I’m Josh Gunning, cofounder of Gunning Industries. This is our manifesto—why we exist, what we’re building, and what we refuse to compromise on.
The 60-Second Problem
The most dangerous part of a call is often the dumbest: the first minute.
Before there’s a plan, before there’s certainty, before anyone has context—someone still has to be the first one through the door. An attic check. A hallway. A stairwell. A hoarder house. A “we think he’s in that room” moment.
We live in a world with thermal sensors, autonomy, and enough compute to land rockets on barges. And yet the first 60 seconds of close-quarters reality is still analog.
The Insane Status Quo (and the part nobody says out loud)
Teams already use drones. But when the indoor drone is too loud, too big, too twitchy, too fragile, or too annoying to set up, it stops being “gear” and becomes “a science project.”
“When the drone fails, we can always go back to old school and just hard-charge it.”
That sentence is the whole problem. When the tool fails, humans eat the risk. Not as a metaphor—literally.
Our thesis: Own the room, not the sky
Everyone fights over the outdoor drone market. We’re deliberately attacking the neglected slice that actually changes outcomes:
- Indoor-first micro drones built for tight, ugly spaces—dust, wires, curtains, heat, smoke, clutter.
- Expendable pricing and mindset so it gets used on real calls, not protected like a sacred artifact.
- Designed for “DJI-easy” control under stress, not “elite gamer” piloting.
This is not a “cool drone” mission. This is a “get eyes inside before a human commits” mission.
What we’re building (and what matters mechanically)
The core platform is simple to describe and hard to execute: a palm-sized, fully ducted micro drone that’s safe in close quarters, quiet enough to use indoors, stable enough to trust, and rugged enough to collide with reality and keep flying.
Some non-negotiables we’re designing around:
- Fully ducted / guarded props so it can bump walls and doorframes without instantly dying (or hurting someone).
- Sub-10” footprint because “fits” beats “features” when you’re navigating real structures.
- ISR-first payload: clear EO video with an option for thermal—optimized for seeing in tight spaces, not making cinema.
- Swappable payload bay so this becomes a platform (markers, sensors, droppers, whatever the mission needs).
- Future docking + ready-rack compatibility so it can live charged, staged, and deployable—like a tool, not a hobby.
NDAA-clean isn’t a slide. It’s the foundation.
We are building from day one to avoid getting painted into a corner later—no dependency on PRC-origin integrated “magic bricks,” no vendor lock-in, and mechanical design that supports multiple suppliers as the stack evolves.
In other words: compliance and supply-chain reality aren’t paperwork we “deal with later.” They shape the product now.
The contrarian take: autonomy is not the main course
Hot take: most “autonomy-first” drone roadmaps miss the point for public safety.
In the first 60 seconds of a high-risk entry, you don’t need a flying autonomous robot. You need a tool that:
- turns on fast
- stays stable
- doesn’t panic in dust or tight spaces
- gets the camera where you need it
Reliability beats genius. “Monkey-flyable” beats “demo-god.” We’ll take boring and dependable over flashy and fragile every time.
What we refuse to build
- We’re not building a war-toy brand. This isn’t content. It’s protection.
- We’re not building spyware. The mission is intel for the moment, not surveillance as a lifestyle.
- We’re not building a “one drone to rule them all.” General-purpose platforms get pulled toward compromises. We’re obsessed with the door.
What “success” actually looks like
Success is not a viral demo. Success is an operator reaching for the drone the same way they reach for a flashlight—without thinking.
Success is fewer blind entries. Fewer “I hope he’s not behind that couch” moments. Fewer families getting the worst phone call of their lives because information arrived 30 seconds too late.
An open call
If you’re a SWAT operator, firefighter, SAR lead, or instructor: we want your brutal feedback. If you’re a supplier who can help us stay clean and scalable: we want to talk. If you’re an engineer who gets obsessed with making hard things real: come build with us.
We’re here for one reason: the first thing through the door should be a robot.
