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
March 19, 2026
How Defense Tech Investors Evaluate Startups | Jocelyn Kinsey (DFJ Growth)
Jocelyn Kinsey, Partner at DFJ Growth, joins us for a deep dive into defense tech investing, startup strategy, and the realities of building in the national security ecosystem. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedroneult...
March 13, 2026
Former Army Ranger on Drone Warfare, Ukraine, and The Future of War | James Lechner
Former U.S. Army Ranger James Lechner joins the podcast to discuss modern warfare, drone combat, and the lessons the West should be learning from Ukraine.Lechner shares experiences from Mogadishu to advising Ukrainian units n...
March 6, 2026
Building Nuclear Reactors for the New Industrial Era | Isaiah Taylor, Valar Atomics
Sign up for our newsletter Isaiah Taylor, founder and CEO of Valar Atomics, joins the show to discuss why energy is becoming a national security issue. Valar is building small modular nuclear reactors designed to deliver scal...
Feb. 27, 2026
The Future of Space Security and Homeland Defense | Clayton Swope
Sign up for our newsletter Clayton Swope, Deputy Director of the Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow in the Defense and Security Department, joins us to break down the real state of U.S. space and missile defense. We...
Feb. 20, 2026
Autonomous Cargo for the Navy: Shipboard VTOL Logistics at Scale | Charles Acknin & Isaac Roberts
Today we’re joined by Charles Acknin and Isaac Roberts from Skyways, the Austin-based aerospace company building long-range autonomous cargo aircraft for real logistics missions. We dig into why Skyways went defense-first, ho...
Feb. 15, 2026
Reinventing Missile Production with Liquid Propulsion | Chandler Luzsicza, Galadyne
Chandler Luzsicza, Founder and CEO of Galadyne, joins us to break down why he’s betting on liquid propulsion to reinvent long-range missile production. A former SpaceX engineer who started working on liquid rockets as a teena...
Listen On
