Itâs not machine guns and trenches. Itâs not tank formations working to outflank each other. Itâs not even fighter jets screaming overhead with devastating payloads. [Outsider Club Header]
March 24, 2023 by Jason Simpkins for the Outsider Club This Technology Is Dominating the Ukraine War As the besieged residents of Kyiv tried to find some peace of mind and quiet, sleeping in their beds this past Tuesday night, 21 Russian drones flew toward the city. Ukrainian forces shot down 16, but five got through, damaging power stations, communications towers, and even a school. Worst of all, at least four people were killed and 20 injured. This is the nature of modern warfare. Itâs not machine guns and trenches. Itâs not tank formations working to outflank each other. Itâs not even fighter jets screaming overhead with devastating payloads. All of those things still exist, of course. Theyâve been a part of this war. But overwhelmingly, itâs been the drones that have dominated the battlefield. Whether itâs conducting reconnaissance, blowing up infrastructure, or eradicating enemy forces⦠Drones have been front and center. Cole Rosentreter, CEO of Canadian drone maker Pegasus, recently made a really good point in The New York Times: Weâve returned to warfare at industrial scale; both sides are treating drones the same as artillery shells now, because whoever has the logistical base to outproduce the other has a clear advantage on the battlefield. See, thatâs where weâre at. In addition to being a battle of human attrition, this war has become a test of each sideâs industrial base â its ability to manufacture and supply its troops. And in that capacity, drones are being acquired on the same scale as ammunition. That demand says a lot about their utility, efficacy, and expendability. The Tiny Company Solving Humanityâs Biggest Dilemma In just five years, we could see over $15 trillion in new wealth. That's because, after more than a decade in development, a relatively unknown company is revealing its almighty technology to the world... A technology that Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, and the Rockefellers are pouring millions into... Which could solve humanityâs biggest dilemma. But this is more than buying a stock on the ground floor. [This is your stake in the future of human civilization.]( Russia can afford to send 20 drones and have 80% of them get shot down, because the five that make it through are enough to be disruptive. That, and because the ones that are neutralized are easily replaced. Without a doubt, drones like the MQ-9 Reaper that Russia knocked out of the sky last week or the companion craft that are being designed to complement our fighter groups can be extremely sophisticated... But most are relatively simple and cheap to produce. Of course, Russiaâs industrial base is so hollow and its access to technology so limited that producing even cheap drones is a monumental task. So it's had to outsource the job to China. China has shipped more than $12 million worth of drones to Russia since it invaded Ukraine. The biggest supplier is a company called DJI, which is based in Shenzhen. Itâs been blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce since 2020, but that hasnât stopped it from delivering quadcopters to the front lines. The company is responsible for half of all Chinese drone shipments to Russia. Other drone manufacturers are proliferating as well. There are roughly 70 Chinese exporters selling drones to Russia. Iran is another big supplier. Iran has supplied Russia with more than 1,700 drones capable of suicide bombings as well as surveillance and intelligence gathering. And earlier this year, the two countries established plans to produce some 6,000 Iranian drones at a new facility in Russia. [QUIZ] 46 BILLION Barrels of Oil?! A massive $5.9 trillion oil boom is about to take place. Three tiny companies just acquired the rights to mine an untapped patch holding 46 billion barrels of oil in a mystery location... And it even has the potential to reach $9 trillion in value if prices reach $200 per barrel! So which country do you think will lead this upcoming oil surge? - Venezuela
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- Russia Think you know the answer? [See if youâre right!]( Meanwhile, Ukraine has its own drones, and itâs been able to count on the United States for additional support. The last U.S. aid package, which went out in February, included $2 billion worth of drones and ammunition. In fact, [a company I recently recommended in my Secret Stock Files investment service]( was a big beneficiary of that package, netting two separate orders. One of its drones has a range of 25 miles, which lets it fly behind enemy lines to find and neutralize Russian troops and weapons, including artillery and main battle tanks. Another is a fixed-wing aircraft with helicopter blades, which means it can take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly like a plane. It has a maximum range of 115 miles and can remain aloft for at least 14 hours, so itâs perfectly suited for reconnaissance missions, but itâs also demonstrated an ability to deploy munitions, like a miniature precision glide bomb. You can bet weapons like these are going to garner a lot of attention from Americaâs domestic defense budget too. Iâm not sure if you saw it, but the Biden administration just released its fiscal-year 2024 budget proposal last week.  It requested $886.4 billion for national security spending, with $842 billion going to the Department of Defense. Thatâs a sizable increase as is, but remember, that figure is just a starting point. For perspective, President Biden proposed $813 billion in national security spending last spring, and we ended up with a final figure of $858 billion. So when all is said and done, the FY2024 budget will almost certainly exceed $900 billion. But like I said, if you really want to make the most of that as an investor, [you should check out Secret Stock Files](, where I go in-depth on all kinds of military technology, including drones. [You can find out more about that here.]( Fight on, [Jason Simpkins Signature] Jason Simpkins [follow basic]([@OCSimpkins on Twitter]( Jason Simpkins is Assistant Managing Editor of the Outsider Club and Investment Director of Wall Street's Proving Ground, a financial advisory focused on security companies and defense contractors. For more on Jason, check out his editor's [page](. *Follow Outsider Club on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. Follow the Outsiders [Twitter]( | [Facebook]( | [LinkedIn]( | [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. You can manage your subscription and get our privacy policy [here](. Outsider Club, Copyright © Outsider Club LLC, 3 E Read Street Baltimore, MD 21202. Please note: It is not our intention to send email to anyone who doesn't want it. If you're not sure why you're getting this e-letter, or no longer wish to receive it, get more info [here]( including our privacy policy and information on how to manage your subscription. If you are interested in our other publications, please call our customer service team at [1-855-496-0830](tel:/18554960830).