Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell joined CNN live to discuss the company’s work with the U.S. Army, frontline drone capabilities, and the lessons learned from Ukraine.
EXPANDING INTO EVERYTHING FROM EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO PACKAGE DELIVERY, OF COURSE, TO WARFARE. JOINING ME NOW, CEO AND PRESIDENT CAMERON SHELL. THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME. >> THANKS FOR HAVING US. >> SO FIRST, IN TERMS OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. ARMY, ARE THESE DRONES PRIMARILY FOR DEFENSE OR ALSO FOR OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS? >> WELL, I THINK THE MISSION SETS ARE SOMEWHAT SENSITIVE, BUT I CAN SAY THAT WHAT’S PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR INITIATIVE IS THAT THE U.S. ARMY IS LOOKING FOR THE CAPABILITY TO MODIFY AND HAVE MULTIPLE MISSION SETS AVAILABLE TO THEM. SO WHETHER THE DEFENSIVE OR LOGISTICS, SEARCH AND RESCUE, THAT’S THE CAPABILITY THAT THEY WANT AS CLOSE TO THE FRONT LINE AS POSSIBLE AND WHY WE’VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS OPPORTUNITY. >> WHAT’S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TRAINING U.S. FORCES TO BUILD, EQUIP AND MODIFY THOSE DRONES CLOSER TO TO THE FRONT LINE? BECAUSE THAT’S CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE’VE SEEN IN UKRAINE, WHERE YOU HAVE THESE I MEAN, YOU HAVE THESE KIND OF DRONE LABS RIGHT THERE, AND THEY’RE BUILDING IT AND SENDING IT OUT THE NEXT DAY. >> YEAH. WELL, DRAGONFLY IS THE OLDEST DUAL USE DRONE MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD. WE WE ACTUALLY PUT OUT THE FIRST WHAT WAS CALLED THEN FLYING CAMERA IN 1998. AND AS AN EXAMPLE, WE’VE BEEN ACTIVE IN BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE SINCE 2022. INITIALLY DELIVERING INSULIN INTO BESIEGED CITIES WITH OUR EQUIPMENT. BUT THEN MOVING MORE AND MORE INTO THINGS LIKE NATIONAL DEFENSE AND LEARNING THE TACTICS THAT THE FINE FIGHTING UKRAINIANS HAVE. SO THE LESSONS FROM THAT AREA HAVE GIVEN US SOME CAPABILITY AND EXPERIENCE IN BEING ABLE TO RELATE THAT BACK TO ALLIED AND NATO AND U.S. FIVE I INCLUDED FORCES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE TECHNIQUES TO MODIFY, DO MAINTENANCE, CHANGE YOUR MISSION, SET INSTANTLY. AND SO SECRETARY, INCREDIBLE INITIATIVE TO GET THAT DECISION MAKING PROCESS DOWN INTO THE COMMAND LEVEL IS WHAT’S DRIVING I BELIEVE ANYWAY ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE U.S. ARMY TO WORK WITH COMPANIES LIKE DRAGONFLY THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND SO THAT THESE CAPABILITIES CAN BE EXECUTED WITHIN HOURS, NOT WITHIN YEARS OF PROCUREMENT CYCLE. >> ONE INTERESTING PHENOMENON IN THE UKRAINE WAR, BEYOND SEEING DRONE WARFARE ADVANCE ENORMOUSLY, IS THAT WHILE THE INITIAL FRAMING OF THIS WAR RIGHT WAS UKRAINE, DEPENDING ON THE WEST FOR WEAPONS SYSTEMS THAT UKRAINE HAS MADE SO MANY ADVANCES THAT REALLY THE WEST, THE U.S. AND EUROPE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN, HAVE A LOT TO TO LEARN FROM, FROM UKRAINE AT THIS POINT. AND I IMAGINE YOU’VE SEEN THAT AS WELL WITH YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE THERE. >> OUR GREATEST, YOU KNOW, SO IN THE 27 YEARS OF MANUFACTURING AND SOLUTION PROVISION IN DRONES THAT WE’VE DONE THE WORK IN PARTICULAR THAT WE’VE DONE IN UKRAINE AND THAT WE’VE LEARNED BY BEING THERE IN PLACE AND SOME OF THOSE FINE FIGHTING INDIVIDUALS AND THE INGENUITY AND INITIATIVE, BECAUSE THEY’RE THERE IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE EVERY DAY, HAVING TO LEARN, HAVING TO ADAPT, BEING UNDER-RESOURCED. WHAT WE ARE NOW LEARNING BACK IS OF EXPONENTIAL VALUE COMPARED TO WHAT WE CAN BRING TO THE TABLE, OTHER THAN, OF COURSE, THE RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH THAT WE HAVE. >> YEAH. WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE RIGHT NOW IN DRONE TECHNOLOGY WHEN BEYOND THE BATTLEFIELD OF UKRAINE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RUSSIA? CHINA IS CERTAINLY WE SAW THAT ON DISPLAY DURING THE BEIJING MILITARY PARADE RECENTLY. THE U.S., EVERY U.S. COMMANDER AND DIVISION CHIEF IS TALKING ABOUT DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN SOME WAY. AND THEY’RE ALL TRAINING AND INTEGRATING THEM INTO THEIR EXERCISES, ET CETERA. BUT DOES ANY ONE OF THE WORLD POWERS HAVE A PARTICULAR ADVANTAGE AT THIS POINT, IN YOUR VIEW? >> WELL, IN MY OPINION, AND IT’S SOMEWHAT INFORMED, THE CHINESE BY FAR ARE THE DOMINANT FORCE IN DRONES, NOT JUST IN TERMS OF SIZE, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF CAPABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY AND A COMMITMENT TO RESOURCING INTO DRONES. THAT IS THE THAT IS THE REAL THREAT AND THAT IS THE INDUSTRIAL MIGHT THAT I BELIEVE THE UNITED STATES AND ITS NATO AND ALLIES HAVE TO BRING TO THE TABLE TO COMBAT. SO WHETHER IT’S ANYTHING FROM, YOU KNOW, CIVIL DEFENSE OR SUPPLY CHAIN PROTECTION OR ACTUAL THINGS LIKE, BATTLEFIELD TACTICS YOU KNOW, THEATERS OF ENGAGEMENT THE CHINESE COMPLETELY DOMINATE IT RIGHT NOW. AND THAT’S THE REAL RISK. IN MANY RESPECTS, UNFORTUNATELY, THE UKRAINE THEATER HAS GIVEN US A WAKE UP CALL IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER AND AND PUT OUR MILITARY, OUR, OUR COMMERCIAL, OUR CIVIL AND OUR PATRIOTIC CAPABILITIES IN FRONT OF, WHAT WHAT THE INCREDIBLE INDUSTRIAL CHINESE COMPLEX HAS PUT IN PLACE. IT’S AN IMPERATIVE RIGHT NOW, AND IT’S PROBABLY, IN MY OPINION, OUR BIGGEST THREAT. >> YEAH. THERE’S SUCH A SCALE ASPECT TO IT, TOO. CAMERON