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Video: Highlights From Day One Of AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland—The U.S. now has weapons in space, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink disclosed on the first day of AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said in a Sept. 14 keynote speech. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”
Meink also outlined a goal to field 1,000 new autonomous aircraft by 2032 along with tens of thousands of low-cost long-range munitions— specifically seeking 100 of the newly announced Modular Multi-Mission Aircraft by 2029 with another 400 to follow by 2032.
Additionally, Swarm Aero unveiled the Gamera uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) on the opening day of the show. The UAS is the outcome of a nearly five-year, largely secretive effort to offer the U.S. Air Force a replacement for the MQ-9A Reaper with a similarly sized aircraft capable of swarming.
Aviation Week editors Christine Boynton, Vivienne Machi and Steve Trimble discuss the highlights from the first day of AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
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