TB2 Aerospace designs and manufactures universal, interoperable capture systems and payload Pods that turn any unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAS) or unmanned ground vehicle (UGS) into multi-mission capable systems. TB2’s standardized, drone-agnostic DROPS multi-mission payload system and flexible DROPS-enabled cargo Pods automate and simplify the process of locating, identifying, capturing, delivering, and recovering a variety of payloads – without human intervention – eliminating a critical barrier to the effectiveness and wider adoption of autonomous vehicles in support of defense, commercial logistics, and first responder operations.
Hank Scott
MSc AE, CMM
Founder & Inventor of DROPS
Hank Scott is the founder of TB2 Aerospace and the inventor of the DROPS system. Prior to TB2, Hank served for 15 years in the Royal Australia Navy as an Officer and Aviator, having served in all three operational squadrons. He moved to the United States to instruct at the National Test Pilots School in California and then held flight test roles at Sikorsky and Adam Aircraft. Hank subsequently entered academia, teaching aeronautical engineering at the University of Colorado’s Aerospace Sciences Department.
Hank holds three aerospace-related master’s degrees and was awarded the Knight of the Order of Merit Maritime by the Republic of France.
Brad Perkins
MBA, LtCol US Army (Rtd.)
Vice President for Business Development
Brad Perkins serves as the Vice President of Business Development for TB2 Aerospace. Brad brings more than forty years of experience in business development, improving organisations, program management, and increasing revenues for companies.
He is a graduate of Army Ranger School, a former US Army battalion commander, and was an instructor at the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Brad retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve in 2012. His expertise in DoD business development, strategic planning, and program management spans the identification and qualification of opportunities to capturing significant contracts and delivery orders, helping businesses achieve profitability and substantial revenue growth. Brad has worked in business development and program management for multiple large defence contractors such as Smiths, Textron, SAIC, and Northrop Grumman. He earned an MBA from Regis University, studied as a Post Graduate Fellow at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Davidson College.
Commodore Vince Di Pietro
AM, CSC RAN (Rtd.), MA, FRSN, FRAeS, FAICD, FIIER-A
Advisor & investor
Vince served in the Royal Australian Navy for 40 years, specialising in aviation, flying training, professional military education, international diplomacy, risk management, certification and safety, and capability planning. His final posting was as Commander of the RAN’s Fleet Air Arm. On his retirement from the Navy in 2016, Vince was appointed CEO of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, a position he held until April 2019. Vince is now an adviser and investor in TB2 Aerospace.
Vince holds Fellowships of the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and the Institute for Integrated Economic Research – Australia. He is a Member of the Order of Australia and has been awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross and the United States Legion of Merit.
Steve Osborne
Industry Advisor
Steve Osborne serves as industry advisor to TB2. Steve was a member of the Quickstep Group Executive Team, leading corporate strategy and the establishment of US operations. He joined Quickstep in 2018 following a 27-year career at BAE Systems, which was preceded by nine years of service in the Royal Australian Air Force as an Avionics and Weapons Systems Engineering Officer. Steve previously headed the Quickstep Group’s Applied Composites line of business, which manufactures dual-use unmanned systems and provides engineering solutions for high-rate production of defence-related composite structures and components for UAVs and guided weapons.
From 2003 to 2018, Steve held consecutive regional director roles in business development and government relations within BAE Systems UK Air, living in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and leading complex air systems sales campaigns. Across his military and civilian career, he has held management responsibilities in operational maintenance support, aircrew training, commercial and general management, offset programs, and government relations. Steve has been awarded the Gulf War Medal and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Liberation of Kuwait Medal.
Dr. Dale Lawrence
PhD, EE
Lead Research Institute partner & Investor
Dr. Lawrence serves as TB2 Aerospace’s Lead Research Institute Partner. He manages the four Department of Defense Small Business Technology Transfer programs awarded to TB2 in collaboration with the University of Colorado and is a founding member and past director of the University of Colorado’s Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles.
Dr. Lawrence’s research centres on the theory and application of control systems, with emphasis on aircraft design, sensing systems, and guidance and control of small uncrewed aerial systems. His work encompasses custom autopilot hardware and software, bespoke vehicle and sensor design for atmospheric sensing, and sensor and autopilot integration for precision landing. He has participated in field campaigns using these systems in Alaska, Antarctica, the high Arctic, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, Svalbard, Sweden, and many locations in the US, with a total of over 1000 flights to date.
Rick Rosenkrans
CTO
Chief Technology Officer
Rick Rosenkrans serves as Chief Technology Officer for TB2 Aerospace. He brings more than 40 years of experience in aerospace engineering, covering systems development, leadership, and the operational deployment of unmanned air vehicles. Throughout his career, Rick has worked on UAV programs with organisations including Lear Astronics, Developmental Sciences, General Atomics, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Texas A and M, gaining extensive expertise in both engineering and program management.
Rick has contributed to the development of ground-based equipment and ground control stations, as well as UAV avionics systems and payloads, playing a key role in advancing the design and evolution of UAV technologies. He served four years in the United States Air Force and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Civil Engineering. His career includes 35 years in Department of Defense engineering and management, with more than 15 years dedicated to UAV, ground control station, and payload system integration and development.
Alec Kostovny
Director of Engineering
Alec Kostovny is the Director of Engineering for TB2 Aerospace and is responsible for overseeing the design and engineering aspects of the DROPS system. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and has a background in aerospace mechanical design and analysis for scientific satellite instruments.
Alec is based at TB2 Aerospace’s Golden, Colorado location, where he coordinates with the company’s design and manufacturing partners across the United States and internationally.
Sid Arora
Director of Defense Operations
Sid Arora is the Director of Defense Operations for TB2 Aerospace and has been working on the DROPS system since 2021. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado and has a background in sensor integration, design, and testing.
Sid is based at TB2 Aerospace’s Golden, Colorado location, where he collaborates with partners across the Denver metropolitan area. He is responsible for partner relations, day-to-day operations, and overall project logistics.
Reece Baumhoff
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Reece Baumhoff is the Lead Mechanical Engineer for TB2 Aerospace and has been working on the DROPS project since 2024. He is responsible for transforming concepts into prototypes and overseeing the integration of the DROPS system. Reece holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Reece is based at TB2 Aerospace’s Golden, Colorado location, where he collaborates with partners both locally and internationally to refine prototypes into fully manufacturable products.
UK Directors
Frederick Harbottle
MA, RAF GROUP CAPT (Rtd.)
Managing Director, TB2 UK
Fred served four decades in the RAF as a pilot, flight instructor and standardisations officer, including with the USAF as Deputy Chief of Standards for the 76,000-strong 15AF. Senior posts followed as Chief of Current Operations for UKADR and with the FCO in Pakistan. As DS at the Joint Staff College and the Doctrine and Concepts Centre, his responsibilities included joint operations planning, command, and battlespace management.
His commercial career has involved security work in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and two years as Director of Operations at Drone Major Group. He is Chairman of the Operation Delivery Committee of the Drone Delivery Group, which represents industry concerns to government. Fred is responsible for TB2 Aerospace interests in the UK, EU, and NATO.
Nathan Butler
Operations Director, TB2 UK
Nathan has 40 years of experience spanning operations management, sales, business development, and executive leadership across Europe. Following a distinguished career at IBM from 1986 to 2021, where he held senior pan-European management and sales leadership roles, Nathan founded his own consultancy, Nathan Butler Consulting Limited, to help organisations drive strategic transformation and operational excellence. Passionate about the human side of business, he is dedicated to people management and coaching, enabling leaders and teams to achieve sustainable success.
Nathan’s deep expertise in IT and business transformation covers data strategy and management, optimisation, AI, product lifecycle management, predictive analytics, enterprise asset management, innovation, manufacturing, supply chain, and intellectual property. He has worked extensively with clients in defence and aerospace, travel and transportation, including aviation, airlines, airports, rail, and logistics.
Building on his aerospace and defence experience, Nathan has in recent years helped organisations in the autonomous systems market as they address emerging technologies and market dynamics. He has studied enterprise and organisational strategy at INSEAD business school in France and is currently pursuing an Open University degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.
Paul Everington BSc(hons), CEng, FIET
Commercial Director, TB2 UK
Paul has over 40 years’ experience in the defence sector, with the final 25 years holding the position of Managing Director in two companies, one developing and supplying ballistic instrumentation, special developments, and live-fire training systems, and the other undertaking trials of ballistic materials. Paul is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Technology, and brings that background in innovation and design to bear when managing specialised projects in the defence sector.
The work involved high-level tenders and programme management as well as overseeing teams in excess of 40 personnel.
For ten years, Paul was chairman of the Ballistic ToolKit, a co-operative group of UK SMEs working together to strengthen business opportunities for all member companies in their worldwide markets.
The TB2 Timetable
Project Title | Grants - Exercises | Phase | Date Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
Company Formed | Company Formed | 0 | June 2021 |
Paricipated in AEWE Field Exercise | Army | 0 | March 2022 |
Modular, Universal UAS Pod for Tactical C2 Networks in Degraded | Air Force | 1 | May 2025 |
Modular Universal UAS Pod for Tactical Resupply in Contested Environments | Air Force | 1 | December 2023 |
Environments | Army | 1 | March 2024 |
Utilizing DROPS to Autonomously Establish and Replenish Austere Airfields | Air Force | 2 | May 2024 |
Middle-Mile Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Multi-Purpose Cargo and Fuel Pod for Austere Operations | Air Force | 1 | June 2024 |
Utilizing DROPS to Autonomously Establish and Replenish Austere Airfields | Air Force | 1 | May 2023 |
UAV CASEVAC Pod | Army | 2 | June 2024 |
Multi-Purpose Long Endurance UAV Payload Pod for Austere Operations | Air Force | 2 | June 2025 |
Sustainment Modernization Field Exercise - CASCOM | Army | 3 | May 2025 |
Patents issued to date 5 | Patents Issued | 3 | September 2025 |
YB1 and 2 Naval Docking System Demonstrations NAWCAD--NAVAIR | Navy | 3 | September 2025 |
Contact us
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