Defense Business Brief: Dispatch from AFA’s Air, Space, & Cyber 2026

Defense Business Brief

Air, Space & Cyber Conference

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.— The Air Force Test Center is prepared to keep up with the Pentagon’s calls to buy, develop, test, and field technology quickly—but safety remains the top priority, the center’s commander said.

“We always want to proceed safely forward. The work that we do, as I've noted, is, can be dangerous. So we don't want to take risks that are unnecessary and unsafe. So that's always something that we're on the lookout for,” Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro, who leads the Air Force Test Center, told reporters during this week’s Air, Space & Cyber conference hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association.

Some context: Massaro’s comments come just three months after eight airmen died during a test flight of Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress at Edwards Air Force Base in California. They also come nearly a year after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for sweeping acquisition reform, which includes “being open to buying the 85 percent solution” while achieving the more perfect solution over time. Separately, the Pentagon has slashed staff and reorganized its weapons testing organization, which raised oversight concerns , according to a Government Accountability Office report released earlier this year.

“There's a lot of capabilities out there today that might not be—from a technology perspective—exactly what it looks like in our minds at the end state. But it's at least the same, if not better, than what might be out there today,” Massaro said. “So there's a risk calculus there from an operational and acquisition risk when you do your cost schedule performance and then overlay that on the effectiveness and employability for the combatant and for the operational warfighter.”

The Air Force is currently testing system upgrades for the B-52, one of the service’s oldest aircraft, that could keep it operational through the 2050s.

The center works with program acquisition executives and operators to “understand where those balances are, and design our test programs to accommodate for more rapid” testing and integration, Massaro said.

“A clear example was our rapid integration of Falco , the [Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System], on the F-15E. Our people, processes, and test assets were postured to respond through integrated developmental and operational testing,” he said.

“The Falco was a little bit over a year ago…We had F-15E's. We had the rockets . We just had never connected them together in that way. So we had one technical risk to really get through, and [it] allowed us to go very quickly. So that's balancing the risk of the programmatic side when an operational warfighter needs it really quick, and understanding where you can make those trades. And with safety always as a backdrop.”

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Here come the MMAs. The Air Force wants Massed Modular Aircraft , or MMAs, to replace General Atomics’ storied MQ-9 Reaper drone, Troy Meink, the service’s secretary announced earlier this week. It’s a call that Swarm Aero has been waiting for—and building toward for the past four years. On Monday, the company unveiled its autonomous Gamera aircraft, a long-range strike aircraft that boasts seven connection points for payloads like missiles and sensors. The UAS is powered by the company’s Legion autonomy software.

“We thought there would be a need that ultimately…to carry a very large payload like the LRASM that we see here, a long distance, and do so as cost effectively as possible,” Peter Kalogiannis, Swarm Aero’s CEO, told Defense One . “The $10 million listed in the solicitation, that really enables those volumes. And again, we've designed from the very beginning for those volumes, and quite frankly, for that price point, we're very very competitive against them.

The company is building “several” prototypes in its Oxnard, California, facility and expects the first flight by the end of 2027.

“This is something that makes the rest of the force—the bombers, the fighters, the B-21s, the F-47s—it makes them more lethal and more survivable. By being able to take some of the mission sets that they would otherwise potentially have to do, and freeing them up where they can be most effective,” Oliver Palmer, the company’s co-founder, told Defense One .

And while it’s early, the company is looking forward to what the Air Force has in store and the innovation it could spark.

“Frankly, we need competition in large aircraft production. There has historically been a monopoly structure of awarding programs that are intended to be around for 20-, 30-plus years,” Palmer said. “There have been a lot of really great reasons to do that, but increasingly we need competition because the cycle of technology competition with adversaries like China and others is changing so fast…and the model has to change. They started that with CCA. It sounds like they're gonna do that again with MMA. We absolutely welcome this.”

AI integration station. The technology has had a big week in national security , so it’s only natural that the topic surfaced in chatter throughout the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

The Space Force’s newly appointed top buyer, Erich Hernandez-Baquero, said the military has to “lean in” to the technology. “We cannot afford to lose this race for artificial intelligence,” he said. “The answer is not to shy away from the technology, but to lean into it, understand it, and apply the right guardrails in place. And I think those AI experts have approaches for how to ensure those guardrails are in play, and we need to continue to support development of those guardrails in a way that supports our space missions.”

“We cannot afford to lose this race for artificial intelligence,” he said. “The answer is not to shy away from the technology, but to lean into it, understand it, and apply the right guardrails in place. And I think those AI experts have approaches for how to ensure those guardrails are in play, and we need to continue to support development of those guardrails in a way that supports our space missions.”

The Air Force Test Center is also keen to collaborate with the tech industry, and now has a dedicated senior leader role for AI. “We have an artificial intelligence expert with us on staff now at the Air Force Test Center. So we are stepping into that world. We are looking to build and maintain those partnerships with tech in that space,” AFTC’s Massaro said.

“We have an artificial intelligence expert with us on staff now at the Air Force Test Center. So we are stepping into that world. We are looking to build and maintain those partnerships with tech in that space,” AFTC’s Massaro said.

Air Mobility Command wants a more data-link connected fleet, which could allow for some AI use. “The ability for air crews to communicate, to coordinate tanker orbits and rendezvous, to pass threat information, to save lives and save aircraft has been everything we expected it to be,” Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, who leads the command, told reporters. The command is “well down the path” of having a quarter of its fleet data-link connected despite missing its original 2025 goal. But the strategy has “evolved.” The service is pursuing MAF NEXUS and “the goal is to have this on all mobility aircraft , whether they're future builds and it's incorporated, or it's an add-on capability to existing aircraft.” The system “brings edge compute, the ability to then deploy AI and much more computing horsepower forward on the aircraft, and it does network with the rest of the joint force and the Air Force's battle management system.”

“The ability for air crews to communicate, to coordinate tanker orbits and rendezvous, to pass threat information, to save lives and save aircraft has been everything we expected it to be,” Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, who leads the command, told reporters.

The command is “well down the path” of having a quarter of its fleet data-link connected despite missing its original 2025 goal. But the strategy has “evolved.” The service is pursuing MAF NEXUS and “the goal is to have this on all mobility aircraft , whether they're future builds and it's incorporated, or it's an add-on capability to existing aircraft.”

The system “brings edge compute, the ability to then deploy AI and much more computing horsepower forward on the aircraft, and it does network with the rest of the joint force and the Air Force's battle management system.”

One last, fun exercise: If you Google “Air Force MMA” you’re definitely going to get UFC-type content.

NEXT STORY: Lockheed’s Skunk Works plans to build four more of its multirole combat drones

国防商业简报

航空航天网络会议

马里兰州国家港——空军测试中心指挥官表示，该中心已做好准备，随时响应五角大楼快速采购、开发、测试和部署技术的号召，但安全仍然是首要任务。

“我们始终希望安全推进。正如我之前提到的，我们所从事的工作可能存在危险。因此，我们不想承担不必要的、不安全的风险。这始终是我们关注的重点，”空军测试中心负责人马克·马萨罗准将在本周由空军和太空部队协会主办的航空航天网络会议上对记者表示。

背景：马萨罗发表这番言论仅三个月前，波音公司B-52“同温层堡垒”轰炸机在加利福尼亚州爱德华兹空军基地进行试飞时，造成八名空军人员丧生。此外，国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯推动全面采购改革也已近一年，改革内容包括“接受85%的解决方案”，并逐步完善更完美的方案。另据美国政府问责局今年早些时候发布的一份报告显示，五角大楼已大幅削减人员并重组了武器测试机构，这引发了监管方面的担忧。

“如今很多技术能力，从技术角度来看，可能与我们心中最终的理想状态并不完全一致。但至少与现有的技术能力相当，甚至更好，”马萨罗说。“因此，在进行成本进度绩效评估时，需要从作战和采购风险的角度进行风险计算，并将其与作战人员和作战单位的效能和可运用性相结合。”

美国空军目前正在测试 B-52 轰炸机（该军种最老的飞机之一）的系统升级，这些升级可以使其服役到 2050 年代。

马萨罗表示，该中心与项目采购主管和运营人员合作，“了解这些平衡点在哪里，并设计我们的测试程序以适应更快速的”测试和集成。

“一个明显的例子是我们迅速将Falco（先进精确杀伤武器系统）集成到F-15E战斗机上。我们的人员、流程和测试资源都已做好准备，通过综合开发和作战测试来应对这一挑战，”他说道。

“猎鹰导弹项目大概是一年多前启动的……我们有了F-15E战斗机，也有了火箭弹，只是之前从未将它们连接起来。所以我们当时面临的一个技术难题是克服它，而它让我们能够迅速推进。这就需要在作战人员急需的情况下，权衡项目方面的风险，并了解哪些方面可以做出取舍。而安全始终是我们考虑的重点。”

欢迎来到《国防商业简报》，在这里我们将深入探讨五角大楼的采购内容、采购供应商以及采购原因。欢迎将您的建议、反馈和歌曲推荐发送至 lwilliams@defenseone.com。点击此处查看《国防商业简报》往期内容，并邀请您的朋友订阅！

模块化无人机（MMA）时代来临。空军部长特洛伊·梅因克本周早些时候宣布，空军希望用模块化无人机（MMA）取代通用原子公司久负盛名的MQ-9“死神”无人机。这正是Swarm Aero公司翘首以盼并为此筹备了四年的良机。周一，该公司发布了其自主研发的Gamera无人机，这是一款远程攻击机，拥有七个有效载荷挂载点，可用于挂载导弹和传感器等。该无人机系统采用Swarm Aero公司自主研发的Legion软件。

Swarm Aero首席执行官Peter Kalogiannis告诉Defense One：“我们认为最终会有这样的需求……需要将像我们这里看到的LRASM这样的大型有效载荷远距离运送，并且尽可能降低成本。招标中列出的1000万美元预算确实能够实现这样的运载量。而且，我们从一开始就按照这样的运载量进行设计，坦白说，在这个价位上，我们的产品非常有竞争力。”

该公司正在其位于加利福尼亚州奥克斯纳德的工厂建造“几个”原型机，预计将于 2027 年底进行首次飞行。

“这使得其他机队——轰炸机、战斗机、B-21、F-47——更具杀伤力和生存能力。通过承担一些他们原本可能需要执行的任务，让他们能够腾出手来发挥最大的作用，”该公司联合创始人奥利弗·帕尔默告诉《防务一号》杂志。

虽然现在还为时尚早，但该公司期待着空军的计划以及它可能激发出的创新。

“坦白说，大型飞机生产领域需要竞争。历史上，项目授予一直存在垄断结构，而且这些项目往往持续20年、30年甚至更久，”帕尔默说。“这样做有很多充分的理由，但我们越来越需要竞争，因为与中国等竞争对手的技术竞争周期变化太快……这种模式必须改变。他们以CCA项目开启了这一变革。听起来他们打算在MMA项目上再次故技重施。我们对此表示热烈欢迎。”

人工智能集成站。这项技术在国家安全领域本周备受瞩目，因此，盖洛德国家度假会议中心内大家都在热议这个话题也就不足为奇了。

美国太空军新任首席采购官埃里希·埃尔南德斯-巴克罗表示，军方必须“积极拥抱”这项技术。“我们不能在这场人工智能竞赛中输掉，”他说。“解决之道不是回避这项技术，而是积极拥抱它，理解它，并建立适当的保障措施。我认为人工智能专家们已经掌握了确保这些保障措施有效实施的方法，我们需要继续支持这些保障措施的开发，以更好地服务于我们的太空任务。”

他说：“我们不能输掉这场人工智能竞赛。解决之道不是回避这项技术，而是积极拥抱它、理解它，并设置适当的保障措施。我认为人工智能专家们已经掌握了确保这些保障措施有效实施的方法，我们需要继续支持这些保障措施的开发，以助力我们的太空任务。”

空军测试中心也热衷于与科技行业合作，目前已设立专门的人工智能高级领导职位。“我们空军测试中心现在聘请了一位人工智能专家。因此，我们正在迈入这个领域。我们希望与该领域的科技公司建立并维护合作关系，”空军测试中心的马萨罗说道。

“我们现在空军测试中心聘请了一位人工智能专家。所以我们正在涉足这个领域。我们希望与该领域的科技公司建立并维持合作关系，”空军测试中心的马萨罗说道。

空军机动司令部希望打造一支数据链连接更加完善的机队，以便应用人工智能技术。“机组人员之间的通信能力，包括协调加油机航线和会合、传递威胁信息、拯救生命和飞机的能力，都达到了我们预期的目标，”司令部负责人丹尼尔·图利中将告诉记者。尽管未能实现最初设定的2025年目标，但该司令部目前已“稳步推进”了四分之一机队的数据链连接工作。不过，其战略已经“有所调整”。空军正在推进MAF NEXUS项目，“目标是让所有机动飞机都配备该系统，无论是未来建造的飞机，还是现有飞机的附加功能。”该系统“将边缘计算能力、人工智能部署能力以及更强大的计算能力带到飞机前端，并能与联合部队和空军作战管理系统联网。”

“机组人员之间的沟通、协调加油机航线和会合、传递威胁信息、拯救生命和飞机的能力，完全达到了我们的预期，”指挥部负责人丹尼尔·图利中将告诉记者。

尽管未能实现最初设定的2025年目标，但该司令部在实现四分之一机队数据链互联方面“进展顺利”。不过，该战略已经“演变”。该军种正在推进MAF NEXUS项目，“目标是让所有机动飞机都配备该系统，无论是未来建造的飞机直接集成该系统，还是现有飞机的附加功能。”

该系统“将边缘计算能力带到飞机上，从而能够将人工智能和更强大的计算能力部署到飞机上，并且它还能与联合部队的其他部分和空军的作战管理系统联网。”

最后还有一个有趣的练习：如果你在谷歌上搜索“空军综合格斗”，你肯定会找到类似UFC的内容。

下一篇报道：洛克希德·马丁公司臭鼬工厂计划再建造四架多用途作战无人机