Sam Armstrong

I'm a writer and marketer based in London, writing Defense Profile to make sense of defense and dual-use technology (and hopefully others). I come at the sector as a deliberate outsider: rigorous in the research, honest about what I'm still learning, and focused on making a complex industry legible.

Communications

Jul 14, 2026

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8 min read

Communication Breakdown? Operation Jailbreak and the Army’s Push to Make Systems Talk

For decades, the US military has bought powerful systems that often struggle to work together. Operation Jailbreak is an attempt to make interoperability a battlefield requirement, not an afterthought.

Sam Armstrong

Autonomy

Jul 6, 2026

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9 min read

Divergent and the Programmable Factory

The startup behind a 3D-printed supercar is now printing Tomahawk structures. The pitch is a software-defined factory that can build almost anything.

Sam Armstrong

Aviation

Jun 23, 2026

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9 min read

From Satellites to Battlefield Intelligence With ICEYE

Radar satellites that can see through cloud and darkness, but the bigger pitch is faster intelligence for modern war.

Sam Armstrong

Aviation

Jun 12, 2026

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9 min read

Helsing’s Sovereign Software Bet

The German startup is building AI systems for drones, aircraft, sensors and factories, but its larger pitch is that Europe needs to build sovereign software for war.

Sam Armstrong

Aviation

Jun 4, 2026

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11 min read

Climbing the Aviation Food Chain With Shield AI

Convincing the Air Force Secretary to climb into a jet with no human pilot.

Sam Armstrong