AFA: Air, Space & Cyber Conference – 2022

Start Date: Sep 19, 2022

End Date: Sep 22, 2022

AMERICAN’S AIR & SPACE FORCES – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (75 Years in the Defense of Our Nation)

AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference is the leading professional development event for Air Force and Space Force officers, enlisted members, civilians, veterans, and defense industry leaders and representatives.

This conference brings together top Air Force and Space Force leadership, industry experts, and government officials to discuss challenges facing the aerospace and cyber communities today and in the future. More information can be found here.

AFRL DISCUSSION PANEL

AFRL will host a discussion panel called “The Future of Propulsion” Sept. 21, 2022, at 7:30 a.m. AFRL Commander Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle will moderate the panel with:

Dr. Michael Gregg, Director of AFRL’s Aerospace Systems Directorate
Dr. Shawn Phillips, Chief of AFRL’s Rocket Propulsion Division
John Sneden, Director of Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Propulsion Directorate

ABOUT AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. With a workforce of 11,000+ across nine technology areas and 40 other operations worldwide, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development.

Within AFRL, scientists and engineers collaborate to execute crosscutting R&D. External collaboration including partnerships with industry, academia and other agencies is also an integral part of AFRL’s business model. In continuing with this integrated, cooperative approach, AFRL will seamlessly support the S&T needs of two services: the Air Force and the Space Force. Today’s global threats require multi-disciplinary solutions, and AFRL is committed to supporting the warfighter in every key domain.

Explore: AFRESEARCHLAB.COM | AFRL.AF.MIL

CHECK OUT THE AFRL BOOTH

Attendees can expect to see AFRL displays about WARTECH, Bio-Cement Plant, Robotics, Tactically Responsive Space Access, Small Sats, QUICKSINK, Golden Horde, Ultra, Variable In-Flight Stability Aircraft, Hack-A-Sat, EDGE Connect and AFWERX, as well as a historical timeline to celebrate 75 years of research.

WARTECH

WARTECH is a process established as a result of the Air Force Science & Technology Strategy for 2030. It brings warfighters and technologists together to identify future force requirements and develop and deliver transformational operational capabilities to meet them. LEARN MORE

Explore: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

BIO-CEMENT PLANT

Bio-Cement Plant will use bio-manufacturing to build runways, including ramp space or any hardened surfaces. The plant is a way to get into various locations to rapidly create landing zones for aircraft where none exist. LEARN MORE

Explore: MATERIALS & MANUFACTURING

ADAPTIVE RADOME DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM (ARDS)

ARDS is a fully autonomous mobile collaborative robotic system that maps the local electromagnetic response of JSTARS radomes. As radomes age, defects are difficult to detect, and current diagnostic methods only provide qualitative information. ARDS looks promising for many challenging radome inspections. LEARN MORE

Explore: MATERIALS & MANUFACTURING

ARISE/TACTICALLY RESPONSIVE SPACE ACCESS (TRSA)

TRSA will highlight the lab’s cutting-edge rocket propulsion capabilities, enabling the delivery of tomorrow’s payloads in safer, more efficient ways. Scientists and engineers are maturing and demonstrating advanced rocket propulsion and space access technologies with commercial and government partners to enable tactically responsive space access, or TRSA. The goal is to facilitate U.S. Space Force space access that is resilient, survivable, rapid and responsive while ensuring relevant timelines and supporting a vibrant and stable launch market. LEARN MORE

Explore: AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

ROTATING DETONATION ROCKET ENGINES (RDRE)

AFRL’s Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) program is developing more efficient, compact and stable combustor designs for Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs). The technology development approach integrates the state-of-the-art Modeling & Simulation (M&S) and experiments. A combination of DoD High Performance Computing Center clusters and cutting-edge diagnostics are employed to advance this revolutionary technology as quickly as possible for transition to the warfighter. LEARN MORE

Explore: AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

SMALL SATELLITE PORTFOLIO (SSP)

AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate’s SSP is developing, testing and transitioning small satellite technologies to support the Hybrid Architecture vision for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. The DAF is faced with a contested, congested and competitive space environment where the landscape is changing much faster than the current acquisition cycle can match. LEARN MORE

Explore: SPACE

QUICKSINK

QUICKSINK answers the need to neutralize maritime threats. With QUICKSINK, AFRL is working with the U.S. Navy on air-delivered weapons that sink capital ships. LEARN MORE

Explore: MUNITIONS

GOLDEN HORDE

Learn about Golden Horde, a Department of the Air Force Vanguard program, and its multi-tier digital weapon ecosystem, which offers a live, virtual and constructive testing and demonstration capability. Dubbed the Colosseum, see industry and academic partners use this virtual space to compete in swarming and artificial intelligence challenges and launch new solutions that ultimately benefit future warfighters. LEARN MORE

Explore: MUNITIONS

AUTONOMOUS ATTRITABLE AIRCRAFT EXPERIMENT (AAAx)

AAAx-VISTA is a modified Air Force Test Pilot School F-16 redesignated the X-62 and includes software that allows it to mimic the performance characteristics of other platforms. It can also host a variety of autonomy behaviors, including those from the Skyborg Autonomy Control System and other autonomy software packages. LEARN MORE

Explore: AFRL TECHNOLOGIES

UNMANNED LONG-ENDURANCE TACTICAL RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT (ULTRA)

ULTRA UAS is GPS-hardened intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform with full global operational access with long endurance. The ULTRA UAS’ key features include its low cost, more than 80 hours of operational endurance with payload, more than 40,000 operational hours with DOD units, operator friendly “point and click” system, to name a few. LEARN MORE

Explore: AFRL TECHNOLOGIES

HACK-A-SAT

Hack-A-Sat is an event that brings together the world’s top cybersecurity talent, challenging them to help reduce vulnerabilities and build more secure space systems. The competition is building a non-traditional community of security researchers, government, industry and academia that works together to develop novel approaches for securing the space cyber domain. LEARN MORE

Explore: INFORMATION

EDGE CONNECT

EDGE Connect provides several key capabilities including the establishment of a Software-Defined Wide Area Network, or SD-WAN, increasing resiliency over existing communications systems by stitching together multiple pathways, such as satellite communication, cellular, radio frequency, etc. and automating management of network traffic versus status quo use of a single pathway. LEARN MORE

Explore: AFRL TECHNOLOGIES

HOW TO ENGAGE WITH AFRL

Today, more than ever, we are looking for ideas to keep us on the cutting-edge of new and innovative technologies. To make it easier for idea generators to CONNECT with our Air Force and Space Force science and technology experts and opportunities, we have created this website. Simply click on the lightbulb icon to submit an idea, or peruse our links to find open opportunities in our Science and Technology ecosystem. How do you find the right opportunity, event, or website – one that ticks all the boxes for you – by using our easy search and filter functions on each page. For more information, watch the above video and visit our About Us page. Share your idea and GET CONNECTED to the Air Force and Space Force!

Explore: PARTNERING WITH AFRL

AFRL 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Check out AFRL’s impact on the Air Force and the Aerospace industry for 2021 HERE.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AFRL

AFRL reimagines what’s possible by leading scientific research and development for the Air Force and Space Force.

Explore: AFRL TECHNOLOGIES

Explore: AFRL LAB LIFE