Aerospace & Defense Technology

The U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) has taken a major step toward modernizing depot operations: securely connecting manufacturing machines, robots, and digital analytics tools across previously isolated enclaves.

This capability was driven by Corsha’s Machine Identity Provider (mIDP), a zero-trust platform that recently received an Authorization-to-Operate (ATO) within the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group. With mIDP, WR-ALC can authenticate every machine-to-machine connection and enable real-time data sharing for robotic systems and shop-floor automation.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Corsha CEO Anusha Iyer explains how machine identity, continuous authentication, and secure connectivity are accelerating digital sustainment for the U.S. Air Force — and what this means for the future of industrial manufacturing and depot modernization.

In this episode, Packet Digital CEO Terri Zimmerman breaks down the company’s push to expand U.S.-based production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for military unmanned aircraft systems.

She discusses new investments, manufacturing plans at the Badland Batteries facility in North Dakota, and why domestic energy-storage capability is becoming a mission-critical requirement for future UAS operations.

Zimmerman also offers insight into engineering challenges, supply-chain constraints, and the performance demands shaping the next generation of drone power systems.

As aerospace companies race to deliver cutting-edgetechnologies faster and more efficiently, digital innovation is taking center stage. For decades, manufacturers have relied on digital twins for design and simulation. Today, the industry is entering a new era with virtual twins.

According to Dassault Systèmes, a virtual twin is "an immersive scientific digital model that mirrors a real-world product, system, or process in meticulous detail." Virtual twins allow engineers to predict performance, eliminate errors, and optimize designs before production even begins. This breakthrough is helping aerospace and defense manufacturers reduce development cycles, improve quality, and accelerate time-to-market for next-generation technologies.

On the latest episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, we sit down with two experts from DassaultSystèmes:

• Mariah Otte, Aerospace and Defense Solution Architect
• Jason Roberson, Aerospace and Defense Industry Value Expert

Together, they explain how virtual twins are transformingaerospace design and manufacturing, and what this means for the future of innovation in the sector. From simulation-driven engineering to predictive performance modeling, this conversation dives deep into the tools and strategies shaping tomorrow’s aerospace solutions.

This episode examines the technical and strategic foundations behind Guam’s new advanced manufacturing hub, developed through ASTRO America in coordination with the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program.

Neal Orringer of ASTRO America and Alex Benham of the Guam Additive Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator (GAMMA) provide an engineering-level discussion of the facility’s additive manufacturing capabilities, supply-chain objectives, and workforce development plans. The conversation outlines how the hub will support distributed sustainment, accelerate part production near the point of need, and bolster naval readiness across the Indo-Pacific.

While hydrogen-powered flight promises zero emissions and high efficiency, it also brings some of the toughest engineering challenges: cryogenic storage, high-pressure systems, and the constant risk of leakage. At the heart of solving these challenges are sealing solutions and advanced materials — the hidden heroes that make safe, reliable hydrogen flight possible.

On this sponsored interview episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Margauz Ningre-Corier, Aerospace Sales and Market Development Manager at Omniseal Solutions is the guest expert who will dive into how these technologies are being developed, what hurdles remain, and where the future of hydrogen-powered air mobility is headed.

During the 2025 Association of the United States Army(AUSA) annual meeting and exhibition, Forterra announced several major defense industry vehicle partnerships and introduced four new integrated modules designed to enable autonomy for military vehicles, communications and more.

Headquartered in Clarksburg, Maryland, Forterra develops autonomous mission systems for specific defense applications, including robotics and self-driving vehicles. The company has a new partnership with BAE Systems that will rapidly prototype an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV). Separately, Forterra has also collaborated with Oshkosh Defense and Raytheon to develop the "DeepFires" autonomous vehicle launcher technology.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Patrick Acox, Forterra Vice President of Defense Growth, is the guest to explain how their company provides autonomy enabling modules for a wide variety of military applications.

Windlift, a North Carolina-based startup, recentlyannounced successful results from initial testing of a new autonomous tethered drone system that leverages winds aloft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).

Windlift's new "GUARD" system is a mobile platform that includes a launcher and a tethered drone equipped with a navigation system that autonomously leverages wind to maintain altitude and stability.

"GUARD is set to deliver performance far beyond what's possible today. Where most tethered drones struggle or fail in high winds, GUARD excels. As the wind increases, the GUARD platform, originally designed to harness the wind through complex flight patterns for airborne power generation, thrives," said Rob Creighton, Windlift Founder & CEO. "This breakthrough has been in the making for years, with technical oversight from the Naval Research Laboratory every step of the way. Initial testing marks a pivotal moment."

Creighton is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace& Defense Technology podcast to explain how Windlift's autonomous tethered drone system leverages wind to power a wide variety of defense applications.

During the Association for the United States Army (AUSA)2025 annualmeeting and exhibition, AimLock announced a partnership with Overland AI that will integrate their autonomous targeting and engagement systems into Overland’s new ULTRA autonomous ground vehicle.

The partnership announcement came following the U.S. Army’sselection of Overland AI for a vendor position in their UxS Autonomous Maneuver Program that will evaluate autonomous capabilities using upfits on their Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV).

“The evolution of autonomy on the battlefield is changingthe very nature of ground operations as we know it, and our systems are at the forefront of helping the warfighter prevail against the enemy,” said Bryan Bockmon, CEO of AimLock, commenting on their new partnership with Overland AI.

Bockmon is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace &Defense Technology podcast to discuss their new partnership with Overland AI and the future of autonomous targeting systems in modern warfare.

During the Association for the United States Army (AUSA)2025 annual meeting and exhibition, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll's opening keynote presentation provided a reality check on the type of technologies their soldiers are using on a daily basis.

While AUSA's annual exhibition featured some of the mostadvanced ground vehicles, drones and weapons systems available on the market, Driscoll said that most of the technologies the Army uses on a daily basis weredeveloped 30 years ago. According to Driscoll, "if small arms defined the 20th century, drones will define the 21st."

Listen to this episode of the Aerospace & DefenseTechnology podcast to hear selected portions from Driscoll’s AUSA 2025 opening keynote. In his keynote, Driscoll discusses the Army’s transition to a drone-centric future and an acquisition paradigm reshaped by Silicon Valley principles. He details how the service will contract with startups, accelerate AI/robotics/Drone prototyping, and shift from multi-yearprocurements to lean, iterative delivery in months and thousands rather than years and billions.

MGI Engineering recently unveiled their new long-rangeautonomous precision strike drone, TigerShark, at the 2025 Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) event in London.

MGI is a U.K.-based engineering consultancy founded byformer Formula 1 (F1) Chief Designer Mike Gacoyne. The company developed TigerShark in response to the growth in demand from defense customers for the top of low cost drones, one way effectors and loitering munitions that havebeen effectively used on both sides of the war in Ukraine.

Gascoyne is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace& Defense Technology podcast to explain how MGI is leveraging their history of collaborating with Formula 1 racing teams to design low cost precision strike drones that can be manufactured at scale.