The Drone Ultimatum

How Vertical Autonomy Is Rethinking Tactical Military Drones | Stephen Ziegenfuss

The Drone Ultimatum

Show Notes

Stephen Ziegenfuss is the Co-Founder of Vertical Autonomy, a company building next-generation unmanned systems.

Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-ziegenfuss-6139546/

Vertical Autonomy: https://www.verticalautonomy.com/

Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

Steve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/

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Stephen Zeigenfuss, Co-Founder of Vertical Autonomy, joins The Drone Ultimatum to discuss what it really takes to build tactical unmanned aircraft.

The conversation explores lessons from decades of UAV development, why operator feedback matters more than perfect engineering, what Ukraine has revealed about modern drone warfare, and how Vertical Autonomy is approaching the next generation of Group 3 aircraft.

Whether you’re interested in defense acquisition, military aviation, or the future of autonomous systems, this episode provides a practical perspective on where tactical drones are headed.

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