In this episode of Hangar X Studios, host John Ramstead sits down with Christopher Hewlett—retired Navy Commander and Director of Project ULTRA—to explore how the Department of Defense is accelerating the real-world integration of drones into the national airspace.

This isn’t theoretical. Project ULTRA is moving beyond simulations into repeatable, operational BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) missions—flying real cargo, solving real airspace challenges, and building the data infrastructure needed for scalable drone operations.

Chris shares how the military is taking a fundamentally different approach than industry—prioritizing safety cases over business cases—and why that mindset may be the key to unlocking large-scale drone adoption. From airspace interoperability and traffic management to humanitarian missions and future logistics networks, this conversation reveals what it will actually take to integrate thousands of drones safely into shared skies.

If you want to understand where drone operations are really headed—and what’s holding them back—this episode is essential listening.

• How Project ULTRA transitioned from simulation to real-world drone operations
• Why the Department of Defense is leading UAS integration—not commercial players
• The critical role of data, interoperability, and airspace management systems
• Real BVLOS missions: 60 nautical miles, live payload delivery, repeatable operations
• The shift from “business case” to “safety case” as the driver of adoption
• Why current “detect and avoid” models may not scale
• The future of drone logistics, disaster response, and military operations
• The hidden bottleneck: command & control (C2) standardization
• What needs to happen for drones to scale nationally and globally

[00:00:00] – The Challenge of Secure Airspace Integration
How drones must operate safely within complex environments like Washington, D.C., requiring secure, interoperable data systems.

[00:01:26] – What This Episode Covers
Overview of UAS integration, BVLOS missions, Project ULTRA, and the importance of data infrastructure.

[00:04:58] – From Simulation to Real Operations
Project ULTRA’s core concept: applying operational test and evaluation to real-world drone missions.

[00:08:00] – First Real BVLOS Missions
Successful 60-nautical-mile flights delivering payloads and returning—repeated multiple times.

[00:10:13] – Military vs Commercial Mindset
The DoD prioritizes interoperability and safety, while industry often pushes for faster approvals.

[00:12:47] – The Real Bottleneck
The issue isn’t just regulation—it’s a lack of shared understanding of how integration should work.

[00:15:58] – Operational Challenges
Navigating regulatory barriers like FCC approvals and redefining weather minimums for unmanned aircraft.

[00:19:06] – Rethinking Flight Rules for Drones
Why traditional VFR/IFR frameworks don’t fully apply to unmanned systems.

[00:23:25] – The Importance of Data Infrastructure
Airspace integration depends on real-time data sharing across agencies and systems.

[00:26:40] – Interoperability & “Electronic Conspicuity”
Future systems may require all aircraft to broadcast their position via networked solutions.

[00:31:36] – Military Use Cases
ISR, logistics, medevac, and humanitarian disaster response as primary drone applications.

[00:32:40] – Drones at Scale
The vision: thousands of drones delivering supplies autonomously in crisis scenarios.

[00:35:14] – The C2 Problem
A lack of standardized command-and-control systems could limit scalability.

[00:39:23] – Scaling Nationally
Building repeatable corridors and expanding operations across states and even internationally.

[00:44:41] – Final Takeaway: Safety First
True adoption comes from operational proof, not one-off demos—safety enables policy.

Christopher Hewlett is the Director of Project ULTRA (Unmanned Logistics Traffic Response and Autonomy), a Department of Defense-backed initiative focused on scaling drone operations within the national airspace system.

A retired U.S. Navy Commander with nearly 30 years of aviation experience and over 2,700 flight hours in H-60 helicopters, Chris has held leadership roles across operational, strategic, and joint environments.

At Grand Sky in North Dakota, he leads one of the most advanced real-world drone testing ecosystems in the U.S., working alongside the FAA, DoD, and industry partners to enable safe, scalable integration of unmanned aircraft.

• “We’re leading the charge with safety cases, not business cases.”
• “A demonstrator event does not prove safety—we’re an operational test environment.”
• “This is not a community-based traffic problem—it’s an airspace integration problem.”
• “If we remove the haystack, all that’s left are the needles.”
• “We’re not cowboying—we’re methodically demonstrating capability, then scalability.”