VESS Announces New Program Manager to Lead Dagger Unmanned UAV Portfolio
Viele Exploratory Sustainable Solutions LLC (VESS), parent company of Dagger Unmanned, is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Agamemnon Crassidis as Program Manager for the Dagger Unmanned UAV Technology Portfolio. In this role, Dr. Crassidis will oversee development, integration, and commercialization efforts across Dagger’s next-generation fixed-wing, FPV, and autonomous swarming platforms, with a strategic focus on meeting the mission-critical needs of the U.S. military and its coalition partners.
Dr. Crassidis joins VESS with an exceptional track record spanning more than two decades in aerospace engineering, autonomous systems, and advanced flight technologies. A Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo, with specialization in control systems engineering, systems design, and dynamics.
His professional background includes serving as Senior Aeronautical Engineer and Lead Systems Engineer at Calspan Corporation, where he contributed to experimental flight research on the NF-16 VISTA aircraft—an in-flight simulator widely used for studying cutting-edge flight control concepts. His industrial and academic experience extends across:
Autonomous air and ground vehicle development
Aerospace flight system design
Navigation, control, and measurement systems
Intelligent flight control architectures
Energy harvesting and advanced navigation correction algorithms
Dr. Crassidis is widely published in the field of autonomous control and is recognized for his contributions to model-free control systems for unmanned aircraft. His expertise aligns directly with Dagger Unmanned’s mission to deliver high-performance, low-cost, American-made UAV systems for contested and austere environments.
“Dr. Crassidis brings world-class technical leadership and a deep understanding of autonomous flight systems,” said Kody Viele, Founder and CEO of VESS and Dagger Unmanned. “His experience across research, flight testing, and advanced control systems will accelerate the evolution of the Dagger UAV portfolio and strengthen our ability to meet the emerging operational needs of our warfighters and allied partners.”
As Program Manager, Dr. Crassidis will lead cross-functional teams across hardware, software, AI/ML, autonomy, and field testing to advance Dagger’s growing family of unmanned solutions, including high-speed tilt-rotor aircraft, intelligence-driven control systems, and scalable next-generation production capabilities.
About VESS / Dagger Unmanned
Viele Exploratory Sustainable Solutions LLC (VESS) develops advanced, next-generation technologies across air, land, sea, and digital domains. Dagger Unmanned, a VESS company, designs and manufactures cutting-edge UAV platforms and autonomous control systems built to operate in the world’s most demanding environments.