Steve Walters

President & CEO Hoverfly Technologies

Last Reviewed: September 29, 2026

Executive Summary

Steve Walters is President and CEO of Hoverfly Technologies. The Florida company designs and builds tether-powered drones that draw power and secure communications through a cable from the ground, so they can stay aloft for hours, days or weeks. Its customers use them for military surveillance and communications, security and public safety. Walters came to Hoverfly from Army aviation and the defense industry. He is a retired U.S. Army officer who served as the Army’s Fixed Wing Program Manager and as chief of flight test at its Aviation Technical Test Center, and he later ran a $300 million aviation logistics business at QinetiQ North America. He joined Hoverfly in 2016 and became president within two years. He now leads the company as CEO.

Career Highlights

• President & CEO of Hoverfly Technologies, maker of tether-powered persistent aerial drone systems.
• Joined Hoverfly in 2016 as EVP of Special Programs, leading its Department of Defense and U.S. government business.
• Promoted to Chief Operating Officer in February 2018 and to President in August 2018, taking responsibility for R&D, engineering, manufacturing and product support.
• Previously CEO of Brogden Enterprises and a senior vice president at QinetiQ North America and Westar Aerospace & Defense Group, where he ran a $300 million aviation logistics management business.
• Retired U.S. Army officer, formerly the Army’s Fixed Wing Program Manager and chief of flight test at the Aviation Technical Test Center.
• Graduate of West Point, the Naval Postgraduate School and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and a DoD-certified acquisition professional.

Professional Journey

Walters trained as an engineer at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a BS in aerospace engineering. He later earned an MS in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. His Army career was in aviation, first as an aviator and then in test and acquisition. He served as chief of flight test at the Army’s Aviation Technical Test Center and as the Army’s Fixed Wing Program Manager, and he is a DoD-certified acquisition professional.

After retiring from the Army he moved into the defense industry. He was a senior vice president at Westar Aerospace & Defense Group and QinetiQ North America, part of a public company with $2.2 billion in revenue. There he ran a $300 million aviation logistics management business, and he worked alongside Rob Topping, who would later lead Hoverfly. He was also CEO of Brogden Enterprises.

He joined Hoverfly Technologies in 2016 as executive vice president of special programs, responsible for Department of Defense and U.S. government procurement. Hoverfly credited him with leading the rapid growth of its LiveSky tether-powered small drones in both mobile and fixed installations. In February 2018 the company made him chief operating officer, in charge of R&D, engineering, manufacturing and product support. That August it promoted him to president with responsibility for all business operations. At the time, chairman and CEO Rob Topping cited his experience as an Army aviator, flight-test director and aviation program manager. Hoverfly later named Walters CEO. By November 2024, when he announced the promotion of Steve Topping to chief operating officer, he was speaking for the company as its CEO. Hoverfly was then based in Sanford, Florida, building its Sentry tethered drone system and a U.S.-based supply chain for military customers.

Education

United States Military Academy at West Point

BS, Aerospace Engineering

Naval Postgraduate School

MS, Aeronautical Engineering