Aug. 10, 2026

Bullfrog, AI & the Next Era of Drone Warfare | Luke Allen & Scott Hutchins, Allen Control Systems

Bullfrog, AI & the Next Era of Drone Warfare | Luke Allen & Scott Hutchins, Allen Control Systems

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.”