Vigilant Aerospace Systems CEO Kraettli L. Epperson will participate in a MITRE-sponsored cybersecurity workshop session at XPONENTIAL 2026.
XPONENTIAL 2026 will take place May 11-14, 2026, at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, with exhibits scheduled for May 12-14. The MITRE workshop, “Cyber Trust: Securing Command and Control and Operational Technology as Drones & AAM Move In,” is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. EDT in Room 140G. It is part of the Enterprise and Government Solutions program.
The session will examine cybersecurity considerations as drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft become more connected with aviation infrastructure. The discussion will focus on command and control (C2), operational technology (OT), airspace integration, autonomy, expanded uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operations, safety and security. Scott Paul of MITRE will moderate the session. Epperson will participate alongside Jeff Beyer of Thales USA, David Keely of the Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute, and Doug Wood of the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics.
The topic is directly tied to the technical challenges facing UAS and AAM integration. As airports and aviation stakeholders add new operators, software platforms, data brokers, identity systems, maintenance workflows and supply chains, cybersecurity becomes part of aviation safety. Secure data pathways, trusted system interfaces and resilient C2 and OT environments are needed to prevent visibility gaps, delayed alerts and degraded situational awareness.
Director of Business Development Zach Peterson will also attend XPONENTIAL 2026. Epperson and Peterson will both be available to discuss Vigilant Aerospace’s work in airspace management, detect-and-avoid systems, and infrastructure for autonomous aircraft programs.
More information on the workshop is available here.
About AUVSI
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is an industry association serving the uncrewed systems, robotics, and autonomous technology sectors. Since 1972, AUVSI has supported technical innovation, policy development, and academic advancement across the uncrewed industry.
AUVSI produces and hosts XPONENTIAL each year, bringing together industry, government, academia, and end users across the uncrewed systems and autonomy community.
About XPONENTIAL
XPONENTIAL is an annual conference and exhibition focused on uncrewed systems, robotics, autonomy, and related technologies. The event brings together engineers, policymakers, researchers, operators, buyers, and industry leaders working across air, ground, maritime, defense, commercial, and civil applications.
About MITRE
MITRE is a not-for-profit organization that works in the public interest on national technical challenges. The organization operates federally funded research and development centers and provides systems engineering, technical analysis, and research support to government sponsors.
MITRE works across areas including aviation, cybersecurity, defense, transportation, artificial intelligence, and critical infrastructure. Its role includes convening government, industry, and academic stakeholders to address complex public-interest technology challenges.
Vigilant Aerospace is the leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones). The company’s product, FlightHorizon, is based on two NASA patents and uses data from multiple sources to display a real-time picture of the air traffic around a UAS and to provide automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to meet industry technical standards, to provide automatic safety and to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The software has won multiple industry awards and the company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and with a variety of drone development programs. Visit our website at www.VigilantAerospace.com