Aerospace & Defense Technology

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Brian Ippolitto, Vice President of Space Systems, discusses how spacecraft component engineering is evolving to meet the accelerating demands of commercial space growth. Drawing on more than a decade of experience across engineering, operations, and business development, he outlines the transition from low-volume development programs to high-rate manufacturing — now delivering tens of thousands of precision components annually for satellites, launch vehicles, and deep-space missions. The conversation explores how propulsion systems and critical subsystems are being scaled to production, how quality and reliability are maintained at volume, and what it takes to support the next phase of commercial space expansion.Sponsored by: Omnetics and New England Wire

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.

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 ArchitectJason Roberson, Aerospace and Defense Industry Value ExpertTogether, 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.

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.

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 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.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Fuse Integration CEO Sumner Lee is the guest to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is re-defining how military communications and networks are leveraged in contested environments. Lee is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot who founded FuseIntegration in 2010 with the goal of providing user-centric communications, networking and computing technologies for defense customers. Earlier this year, the company launched its new AI Radio Environment (AIRE) technology. AIRE provides an application interface for third-party AI developers to train onreal-time RF and network data models. By training on real-time data, third-party developers can create cutting-edge algorithms that learn better network routes, link prioritization or other key parameters to produce a more effective and resilient network.Listen to this episode to learn how Fuse Integration isusing AI to ensure warfighters are connected when it matters most.

In 2024, Microchip launched PIC64, a new portfolio of microprocessors that the Chandler, Arizona-based company claims could enable a generational leap in embedded processing performance for aerospace and defense applications. The new MPU technology is supported by a 64-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC-V) architecture with an embedded Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet switch. Check out the article featured in the September 2024 issue of Aerospace & Defense Technology to learn more about what the new processor could provide for spaceflight computing applications. Bill Dillard, Senior Manager of Aerospace and Defense at Microchip, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain how the PIC64could also advance embedded processing performance for a wide variety of aerospace and defense applications.