Philosophy

Black Cygnus Philosophy

Some military hardware is generational. The B-52 Stratofortress first flew in 1952. Less than 33 million Americans were born before the B-52, and it is expected to remain in service until at least the 2050s, when it will be a century old.

Some tools however, must be up to the minute relevant, and will be completely obsolete in 5 years, or even discarded in one year. While armor and guns and hard goods can last a lifetime, battlefield technology is ageing as soon as its boots hit the ground. In sectors like these, decades long specification, design,  procurement and deployment schedules are deadly, and not in a good way.

Warfare in the new millennium has proven that battlefield technology needs to evolve and adapt FAST, as fast as the changing requirements of conflict. No longer are gold plated, environment-hardened, thoroughly evaluated and critiqued solutions able to win the day. If your enemy has technology even three years newer than you, you could be defeated in three months.

Black Cygnus brings the agile development processes of the technology development world to the battlespace. Across domains stretching from the ground to space, we curate inexpensive, COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) components that can be rapidly and inexpensively procured and integrated into solutions that solve today’s problems. Solving tomorrow’s problems is only relevant if you survive to fight tomorrow, and by then, you may need a whole new paradigm anyway.

Our solutions are designed to solve only the most critical problems of the day, but to do so effectively and inexpensively. In this way, sheer quantity of advantage can overwhelm slow-evolving tools of yesterday or yesteryear. When a small $2000 solution can defeat a multi-million dollar opponent, imagine what a MILVAN of $2000 solutions can do.

We aim to work as closely as possible with the end-users at the sharp end, who have the hard-won knowledge of the real use-cases and vital needs, to rapidly define and refine the solution in the real world. Just-in-time procurement and manufacturing allows for blistering evolution of capabilities and production techniques, resulting in the right solution, right now.

Our VOTOLOM brand evokes the Molotov Cocktail improvised incendiary weapon created by resilient Finns during the Winter War against Russia as an inspiration for new high-value, low-cost asymmetric solutions against any adversary caught in the past.

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