FPP218 - The Humans Behind Autonomous Air Combat

FPP218 - The Humans Behind Autonomous Air Combat

July 13, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Steve Jacobson discusses the human-machine interface in future air combat and shares his experiences as a pilot and CEO.

Former US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot turned Autonodyne CEO Steve Jacobson discusses one of the most important and least understood aspects of future air combat: the human-machine interface. Jake shares stories from flying and testing the Warthog, explains why he turned down Test Pilot School before ultimately finding his way into flight test anyway, and reflects on how those experiences shaped his approach to designing command-and-control software for autonomous aircraft. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: E. Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello

Guest: Steve Jacobson

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Autonodyne, Test Pilot School

Products: A-10 Thunderbolt II, command-and-control software, autonomous aircraft

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