Kunal Mehra, President of Scientific Systems, recently joined RADICL’s David Graff for a conversation on the DIB Innovators podcast. In this episode, Kunal discusses how AI-powered autonomy is reshaping the future of defense. In this wide-ranging conversation, Kunal explains how affordable commercial platforms—enabled by advanced autonomy software—can help close a critical capability gap facing the U.S. military: the lack of enough weapons for a major Pacific conflict, and an acquisition system too slow and costly to keep pace.
Kunal shares the story behind Scientific Systems’ work on collaborative mission autonomy—software that allows swarms of drones, satellites, and vessels to operate together in contested environments. From underwater tripwires to collaborative combat aircraft, he highlights how these software-defined systems could transform modern warfare. The discussion also explores how defense acquisition is evolving to support innovation, and why the industrial base needs billion-dollar software companies with developers working alongside operators in the field.
