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PODCAST

The Drone Ultimatum

The preeminent podcast for all things drones, defense tech, defense policy, and modern warfare. Featured guests include industry leaders, policy experts, military warfighters, business titans, and many more. Hosted by Steve Simoni, co-founder and CEO of Allen Control Systems.

technology

All Episodes

01:37:19

Building American Drones in the New Age of Drone...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/01/17

Olaf Hichwa joins the podcast to break down the reality of modern drone warfare, FPVs, and why small drones now drive the majority of battlefield casualties.Drawing on direct exposure to Ukraine and deep experience building real systems, Olaf explains why drone-on-drone combat, cost-imposing weapons, and industrial-scale manufacturing matter more than hype around autonomy or directed energy.Olaf is the co-founder and CTO of Neros Technologies.Olaf on XNeros Technologies WebsiteWe discuss why China’s

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00:52:16

Modern War’s Cost Problem and America’s Response |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/01/09

Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10), former Army Special Forces officer and defense manufacturer, joins the show to talk about why he ran for office after the fall of Afghanistan and what that moment signaled to adversaries. We dig into the economics of modern conflict, why the West keeps ending up upside down on cost, and how cheap mass systems are changing the battlefield. Rep. Harrigan explains “Skyfoundry,” a new approach aimed at building US drone production capacity without betting everything on

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01:18:37

Labs vs Startups, GR vs PEO, and Selling Into DoD...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2026/01/02

Scott Sanders is the Chief Growth Officer at Forterra. Scott joins us to talk about counter-UAS, unmanned systems, and why scaling hardware is fundamentally different from software.We cover USVs and UGVs, recent fundraising across the defense industrial base, and what companies like Anduril and Rheinmetall reveal about today’s acquisition environment. Scott explains how DoD acquisition really works, from program offices to government relations, and why early demo failures are a normal part of

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01:11:35

Understanding Modern China, From AI to Taiwan |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/12/19

Shannon Vaughn breaks down how modern China actually works, why the CCP’s primary objective is regime survival, and how that shapes everything from AI policy to military strategy. In this episode, we’re joined by Shannon Vaughn, non-resident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and General Manager of Virtue Federal, with more than two decades across the military, intelligence, and national security ecosystem. We dig into China’s approach to AI diffusion, data scale, and industrial

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01:39:49

Scaling Edge AI and Robotics in the Real World |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/12/16

Defense tech, robotics, and edge AI are moving fast, but scaling them in the real world is hard. Hunter Dunbar, Chief Product Officer at Luxonis, joins the show to break down embedded computer vision, AI hardware, and perception systems used across drones, robotics, and defense applications. Hunter Dunbar on LinkedInLuxonisWe discuss why Luxonis operates as a software company that ships hardware, how edge AI actually performs outside the lab, and why logistics, reliability, and manufacturing matter

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01:03:46

Building Low-Cost Deep Strike Weapons for Modern War...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/12/12

Mike Weigand, Founder and CEO of Aventra Defense Systems, joins the show to unpack a radically different approach to long-range strike and mass precision. Aventra Defense SystemsMike Weigand on LinkedInAventra is building low-cost, modular guidance systems that turn standard munitions into AI-enabled, stratospheric-range weapons using high-altitude balloons and glide delivery.The conversation spans the economics of deep strike military technology, why cost and scale matter more than exquisite

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01:02:54

The Rare Earths Problem: Inside America’s Supply...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/11/28

Drew Horne, founder and CEO of GreenMet, joins the show to break down the rare earth crisis and what the United States needs to do to remain competitive. He previously led critical minerals policy work inside the White House, DoD, and DOE, and offers a direct view into how mineral sourcing shapes defense, energy, and emerging technologies.We cover how U.S. permitting and processing became bottlenecks, and what it will take to stand up credible non-Chinese alternatives.Drew also explains the future

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00:59:22

Defense Production, China, and American Power |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/11/14

Morgan Murphy joins the show to talk national security, defense manufacturing, and why he’s running for U.S. Senate in Alabama. Murphy is a 26-year Navy Reserve captain, former Pentagon press secretary, and national security advisor who has worked across the White House, State Department, and Senate.He shares his perspective on restoring America’s industrial base, rebuilding shipbuilding capacity, and why he believes manufacturing is now a national security imperative.The conversation covers border

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01:19:45

Why True Drone Swarms Don't Exist Yet | Emma Bates

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/11/08

Emma Bates, co-founder and CEO of Cachai, joins the show to break down what true drone swarming actually means and why almost no one has achieved it. Drawing from her background in defense modernization and distributed systems, Emma explains how her team is building software that enables drones and autonomous systems to operate without a single point of failure. The conversation dives into distributed consensus, the difference between “common” and “consistent” operating pictures, and why the U.S

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00:27:34

How to Redefine Battlefield Logistics with 3D...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/31

Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm, returns to the show for a live episode recorded at Battlefield 2027. Firestorm is building deployable, modular 3D printing systems that can manufacture drones, parts, and tools directly at the edge of operations — a game-changing capability for contested logistics.We discuss how Firestorm’s portable manufacturing units are reshaping military production, the lessons learned from early Army field tests, and how 3D printing is enabling faster repair and

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01:26:26

Jet Engines & Reinventing Oil Systems for Next-Gen...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/25

Rob Sladen is the Chairman and CEO of Zulu Pods, a company pioneering next-generation lubrication and fluid delivery systems for aerospace and defense. Before founding Zulu Pods, Sladen spent 13 years at Pratt & Whitney designing jet engines — experience that now fuels his startup’s role as the “picks and shovels” behind future weapon systems.In this episode, we talk about how Zulu Pods’ “Tide Pod for jet engines” was invented, the state of DoD procurement, and why small defense startups face

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01:30:12

The GovCon Game: Relationships and Red Tape | John Ferry

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/18

John Ferry returns to the show for one of the most blunt conversations yet about the defense startup ecosystem. From the realities of selling to government and surviving the “valley of death” to the cultural dysfunction inside acquisition, Ferry lays out why so many startups die before getting their product fielded and what it actually takes to win.Steve and John discuss how relationships drive every contract, why SBIRs rarely translate to real programs, and how companies like Anduril changed the

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01:10:06

Inside AV Inc: Drones, Directed Energy, and Defense...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/13

Church Hutton, Chief Growth Officer at AV Inc. (formerly AeroVironment), joins the show for a deep dive into the future of autonomous systems, directed energy, and defense innovation. A retired Army officer and longtime Hill staffer, Church brings an insider’s view of how national security priorities, procurement, and industrial competition with China are evolving.He shares how AV is doubling down on robotics, drones, and lasers following its merger with BlueHalo, and why the company’s investments

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01:25:52

Autonomous Fighter Drones and the Next Era of Air...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/11

Jeff Wright, founder and CEO of SplashOne Robotics, joins the show to discuss how his company is developing small, purpose-built fighter drones to redefine air superiority. A former Marine and Air Force Special Tactics Officer, Wright brings a warfighter’s perspective to modern defense tech — from the limits of current counter-drone systems to the coming shift toward autonomous, air-to-air combat.We cover the “drone bubble” shaping defense startups, how SplashOne is tackling the kill chain

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01:18:45

Solid Rocket Motors and America’s Hypersonic “Sputnik...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/10/04

<p>Max Vozoff, Chief Technology Officer at X-Bow Systems, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges and opportunities in America’s solid rocket motor industry.<br><br>With decades of experience, including early work at SpaceX, Vozoff explains why the U.S. is facing a “Sputnik moment” in hypersonics and energetics — and how X-Bow is building new manufacturing methods to meet the demand.</p><p>We dive into X-Bow’s “rocket factory in a box,” distributed production

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01:30:02

FAA, DJI, and the Next Era of U.S. Drone Innovation |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/09/26

Todd Graetz, co-founder and CEO of Aerolane, joins the show to share how his aviation startup is reimagining air cargo with autonomous glider-based aircraft. From his early work launching one of the first large-scale drone programs at BNSF Railway to building Aerolane's innovative “air cart” system, Graetz has been at the forefront of UAV and aerospace innovation for over a decade.We discuss the challenges of scaling U.S. drone manufacturing, the realities of FAA regulation, and why bans on Chinese

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01:26:04

Advanced Radar Detection, Modular Sensing, and...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/09/19

Jon Dandrow, CEO of Radenso and Strikeman, joins the show to talk about building advanced radar detection systems, modular sensing hardware, and consumer-to-defense innovation.From hacking traffic cameras in his college years to leading dual-use technology companies, Dandrow shares the unconventional path that brought him into the defense world. We dive into how modular, FPGA-powered platforms are reshaping signals intelligence and CUAS, the challenges of manufacturing in the U.S. versus China, and

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01:17:12

Modular Jamming, AI Detection, and the Rise of...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/09/12

Matt McCrann, U.S. Navy veteran and CEO of DroneShield US, joins the show to talk about the evolving fight against drone threats. From handheld jammers like the DroneGun MkIV to advanced sensor fusion and AI-powered RF detection, DroneShield is building modular tools for defense and homeland security. We dig into the cat-and-mouse game with adversary drones, lessons from Ukraine, and how modular hardware and software-defined jamming keep pace with new threats. McCrann also shares insights on

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01:21:06

From Industrial Robots to Defense Infrastructure |...

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/09/05

Troy Demmer is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Gecko Robotics, the industrial tech company behind wall-climbing inspection robots and the full-stack software platform reshaping how we manage critical infrastructure. In this episode, Troy breaks down Gecko’s origin story, their second act in defense, and why hardware is just the wedge.We talk about the staggering cost of industrial maintenance, the Navy’s sustainment crisis, the failure of legacy digital twin initiatives, and how Gecko’s

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01:29:59

The Reality of Selling to the Pentagon | Mike Canty

The Drone Ultimatum ·

2025/08/29

Mike Canty, co-founder and CEO of Armaments Research Company, joins the show to discuss the future of defense tech and the realities of building hardware startups for the Pentagon. A former Army major, Mike now leads ARC in developing AI-enabled weapon sensors that turn rifles into data-driven decision systems. We get into his founder journey from bootstrapping hardware to selling a previous startup to DoorDash, the challenges of raising money in defense before it was “cool,” and the realities of

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63 results

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