into reliable capabilities will help shape the future of the American defense industry.
