The Air, Space and Cyber Conference 2024: Weapons and Warfare

Ryan Robertson

HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON, AND THIS WEEK, WE ARE COMING TO YOU FROM NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND, SITE OF THIS YEAR’S AIR, SPACE AND CYBER CONFERENCE PUT ON BY THE AIR AND SPACE FORCES ASSOCIATION. JUST AHEAD ON THIS EPISODE, 

JUST SIX MONTHS AFTER ANNOUNCING SOME GENERATIONAL CHANGES FOR THE AIR FORCE, WE GET A PROGRESS REPORT FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE, FRANK KENDALL, AND AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL DAVID ALLVIN (All-vin). 

AND WE’RE GETTING AN UP CLOSE LOOK AT THE TWO PLATFORMS COMPETING FOR THE RIGHT TO WEAR THE COLLABORATIVE COMBAT AIRCRAFT CROWN, ALSO KNOWN AS THE C-C-A IN OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.

BUT FIRST SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.

SHOULD THE CHINESE CONTINUE AMP-UP TENSIONS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA BY TAKING A RUSTED RELIC OF WORLD WAR TWO, THE U-S WOULD LIKELY INTERVENE. 

THAT’S ACCORDING TO PHILIPPINE SECRETARY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE GILBERTO TEODORO, WHO TOLD CBS’S ‘60 MINUTES’,  IF CHINA WERE TO TAKE THE SIERRA MADRE, THAT IT WOULD BE A CLEAR ACT OF WAR ON A PHILIPPINE VESSEL. 

IN MAY, TEODORO STOOD WITH THE SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE FROM JAPAN, AUSTRALIA AND THE U-S AS THEY OUTLINED A MUTUAL ALIGNMENT ACROSS THE INDO-PACIFIC TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY.

Lloyd Austin III, U.S. Secretary of Defense

“First and foremost, we’re here today because we share a common vision, and that vision is a free and open Indo Pacific, and we believe that our continued work together will continue to promote activities that that will help lead to that accomplishment of that vision.”

Ryan Robertson

THE SIERRA MADRE, A WORLD WAR II-ERA SHIP THAT SERVES AS A BASE FOR A SMALL GARRISON OF PHILIPPINE MARINES, WAS INTENTIONALLY GROUNDED BY THE PHILIPPINES ON THE SECOND THOMAS SHOAL TO SERVE AS A MARKER FOR PHILIPPINE MARITIME TERRITORY. 

IN RECENT MONTHS IT’S BEEN THE SITE OF INCREASED AGGRESSION AND PROVOCATION BY THE CHINESE, WHO FALSELY THE TERRITORY AS THEIR OWN.

FOR THE FIRST TIME THE AIR FORCE HAS RELEASED VIDEO OF AN AIRBORNE B-21. WHILE AMATUER VIDEOGRAPHERS HAVE CAPTURED THE “RAIDER” IN FLIGHT, THIS MARKS THE FIRST TIME THE AIR FORCE HAS GIVEN THE GREEN-LIGHT TO VIDEO OF A TAKEOFF AND LANDING AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE IN CALIFORNIA. 

AT THE SAME TIME  NORTHROP GRUMMAN’S PRESIDENT OF AERONAUTICS, TOM JONES, TOLD ATTENDEES OF A PANEL AT AIR, SPACE AND CYBER, THAT THE NEXT-GEN LONG-DISTANCE BOMBER IS FLYING AS OFTEN AS TWICE A WEEK. THE HOPE IS THE “RAIDER” WILL BE A DAILY-FLIER, UNLIKE THE B-2 SPIRIT, WHICH TRADITIONALLY HAS REQUIRED SIGNIFICANT MAINTENANCE AFTER EACH SORTIE. 

IF TESTING CONTINUES TO PROGRESS AS EXPECTED, THE AIR SAYS THE B-21 WILL BE OPERATIONAL SOMETIME IN THE MID-20-20s. 

TALK ABOUT BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, THE U-S ARMY RECENTLY HELPED A CANADIAN POLITICIAN JUMP OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD AIRCRAFT.

THIS WAS THE SCENE HIGH ABOVE AN AIRSHOW NEAR LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA AS THE LOCAL  MAYOR, JOSH MORGAN, WENT FOR A TANDEM JUMP WITH THE RENOWNED U.S. ARMY PARACHUTE TEAM, THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS. 

THE LEAP OF FAITH WAS PART OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE,  HIGHLIGHTING THE COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT BETWEEN CANADIAN AND U.S. MILITARY UNITS. OF THE JUMP, THE ARMY SAID IT SYMBOLIZED THE BOND AND SHARED HISTORY OF MILITARY AVIATION BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS.

[Transition]

Ryan Robertson

IT WAS JUST SIX MONTHS AGO, ON A VERY SIMILAR STAGE IN AURORA, COLORADO, WHEN THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE AND THE AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF, ANNOUNCED A SERIES OF SERVICE-WIDE CHANGES IN THE FACE OF EVOLVING THREATS AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF WARFARE.

Ryan Robertson

A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF A YEAR LATER, FRANK KENDALL AND GENERAL DAVID ALLVIN MET WITH THE TROOPS AGAIN, THIS TIME TO DELIVER A PROGRESS REPORT ON HOW THOSE CHANGES ARE COMING ALONG.

Frank Kendall, Sec. of the Air Force

“China. China, China, I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“(Crowd Laughs)”

Ryan Robertson

NO ONE CAN EVER ACCUSE FRANK KENDALL OF NOT PLAYING THE HITS. AND EVEN THOUGH THE 26th SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE KICKED OFF THIS YEAR’S AIR, SPACE, AND CYBER CONFERENCE  WITH A MOMENT OF LEVITY, HE REMAINED AS ON-MESSAGE AS EVER DURING HIS KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO SCORES OF AIRMEN AND GUARDIANS.

Frank Kendall, Sec. of the Air Force

“The threat from China is increasing. I have instructed our briefers to stop referring to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army as a future or emerging or potential threat. I have been closely watching the evolution of its military for 15 years. China is not a future threat. China is a threat today”

Ryan Robertson

THAT THREAT, ALONG WITH RUSSIA’S CONTINUED AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE, AS WELL AS PROLONGED UNREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST, HELPED SPUR A SERIES OF SERVICE-WIDE CHANGES FOR THE AIR AND SPACE FORCES THAT WERE ANNOUNCED IN EARLY 2024. 

Frank Kendall, Sec. of the Air Force

“The short version of our progress of the on the 24 decisions that we announced is that all the actions required are well underway. A few are slightly behind their original schedule, but overall progress is excellent, and nothing is far enough off track to cause major concern.”

Ryan Robertson

DESPITE THAT OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK, CONCERNS DO REMAIN. NOTABLY WITH CONGRESS. 

BETWEEN BUREAUCRATIC GRIDLOCK AND AN EVER-INCREASING EMPHASIS ON COST-SAVING PRACTICES, KENDALL SAYS HE REMAINS COMMITTED TO MOVING THE BALL FORWARD THROUGH COMMUNICATION. 

 Frank Kendall, Sec. of the Air Force

“My overall guidance is that we need to move at the speed of leadership, not the speed of bureaucracy. What that means in practice is that any concerns or issues are elevated quickly to the senior leaders so they can be resolved. To be blunt, we don’t have the time for petty parochial interest or arguments about turf. ”

Ryan Robertson

FOR THE AIR FORCE’S TOP BOSS IN UNIFORM, GENERAL DAVID ALLVIN, THAT TIME IS AS MUCH A RESOURCE AS FUNDING AND MANPOWER, 

SPEAKING AFTER SECRETARY KENDALL, THE AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF, SAID MUCH HAS BEEN DONE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, BUT THERE IS STILL DISTANCE YET TO BE COVERED. 

Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff, USAF

“This is not academic. We just finalized the command selection list. So in summer of 2025 you will have 60 of your wings, or 40% of the United States Air Force, which will be under this construct. And we will continue to move down that ramp, because we’re moving forward on that. This is not an intellectual exercise. We’re moving out”

Ryan Robertson

ALSO AMONG THE GENERAL’S POINTS OF EMPHASIS, IS THE PROVISIONAL STANDUP OF THE ‘INTEGRATED CAPABILITIES COMMAND’ WHICH WILL OVERSEE THE LARGEST RESTRUCTURING OF THE AIR FORCE SINCE THE START OF THE COLD WAR NEARLY 80 YEARS AGO. 

 Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff, USAF

“Because this is something we absolutely have to get right, but we know we have to get right fast, and so putting those together to make sure the operators from all of the different functional areas are coming together, imagining the future, and number one for integrated capabilities command, we have to remain competitive into the future ”

Ryan Robertson

A FUTURE THAT ALLVIN SAYS HAS TO REFLECT AN AIR FORCE THAT’S RIGHT FOR ITS PLACE IN TIME AND HISTORY. AN AIR FORCE THAT HAS CHANGED BECAUSE THE THREATS HAVE CHANGED.

 Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff, USAF

“There will be challenges ahead. There will be dark skies ahead, there will be trouble ahead, and if we don’t plan for how we’re going to navigate through that, the storm will come upon us, and we won’t be prepared in this our time of consequence. It is up to us to have the courage, the boldness to take these actions, and I believe that these actions will result in what our airmen need, which is one Air Force, and what the joint force demands, which is one Air Force, what the nation demands, which is one Air Force to meet the challenge and ensure we can continue to fly, fight and win and deliver air power anytime,”

[Transition]

Ryan Robertson

A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO, SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE FRANK KENDALL ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR THE AIR FORCE TO BUILD A FLEET OF AUTONOMOUS DRONES THAT WOULD FLY INTO COMBAT ALONGSIDE CREWED PLATFORMS. 

CALLED THE COLLABORATIVE COMBAT AIRCRAFT, FIVE COMPANIES WERE SELECTED FOR THE INITIAL ROUND OF COMPETITION FOR THE CONTRACT. LOCKHEED MARTIN, BOEING, NORTHROP GRUMMAN, GENERAL ATOMICS AND ANDURIL

 IN APRIL, THAT NUMBER WAS WHITTLED DOWN TO TWO: GENERAL ATOMICS AND ANDURIL, AND AT AIR, SPACE AND CYBER 2024, WE GOT OUR FIRST LOOK AT THE FINALISTS. THAT’S WHY THE C-C-A IS OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.

COLLABORATIVE COMBAT AIRCRAFT REPRESENT A LOT OF CHANGES FOR U-S AIR POWER….BUT AT THEIR CORE, THESE ARE STILL PLANES. 

Phil Ewing, General Atomics Spokesperson 

“But I can tell you that it would operate just like a fighter. So it has landing gear. It would roll out from a hangar, it would take off, it would climb and cruise ahead of or alongside a traditional combat fighter formation, and in that way, it would look very familiar with the big difference that there’s nobody on board.”

Ryan Robertson

PHIL EWING IS THE SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ATOMICS–ONE OF TWO COMPANIES CHOSEN IN THE DOD’S FIRST TRANCHE TO FIELD WORKING CCA PROTOTYPES. THE OTHER IS ANDURIL–WITH ITS FURY. 

WE SPOKE TO ANDURIL PREVIOUSLY ABOUT FURY, BUT THE COMPANY DECLINED TO DO AN INTERVIEW DURING ASC2024. WE DO, HOWEVER, KNOW IT WILL OPERATE ON LARGELY THE SAME PRINCIPLES AS GENERAL ATOMICS’ CCA. IT WILL BE FAST AND MANEUVERABLE. IT’S DESIGNED WITH MODULARITY IN MIND SO IT CAN ACCOMPLISH MULTIPLE MISSIONS–AND ABOVE ALL–IT WILL BE ATTRITABLE. 

Phil Ewing, General Atomics Spokesperson

“One way to think about it is, if you want to start a fire, you can strike a match and throw it away. You can buy a Zippo lighter made out of brass, and it’ll last the rest of your life. And what General Atomics has said is that we want these to be picked lighters. So very durable product. Everyone knows how to use it, but if one falls out of your pocket, it’s not the end of the world.”

Ryan Robertson

GENERAL ATOMICS’ OFFERING–SIMPLY CALLED CCA RIGHT NOW–USES THE SAME CHASSIS AS THE XQ-67A….A TEST PLATFORM THAT’S BEEN FLYING FOR THE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB FOR SOME TIME.  

Alyson Turri, AFRL Aerospace Engineer & Program Manager

 “It allowed G. A. To develop that more weapons centric variant.  A lot faster than they would have if they had started from a clean sheet design.”

Ryan Robertson

ALYSON TURRI IS ONE OF THE AEROSPACE ENGINEERS WORKING ON CCA’S FOR THE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB. SHE WAS ALSO A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO AN EARLY DESIGN OF THE FURY–WHEN IT WAS BEING DEVELOPED BY BLUE FORCE TECHNOLOGIES BEFORE THE COMPANY WAS ACQUIRED BY ANDURIL .

Alyson Turri, AFRL Aerospace Engineer & Program Manager

 “The intent of this program was to develop a low cost unmanned system that could act in a, in a red threat scenario so that we can do pilot red air training at a lower cost point than we typically do right now. or in a more threat relevant way than we typically do right now,”

Ryan Robertson

ONCE THE FULL CAPABILITIES OF AUTONOMOUSLY FLOWN JET PLANES CAME INTO FOCUS–THE IDEA TO TAKE THEM FROM TARGET TRAINING DRONES TO FULL OFFENSIVE WEAPONS QUICKLY BECAME REALITY. 

TRENTON WHITE IS THE AFRL’S PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE XQ-67A. HE SAYS PART OF THE QUICK DEVELOPMENT SURROUNDING CCA’S AS AN OVERALL CONCEPT WAS THE WILLINGNESS TO SHARE WHAT HE AND HIS TEAM LEARNED IN THE LAB WITH THE COMPANIES TASKED TO BUILD THE THINGS.

Trenton White, AFRL Program Manager for Off-Board Sensing Station

“So it can consist of hardware, the structure it could have, it could be electronics or subsystems that are shared across the different vehicle variants and even software. And so with that as a starting point, that saves time and cost in developing new variants off of that architecture.”

Ryan Robertson

ANOTHER COST-SAVING CCAS BRING WITH THEM–THE PRICE TO TRAIN NEW PILOTS. 

Phil Ewing, General Atomics Spokesperson

“You don’t need to train and retain pilots, because it’s autonomous. So you can build as many of them as you need. You can fly them in great numbers against an advanced adversary, and you can start to do things that you couldn’t do any other way.”

Ryan Robertson

SO WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE CCAS TAKE TO THE SKIES? GENERAL ATOMICS SAYS ITS VERSION WILL START LOGGING TIME IN MID-2025.

[Transition]

Ryan Robertson

ALRIGHT FOLKS… THAT’S JUST GOING TO ABOUT DO IT FOR US THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE. SURE HOPE YOU ENJOYED ALL THE CONTENT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BRING TO YOU FROM NATIONAL HARBOR MARYLAND…THE SITE OF THE AFA’S ANNUAL AIR, SPACE AND CYBER CONFERENCE. NOW, WE GOT WAY MORE CONTENT THAN WE CAN FIT INTO JUST A COUPLE OF SHOWS, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO ALL OF OUR SOCIALCHANNELS, AND MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE, SAN.COM. WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF COMING YOUR WAY OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS SLASH MONTHS. 

I WANT TO WRAP UP THIS WEEK WITH A FEW WORDS ABOUT MEETING THE MOMENT. 

DURING HIS KEYNOTE ADDRESS–GENERAL ALVIN DISCUSSED TIMES WHEN THE AIR FORCE HAD TO MAKE CHANGES, AND ESSENTIALLY CHANGE HOW IT OPERATIONS. HISTORICALLY, CHANGE HAPPENS AFTER LARGE EVENTS. THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR—THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WILL, OR THE ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND PENTAGON–THOSE MOMENTS WERE SO CATACLYSMIC–THE ENTIRE FORCE STRUCTURE OF THE AIR FORCE WAS ALTERED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE MOMENT. 

CURRENTLY–THE AIR FORCE IS UNDERGOING ANOTHER MAJOR RESTRUCTURING …BUT THIS TIME, THERE WAS NO LIFE-ALTERING MOMENT…THIS TIME, WE MORE OR LESS KNOW WHAT’S COMING…A CONFLICT WITH CHINA. 

MUCH LIKE THE AIR AND SPACE FORCES ARE MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES NOW IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE FUTURE–SO TOO CAN WE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR LIVES–FIGURE OUT THE CHALLENGES–AND THEN MAKE THE CHANGES NEEDED TO MEET THE MOMENT.  WHY WAIT FOR CATASTROPHE WHEN YOU HAVE THE POWER AND ABILITY TO ADAPT WHEN THINGS ARE STABLE? WE CAN’T MEET THE MOMENT IF WE AREN’T PREPARED FOR THE MOMENT. 

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS DESIGNER DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.