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 & President of Allen Control Systems
Recent Episodes
June 8, 2026
The Future of Defense Integration, Open Systems, and Edge Computing | John Parkes & Amber Walker, Parry Labs
In this episode, Steve sits down with John "JD" Parkes, Founder and CEO of Parry Labs, and Amber Walker, Chief Growth Officer. Parry Labs develops mission-critical software and digital infrastructure that helps military syste...
May 29, 2026
Picogrid and the Defense Integration Problem | Zane Mountcastle
Zane Mountcastle is the co-founder and CEO of Picogrid, a defense technology company building the software and hardware infrastructure layer that connects drones, sensors, autonomous systems, and command platforms into unifie...
May 22, 2026
How Drones and Autonomous Boats Are Reshaping Maritime Warfare | Ben Cipperley
Ben Cipperley is the Chief Strategy Officer of HavocAI and a former Navy EOD officer who spent more than two decades in the Navy, including work on robotics, autonomy, and the Navy’s strategic modernization efforts. Follow Be...
May 15, 2026
Defense Investing in the Age of AI, China, and Industrial Competition | Weston Moyer & Jonathan Rue
Weston Moyer and Jonathan Rue of MVP Ventures join The Drone Ultimatum to discuss defense tech investing, AI, robotics, aerospace, manufacturing, and what it takes for startups to scale in national security. 00:00:00 — Intro ...
May 8, 2026
How Pryzm Is Building the AI OS for Defense Procurement | Nick LaRovere
Nick LaRovere is the co-founder and CEO of Pryzm, a startup building an AI-powered operating system for defense business development and procurement. 00:00 - Intro 01:19 - AI coding, “vibe coding,” and hiring engineers 04:27 ...
May 1, 2026
Reindustrializing Drone Manufacturing in the U.S. | David Michelson, Re:Build Manufacturing
David Michelson, former Army Ranger, DIU autonomy leader, and current Drones Thesis Leader at Re:Build Manufacturing, discusses what’s actually working and not working in drones and autonomy today. Learn more about our spo...
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