The programs that collapse usually aren't the ones where the aircraft couldn't perform. They clear testing, earn approvals, fly the mission, and die anyway, because the budget was built on a story the buyer and provider never reconciled. Hidden costs, a maturation curve nobody mapped, and an opening price that only ever worked at full scale. A field look at why complex UAS programs fail, how to vet a provider before you commit, and how to fund a program that survives contact

Tactien President Nate Ernst takes the stage at the Energy Drone & Robotics Forum for "What's Now & Next in BVLOS for Energy," a working session on where beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations actually stand for utilities and where FAA Part 108 takes them next. Expect a practitioner's read: what's flying today, what's stuck in waivers, and what energy operators should build now to be ready for the next regulatory stage.