The Drone Ultimatum

Russell Smith is the co-founder and CEO of 9 Mothers, a startup building autonomous systems for military use.

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9 Mothers: https://9mothers.com/

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Russell Smith is the co-founder and CEO of 9 Mothers, an Austin-based defense technology company building counter-drone systems.

After previously building Rainforest QA and going through Y Combinator, Russell moved from enterprise software into defense hardware as the war in Ukraine demonstrated the growing threat posed by small, inexpensive drones.

Russell explains the thinking behind 9 Mothers’ approach: counter-UAS systems that are small, light, inexpensive, and deployable across a much larger number of vehicles and positions.

The conversation covers the company’s acoustic sensing work, its shotgun-based counter-drone system, development of a belt-fed shotgun, and the challenges of building reliable robotic weapon systems.

The discussion also gets into a problem facing the new generation of defense founders: capital. Russell and Steve discuss why defense startups can appear competitive to venture investors even when the Department of Defense is willing to buy from multiple suppliers, why robotics companies cannot simply copy products overnight, and how much growth capital has already been concentrated in a relatively small group of defense companies.

They also examine what battlefield evidence says about counter-UAS technology. Russell and Steve discuss electronic warfare, interceptors, kinetic systems, drone swarms, and why claimed counter-drone capabilities have to be judged against what is actually happening in Ukraine and other active conflicts.

The episode closes with a broader discussion of defense company building—from founder-led marketing and acquisitions to Austin’s growing defense ecosystem, C2 integration, and why Russell believes much of the economic value in defense ultimately remains with the physical systems the government buys rather than the software connecting them.

Luke Allen is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Allen Control Systems.

Scott Hutchins is the Chief Product Officer at Allen Control Systems.

Allen Control Systems: https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/

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In this episode, Luke Allen, co-founder and CTO of Allen Control Systems, and Chief Product Officer Scott Hutchins join the podcast to break down the story behind Bullfrog, ACS’s approach to counter-drone defense, and why the company deliberately chose a problem that was extraordinarily difficult to solve.

Luke traces the path from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the founding of Allen Control Systems, including the early experiments and technical problems that ultimately led the team toward autonomous counter-drone systems.

They also get into what it takes to build trust when AI and computer vision are involved in a weapon system, why hardware and robotics companies operate differently from SaaS startups, how ACS thinks about engineering talent and decision-making, and where drone warfare could be heading next.Plus: startup theory, recruiting engineers, the ACS culture, New Orleans company trips, Silicon Valley war stories, Texas, and the possibility of an eventual “ACS Mafia.”

Nic Adams is the Director of Government Relations at Overland AI.

Nic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-adams208/

Overland AI: https://www.overland.ai/

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This week on The Drone Ultimatum, Nic Adams, Director of Government Relations at Overland AI, joins us to discuss what it actually takes for a defense startup to move from promising technology to real military programs.

We cover:
How defense appropriations become actual contracts
The realities of Pentagon procurement and production
Autonomous ground vehicles and the future of land warfare
Why robots will increasingly take on dangerous missions
Lessons from Ukraine and the changing battlefield
Building defense companies that can scale

Nic also shares his perspective on Congress, budgeting, acquisition timelines, and what founders often misunderstand about selling into the Department of Defense.

Omar Javaid is the CEO of Rampart Communications, a company that provides resilient wireless communications with physical layer encryption, protecting against cyber and EW threats.

Omar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojavaid/

Rampart Communications: https://rampartcommunications.com/

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Omar Javaid is the CEO of Rampart Communications, a company developing advanced wireless communications technologies for defense and national security applications. Before founding Rampart, Omar spent years working on cutting-edge communications technology, including time at Qualcomm, giving him a unique perspective on both commercial innovation and military capability.

In this conversation, Omar explains how wireless communications remain one of the most important—and least appreciated—foundations of modern warfare. The discussion explores the technical and operational challenges facing military communications, electronic warfare, and autonomous systems as conflicts continue to evolve.

Steve and Omar also discuss lessons emerging from Ukraine, the changing nature of electronic attack and countermeasures, the realities of building a defense startup, and why solving difficult communications problems creates long-term strategic advantages.

The conversation expands beyond technology into geopolitics, America’s defense industrial base, alliance dynamics, and the importance of preparing for future conflicts. Throughout the episode, Omar combines deep technical experience with broader strategic thinking, offering insights relevant to founders, operators, investors, and defense professionals alike.

Stephen Ziegenfuss is the Co-Founder of Vertical Autonomy, a company building next-generation unmanned systems.

Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-ziegenfuss-6139546/

Vertical Autonomy: https://www.verticalautonomy.com/

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Stephen Zeigenfuss, Co-Founder of Vertical Autonomy, joins The Drone Ultimatum to discuss what it really takes to build tactical unmanned aircraft.

The conversation explores lessons from decades of UAV development, why operator feedback matters more than perfect engineering, what Ukraine has revealed about modern drone warfare, and how Vertical Autonomy is approaching the next generation of Group 3 aircraft.

Whether you’re interested in defense acquisition, military aviation, or the future of autonomous systems, this episode provides a practical perspective on where tactical drones are headed.