As an aerospace engineer and flight systems designer, I’ve spent years studying how war machines evolve—not just in power, but in purpose. This piece explores the unexpected legacy of Germany’s V-1 flying bomb and its influence on today’s autonomous combat drones. From airframe design to AI-driven targeting logic, history repeats itself in the skies. Join me as I decode these hidden connections—where innovation meets ethics—and ask: What does it mean to fly freely when every wing carries a shadow of war? Let’s take off with clarity.

As a flight systems engineer with NASA experience, I’ve traced the forgotten lineage of modern drone tech back to WWII Germany’s V-1 flying bomb. This isn’t just history—it’s a blueprint for today’s autonomous combat aircraft. From pulse-jet propulsion to AI-guided trajectory prediction, these early designs laid the foundation for how we fly—and fight—in the skies now. Discover how one of war’s most feared weapons became the silent architect of future flight.