In this episode of The Techne Connect, Andy Blatchford shares his journey from farm-raised mechanical engineer to Chief Engineer in AeroVironment’s Precision Strike and Defensive Solutions group.

Andy walks through his path from Raytheon Missile Systems into the drone space, including what he learned from flight testing, systems engineering rigour, and leading complex programmes under pressure. He explains why Switchblade 600 became a defining challenge, from surviving the tube-launch transition to delivering reliable guidance, navigation, target tracking, and terminal performance.

The conversation covers where defence innovation is heading, including mass deployment, contested RF links, cybersecurity, MBSE, autonomy shifting from man-in-the-loop to man-off-the-loop, and the growing importance of counter-drone defence against swarms. Andy also shares what skill sets young engineers should build, and why defence offers fast feedback, high impact, and serious technical depth.

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