Drone Radio Show

Matt McCrann is U.S. CEO of SPARC AI. SPARC AI develops software that enables precision navigation and target acquisition for drones and autonomous systems operating in GPS-denied environments. Its flagship platform, Overwatch, is a software-only, hardware-agnostic solution that transforms the sensors already onboard a drone into a resilient positioning system—without requiring additional hardware. The platform also supports detection, tracking, and multi-drone coordination, providing operators with greater situational awareness in contested environments.

Matt leads SPARC AI's expansion across the United States, overseeing commercial strategy, customer engagement, and adoption of the company's positioning technology. Before joining SPARC AI, he built DroneShield's U.S. business from the ground up as CEO of its American subsidiary. Earlier in his career, Matt served in the United States Navy as an Intelligence Operator and Analyst and as a member of the NSA's Cryptologic Direct Support Element, supporting national security and operational missions.

Whether it's electronic warfare, jamming, spoofing, or simply operating where satellite signals can't reach, today's drones face a growing challenge: how do they continue to navigate accurately and complete the mission?

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Matt talks about the growing challenge of GPS-denied operations, how SPARC AI's Overwatch platform helps autonomous systems navigate without relying solely on GPS, what the company is learning from deployments in Ukraine, and why resilient positioning is becoming an essential capability for the next generation of drones.

Michael Abdelmaseh is Head Engineer at PyroDelta Energy. Pyrodelta has spent nearly a decade cracking a problem that stumped the entire thermoelectric industry. The company's patented Capillary Casting process produces solid-state thermoelectric generators that convert waste heat into clean, stable electricity across applications spanning AI data centers, combustion engines, agriculture, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

In February 2026, PyroDelta launched a Florida-based manufacturing facility producing custom-designed, defect-free thermoelectric crystals, directly addressing North American supply chain vulnerabilities from China. Most notably for the drone world, PyroDelta has entered the DARPA Lift Challenge — scheduled for August 2–9, 2026 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio competing for a share of $6.5 million in prize money.

Michael has led the engineering team that designed PyroDelta's heavy-lift drone from the ground up. For nearly a decade, Michael and his team have been developing a breakthrough thermoelectric technology that converts waste heat from combustion engines into usable electrical power.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about the engineering behind PyroDelta's patented Capillary Casting process, why the company believes waste heat is one of the most overlooked energy sources in aviation, what it takes to compete in one of DARPA's most demanding drone competitions, and where this technology could lead beyond drones.

Mike Horton is CEO and co-founder of HYFIX, a Santa Clara company developing U.S.-made positioning, navigation, communications, and computing technology for autonomous systems.

The company's H1P platform integrates flight control, positioning, communications, and onboard compute into a single architecture. HYFIX is also working on resilient navigation technologies designed for environments where traditional GPS may be jammed, spoofed, or unavailable.

Mike is a veteran technology entrepreneur with decades of experience in navigation, sensors, and autonomous systems. At HYFIX, he and his team are working to address one of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. drone industry: how to replace a fragmented collection of foreign-made components with secure, integrated technology designed and manufactured for American autonomous systems.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Mike and I talk about why the U.S. is restricting foreign drone technology before domestic alternatives are fully ready, how fragmented drone systems create security and supply chain risks, and why integrated, U.S.-made systems could be critical to the future of autonomy.

Ryan Bracken is Head of Product and Security at Versaterm. Versaterm is a leading provider of public safety software that helps police, fire, EMS, and emergency communications agencies manage every stage of incident response. Its integrated platform combines computer-aided dispatch, records management, mobile data, real-time intelligence, and analytics to improve operational efficiency and situational awareness. Through its integration of DroneSense, Versaterm extending that platform to include drones, enabling agencies to dispatch, monitor, and manage them alongside traditional public safety resources.

At Versaterm, Ryan leads the strategic vision and product development for the company's integrated public safety drone platform. He brings a unique blend of operational insight and technical expertise shaped by nearly twelve years as an FBI Special Agent specializing in counterterrorism, cyber, and aviation operations. Prior to his time at the FBI, Bracken served as an Aerospace Engineer for the U.S. Air Force. He maintains his FAA Commercial/Instrument and Part 107 Remote Pilot certificates.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ryan explains how Versaterm's acquisition of DroneSense is helping agencies move beyond standalone drone programs by integrating drones directly into cad and dispatch workflows. We discuss what successful drone programs have in common, how agencies can build sustainable operations while working within budget constraints, the cybersecurity challenges of connected drone systems, and how departments can measure the effectiveness of Drone as First Responder programs. Ryan also shares his perspective on where future public safety drone programs are headed and what agencies should be doing today to prepare for the next generation of drone-enabled emergency response.

Lavera Alexander is Chief Growth Officer at the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MPED). MBEP is a cross-sector nonprofit that convenes business, government, education, and community leaders to drive economic growth across the tri-county Monterey Bay region, and it sits at the heart of what may be the highest concentration of advanced air mobility companies anywhere in the United States.

For years, much of the conversation around drones and advanced air mobility has focused on the aircraft themselves—better batteries, new sensors, autonomy, and the promise of electric air taxis and drone delivery. But as the technology matures, it's becoming clear that building the aircraft may be the easy part. Building the infrastructure and the operational ecosystem needed to support them may be the bigger challenge.

Lavera is leading a $7.45 million state-funded initiative that aims to connect four Central Coast airports into one of the nation's first multi-airport advanced air mobility networks. The project is designed to help answer some of the key questions facing the industry today: How do we integrate drones and future air mobility systems into existing airport operations? What infrastructure will be needed? How do communities benefit? And what role can regions play in helping shape the future of aviation?

Lavera is an experienced executive with more than two decades of leadership in cross-sector collaboration, and she's now steering one of the most ambitious AAM infrastructure projects in the country.

In this episode, we'll talk about how a regional economic partnership found itself at the center of the drone industry, why infrastructure has become one of the biggest challenges facing advanced air mobility, and what this ambitious project could mean for the future movement of goods, services, and people.

Ryan Smith id Founder and CEO of Titan Protection and Consulting. Titan Protection is a premier security services provider and pioneer in autonomous drone security systems. The company was founded in 2008 to prove that physical security services could be both more effective and affordable. Today, Titan Protection employs over 600 people, and protects hundreds of companies across the Midwest with operations extending nationwide. Titan developed one of the first successful remote pilot drone security programs and became the first security company authorized by the FAA to fly drones out of visual view.

An instrument-rated pilot and certified Defensive Tactics Instructor, Ryan's real-world experience shaped his philosophy that effective security requires both advanced technology and highly-trained personnel. His innovative "blended approach" to security – combining human expertise with emerging technologies – has resulted in significant improvements in security effectiveness while reducing operational costs for numerous enterprises across various sectors. Under his leadership, Titan has become one of the pioneers in using drones for remote security operations and recently received FAA approval for one-to-many drone operations, allowing a single operator to supervise multiple aircraft across multiple locations.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ryan talks about Titan Protection's approach to security, what makes the company different in a rapidly growing market, and how drones are evolving from specialized tools into native components of modern security operations. We'll also discuss the lessons Titan has learned while scaling its drone programs, the impact of one-to-many operations, real-world examples of autonomous security missions, and how Ryan sees these technologies changing the security industry in the years ahead.

Linda Montgomery is Vice-President of Corporate Development, and Phil Franklin is Vice-President of Business Development for North and South America both at Zenatech. Zenatech is rapidly expanding its footprint across the drone industry through manufacturing, software development, drone as a service, operations, and strategic acquisitions. The company develops autonomous drone platforms for surveying, inspections, logistics, inventory management, and emerging defense applications while integrating AI software and data analytics into a unified ecosystem.

At Zantec, Linda leads global strategy across investor relations, partnerships, marketing, and growth initiatives. Linda has over 20 years of experience, including senior marketing and business development roles with KPMG, IBM, and Telesat, as well as leadership in scaling more than 100 new ventures, product lines, and international market entries. She has also guided investor relations strategies for six IPOs and multiple public and venture-funded companies, advancing best practices in transparency, valuation growth, and market visibility.

Phil spearheads the company's strategic expansion across North and South America, with a primary focus on driving sales growth and establishing ZenaTech's operational and manufacturing hub in Arizona. With over 25 years of experience in sales leadership and business operations, Phil plays a pivotal role in executing ZenaTech's "Drone as a Service" (DaaS) strategy. He is instrumental in building the company's pipeline for the ZenaDrone 1000 and IQ series drones, overseeing relationships with commercial, industrial, and government partners. His recent work includes leading initiatives to acquire flight training facilities to create a centralized pilot deployment hub and expanding the company's footprint in key sectors, such as logistics.

In this episode of the Drone Radio show, Linda and Phil discuss Zenatech's approach to vertical integration, the company's growing drone as a service business, the role of autonomy and data in next generation drone operations, and its expansion into defense and counter UAS technologies.

Dr. Onur Bilgen is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University. Dr. Bilgen conducts research in the design of advanced drone systems, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, hybrid drone systems, and bioinspired ornithopters — flapping wing drones modeled after the flight of birds and insects. His work also explores the use of smart materials and innovative aerospace system designs.

Onur has led NASA University Student Research Challenge projects, including the development of a Multi-Mode Hybrid Unmanned Delivery System. He also teaches a graduate course at Rutgers called Drones: Fundamentals and Applications and has helped expand drone education and testing capabilities through initiatives like the Rutgers Drone Playground and the Buehler Drone Lab's VICON Motion Tracking System.

In this episode, we'll talk about the future of flapping wing drones, the role of smart materials in next-generation aircraft design, and how bioinspired engineering could influence the next wave of unmanned aviation innovation.

Michael Robbins is President and CEO of Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International or AUVSI, the world's largest trade association for uncrewed systems, robotics, and autonomous technologies. Representing both commercial and defense sectors, AUVSI plays a critical role in connecting industry, influencing policy, and helping define how these technologies are deployed at scale.

Michael brings deep experience across government, aviation, and advocacy. He previously served as Chief Advocacy Officer at AUVSI, co-founded the consulting firm Intrepid, and held leadership roles at the Air Line Pilots Association, where he led aviation safety, security, and government affairs. He also spent a decade on Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Congressman John Dingell, and continues to serve as an Officer in the United States Navy Reserve.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about the real forces shaping the uncrewed systems industry, from supply chain security and regulatory bottlenecks to the growing influence of defense priorities, and what it all means for the future of autonomy. We'll also take a closer look at XPONENTIAL 2026 and why it remains a key signal for where the industry is heading.

Xponential 2026 will be held in Detroit on May 11 - May 14.

Justin Selfridge, PhD, is Founder and CEO of Devorto Corporation. Devorto is developing a breakthrough high-altitude platform called the Tethered Uni-Rotor Network, or TURN—a completely new aircraft architecture designed to combine the vertical lift and loitering capability of a helicopter with the aerodynamic efficiency of an airplane, enabling long-duration, solar-powered flight in the stratosphere.

At Devorto, leads the development of this next-generation persistent drone technology. Backed by both private investment and government support from organizations like NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Space Force, Justin and his team are working to redefine how we think about high-altitude operations, with the potential to disrupt both satellite and traditional aerial platform markets.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Justin talks about why the stratosphere is such a critical domain for future aviation systems, how the TURN platform works and what makes it different from anything we've seen before, and the real-world applications and impact this technology could have across commercial and defense sectors.