The Drone Ultimatum

Latest Episodes:

Building American Drones in the New Age of Drone Warfare | Olaf Hichwa Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Neros Technologies Website

We discuss why China’s component ecosystem still outpaces the West, how U.S. drone dominance efforts are evolving, and what actually works in contested EW environments.

The conversation also digs into ITAR, exportability, component-level industrial base gaps, and why deterrence depends on building weapons that actually function at scale.This is a grounded, unfiltered look at where drone warfare is headed and what the defense tech ecosystem keeps getting wrong.

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Modern War’s Cost Problem and America’s Response | Rep. Pat Harrigan (NC-10) Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

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 uncertain future appropriations. We also break down how authorization, appropriations, and reconciliation actually work, and what the $2.5B small UAS injection could mean for industry.

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Labs vs Startups, GR vs PEO, and Selling Into DoD Without Losing Your Mind | Scott Sanders Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

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 delivering real capability.

The conversation closes on C2 integration, tactical communications, and what it would take to rebuild a durable U.S. defense ecosystem.

Episode 59.

Forterra: https://www.forterra.com/

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Understanding Modern China, From AI to Taiwan | Shannon Vaughn Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

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.

Order Jeffrey Ding's book, Technology and the Rise of Great Powers.

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 execution, and why the U.S. focus on frontier models may be missing the bigger picture.

The conversation spans drones, DJI, humanoid robots, Taiwan, and what real asymmetric competition looks like. A clear-eyed, operator-informed discussion for anyone thinking seriously about the future of defense, technology, and strategic competition.

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Scaling Edge AI and Robotics in the Real World | Hunter Dunbar (Audio Only) Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

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 LinkedIn

Luxonis

We 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 more than demos. Hunter shares candid takes on humanoid robots, investor-driven vs customer-driven robotics startups, and the reality of model decay at scale. A grounded conversation on where autonomy and defense tech are headed, and where the hype falls apart.

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Building Low-Cost Deep Strike Weapons for Modern War | Mike Weigand Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

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 Systems

Mike Weigand on LinkedIn

Aventra 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 platforms for precision guided munitions, and how physics and altitude reshape deterrence math.

Mike also shares hard-earned lessons from founding Shift5, raising capital in defense, and why building durable companies beats chasing hype.
Episode 57.

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The Rare Earths Problem: Inside America’s Supply Chain Fight | Drew Horn Nov 28, 2025

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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 of neodymium magnets, dysprosium, nuclear energy, and the surge of private capital flowing into critical minerals.If you want an insider perspective on supply chains, energy security, and the materials that power modern weapons and AI, this episode is essential.Episode 56.

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Defense Production, China, and American Power | Morgan Murphy Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

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 policy, the defense industrial base, China’s manufacturing lead, and how the Senate actually works behind the scenes.

For defense, military, and national security listeners, this episode offers an unusually candid look at policy, power, and the realities of governing.Episode 55.---Links to the show:https://www.youtube.com/@thedroneultimatumhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kf?si=3af8082184104062https://thedroneultimatum.substack.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drone-ultimatum/id1770994541https://www.instagram.com/thedroneultimatum/https://x.com/droneultimatumhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-drone-ultimatum?trk=public_post_feed-actor-nameFollow Steve:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/https://x.com/StevenSimoni⁠https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/

Why True Drone Swarms Don't Exist Yet | Emma Bates Nov 08, 2025

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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. must rethink how it evaluates and procures software. It’s a deep, funny, and surprisingly human discussion about autonomy, warfare, startups, and what it really means to make machines think together.

Episode 54.

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How to Redefine Battlefield Logistics with 3D Printing | Dan Magy Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

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 sustainment in the field. Dan also shares his perspective on the realities of scaling a defense startup, the “valley of death” between R&D and procurement, and what it takes to survive in the new era of defense innovation.

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