Ramona Adams
Andy Von Stauffenberg, a former U.S. Navy aviation electrician and Northrop Grumman engineer, has launched VStar Systems — a systems integration company that specializes in robotics and unmanned aerial systems for government and commercial clients.
In a VStar press release posted Thursday, Stauffenberg said he established the company in 2015 to offer integration services for UAV customers.
“There are hundreds of technology providers in the UAV space, and it is usually up to the customer to determine how to best utilize the technology in order to solve their unique problem,” said Stauffenberg.
He added VStar aims to mediate between technology and the customer so the latter can focus on their operations rather than seek ways to integrate the drone systems into their operations.
The 12-year aerospace and systems engineering veteran served in the Navy for eight years prior to his stint at Northrop, where he held various roles of increasing responsibility.
At Northrop, Stauffenberg progressed to a leadership role for an overall technical team as program deputy chief engineer of the RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle and oversaw the UAV’s product life cycle, including development, production and sustainment work for the U.S. Air Force.
Stauffenberg has also hired George Guerra as the company’s strategic advisor, VStar said.
Guerra previously worked at Northrop as vice president of HALE Enterprise Strategic Ventures in the aerospace systems segment’s unmanned systems division.
