Posted on 03/13/2026 12:09:39 PM PDT by woodbutcher1963
Ethan Thornton is the Founder and CEO of Mach Industries, a defense technology company developing next-generation unmanned systems and hydrogen-powered weapons platforms to redefine modern warfare and energy logistics. Ethan left MIT after one semester in 2023 to focus on building Mach full-time.
Originally from Texas, Ethan grew up on a farm where he began prototyping weapons in high school. Funded through car tech jobs, knife and furniture sales, and small engineering projects. His early hands-on ingenuity and deep sense of urgency, intensified by the war in Ukraine—motivated him to accelerate U.S. innovation in unmanned aircraft and weapon systems to help deter China and strengthen national defense capabilities. Under his leadership, Mach Industries has attracted backing from top venture firms including Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Bedrock, and has secured major U.S. Army contracts while expanding manufacturing operations.
Ethan’s work reflects a broader vision beyond defense. He frequently speaks on the strategic significance of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, the U.S. dollar’s reserve status, the challenge of social decay and neo-feudalism, and the need for productive, post-partisan solutions that secure America’s technological and economic future.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
Specialized material and process, I know. Just pointing out how far people CAN go with stuff near at hand if they have the ingenuity and will to see it through.
Like Iron Man I mentioned above. Caught without his suit in the third movie he went hardware store shopping and made what he needed to accomplish his goal - necessity being the mother of invention.
But offering neither, your thread title was, in effect, click-bait.
In the end, it wasn't a rifle and it was never so much as test fired.
So the links you offer were little more than disinformation utterly irrelevant to this topic.
If you're truly posting for the benefit of your fellow Freepers and not for personal aggrandizement, AND YOU'RE LINKING TO A FOUR_HOUR VIDEO, you shouldn't leave it to the readers to do the deep digging. If the title offers a gun (or a hot new car, or a rare Rickenbacker guitar, yadda, yadda, yadda), pictures are essential, especially if you're linking to a video. In this case you didn't even bother to note the time on the video with the relevant passage.
That's not doing your best for your fellow Freepers.
Looks like Sequoia Capital is invested in it.
https://sequoiacap.com/our-companies/?_categories=defense#all-panel
I try to keep up with drone and rocket companies but I hadn’t heard of this one. Not surprising because there are a lot of non-public players and this one is basically a startup. If the technology works they will have a lot of bigger players wanting to buy them.
No, it would be even better if he was a young black kid.
He would be a great example of the potential of youth.
That was the name of the title on YouTube.
The kid is a genius that started a defense company at the age of 22.
Maybe you should watch the video and find out for your self.
Good day
Can you imagine the chamber pressure? I’m with you photos are it ain’t do
During WW-II, guerrilla fighters in the Philippines used makeshift shotguns made from sections of pipes that were discharged by slam firing. After the war an American company produced and sold these shotguns in the US. My uncle owned one.
When they have that much time, they can be quite inventive.
CC
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