Posted on 11/27/2024 11:35:15 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
In the world of cheap drones, Skydio was the great American hope. Its autonomous flying machines gave the U.S. defense and police agencies an alternative to Chinese manufacturers, free from the security concerns tied to dependence on Chinese supply chains.
But Skydio’s vulnerabilities came into sharp focus days before the U.S. presidential election, when Chinese authorities imposed sanctions and severed the company’s access to essential battery supplies.
Overnight, the San Mateo, Calif.-based Skydio, the largest American maker of drones, scrambled to find new suppliers. The move slowed Skydio’s deliveries to its customers, which include the U.S. military.
“This is an attack on Skydio but it’s also an attack on you,” Adam Bry, the chief executive, told customers. Behind the move was a message from China’s leaders to Donald J. Trump, who would go on to win the election with a promise of new China sanctions and tariffs: Hit us and we’ll strike back harder.
From the campaign trail to his cabinet appointments, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he believes a confrontation with China over trade and technology is inevitable. In the first Trump administration, the Chinese government took mostly symbolic and equivalent measures following U.S. tariffs and trade restrictions. This time, China is poised to escalate its responses, experts say, and could aim aggressive and targeted countermeasures at American companies.
“During Trade War 1.0, Beijing was fairly careful to meet the tariffs that the U.S. put in place,” said Jude Blanchette, a China scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. “Now they are signaling their tolerance for accepting and dishing out pain,” he said. “It’s clear for political reasons that Beijing is not willing to stand by and watch as significant new waves of tariffs come in.”
China has had time to prepare...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
“Build things that require components imported from China.”
We can THANK our labor unions for driving virtually all piece-part manufacturing off-shore. If Trump doesn’t address that problem, then anything he does regarding trade will simply IMPOVERISH the US into a the type of decline that the UK saw after WW2 and has now been speeding up, thanks to their pathetic obsession with Russia.
A country cannot have it both ways - hugely overpaid and underperforming workers (thanks to union rules) and products at reasonable prices. SMART countries understand this, others are out of luck.
True.
Addiction has consequences.
Better to go through withdrawal sooner than later.
US needs to be self sufficient in critical industries.
How did we ever have nice things before Nixon opened the US market to Chinese slave products?
Fairly careful? They forced a block on pharmaceuticals,increased Fent through the southern border and ultimately crashed the economy with a virus ?
Remember when the politicians were hugging Chinese to prove they were not racist?
China 1.0 danged near crushed the economy not to mention printed inflation
Second.
It should take about 2 days to arrange adequate bulk deliveries of a quality brand through a 3rd party. But, yes, particularly for defense use, we should have capacity to make ‘em here.
Actually, not having alternate supply chain routes through 3rd party / middleman vendors, ready to go promptly, is an oversight by the company.
Related very interesting vid on some of the new drone tech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwgXAWaeV1U
Wow, looks like we will just have to produce them somewhere else, preferably here
Correct.
Thanks for the link. The video seems quite a marketing pitch, when viewed with skepticism. The fellow in the interview states (paraphrase) "...Investors looking to invest are busy promoting their investments and potential investments."
The YouTube vidoe summary interestingly states: "The new collaboration could be a 'game changer' in Ukraine, according to Admiral Mike Hewitt, a cybersecurity investor and a director of the US-based IronNet."
Seems like marketing.
As to the YouTube-cited web site, their team seems not as world class as portrayed, but definitely recent to the 'game.' Source: National Security News About Us
nationalsecuritynews.com Domain registered -- 2021-02-20
YouTube channel -- Joined May 31, 2022
And the Hewitt annoucement and marekting is dated 15 October 2024. Hot off the presses.
IronNet Appoints Retired Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt As Lead Independent Director, Further Strengthening Cybersecurity Expertise 15 October 2024.
The message from the YouTube video and web site seems "invest with us." We've something in the works. But meanwhile, Red Cat's Black Widow is already contracted in a multi-year deal.
All purchase contracts need a late fee.
10% per week, 20% the next, so on.
Supplier gets no relief even down to 100%, still must deliver.
No delivery = 2 year ban from any U.S. business anywhere on the planet.
Xi can hump dirt, china is half broke without U.S. money.
.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.