AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference 2026

L3Harris Technologies has completed the PDR for 18 new satellites in development for the SDA's missile warning, tracking and defense-centric sat constellation.

The U.S. Air Force's top officer says some units will have longer deployments as the service looks to reset into a new model once the Iran conflict ends.

Editors discuss the news from last week’s AFA gathering, addressing the Air Force secretary’s bombshell weapons-in-space disclosure, new aircraft weapons concepts on show and so much more.

Some European nations are doing what American leadership has requested: Ramp up the industrial base, the top U.S. Air Force officer in the region argues.

There is a disconnect on propulsion needs for future increments of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, a key industry player argues.

U.S. Air Force demand for a new fleet of Massed Modular Aircraft points to a novel way of fighting, with swarming, attritable aircraft flinging long-range missiles from afar.

The acknowledgement of coorbital weapons marks a turning point in the way the U.S. military talks about war in space.

The U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command is now looking into how it can better improve readiness while remaining heavily deployed.

General Atomics is ready to build at the rate the U.S. Air Force has outlined for autonomous aircraft, Vice President of Strategic Development Mike Shortsleeve told Aviation Week at AFA's Air, Space and Cyber conference.

The U.S. Space Force is undergoing a significant acquisition restructuring while playing a key role in support of the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

Leonardo DRS showcases key products at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber conference.

U.S. Space Force leadership detailed preparations for the first space surveillance squadron, on day three of AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber conference.

The U.S. Space Force has established its first operational unit dedicated to space-based moving target indication.

Lockheed Martin is pitching an upgraded variant of the F-16, called the F-16G, to the U.S. Air Force to fill Fighting Falcon units that will age out of their existing fighters.

The announced competitors for the U.S. Air Force’s Massed Modular Aircraft so far have one major thing in common—they use Honeywell Aerospace’s TPE331 engine.

U.S. startup Astro Mechanica has unveiled a concept for a large new uncrewed aircraft system to host a high-energy laser and other nonkinetic effects.

Boeing’s 737 MAX will have a new operator: the U.S. Air Force.

The F-47 sixth-generation fighter is on track for its first flight, U.S. Air Force officials confirmed at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

The Pentagon has established a new leadership position called the space technology portfolio executive, which the Air Force's new assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration is recruiting for,

Shield AI says it is nearly done constructing the first full-scale protype of X-BAT, its proposed autonomous combat aircraft system.

Startup Swarm Aero has detailed key features of newly unveiled Gamera uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), the outcome of a nearly five-year, largely secretive effort to offer a swarm-capable replacement for the MQ-9A Reaper.

The U.S. now has on-orbit space control weapons, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced in a keynote at AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber conference, while also laying out aggressive goals for autonomous aircraft.

Following remarks from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess reiterated the presence of space weapons on orbit.

The U.S. Air Force and Boeing are finalizing the F-47 sixth-generation fighter design, with first flight on track to take place within two years as expected.

BAE Systems launched a family of passive radio frequency devices on Sept. 15 in a move that could spread sensing and targeting capabilities to thousands of munitions and drones.