In this debut episode of The Rank and File Podcast, Tyler Brown and Tyler Randall map the arc of airborne warfare — starting with bamboo-and-silk kites used for rangefinding, signaling, and psychological effect in 200 BC, marching through balloons, fragile WWI biplanes, jets, and helicopters, and finishing with the revolution of unmanned systems.
The Tylers explain key milestones (the French Aerostatic Corps, WWI synchronization gear, the helicopter medevac, the Kettering Bug, Israel’s battlefield drones, the RQ-2 Pioneer, the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper) and unpack what today’s cheap quadcopters, FPV strike drones, and loitering munitions mean for soldiers on the ground. Using lessons from Ukraine, we cover swarm tactics, EW and kinetic counters, squad-level employment, and the thorny ethical and doctrinal questions raised by remote and autonomous strike systems. Practical, gritty, and tactical — this episode is for anyone who wants to understand how the sky became a new front for the infantry.