The Aerospace Advantage

Latest Episodes:

Episode 112 - Deploying the Swarm: Autonomous Drone Operations in Denied Environments Jan 21, 2023

Show notes

Episode Summary:

In episode 112 of the Aerospace Advantage, Deploying the Swarm: Autonomous Drone Operations in Denied Environments, John Baum chats about the challenges of operating drone swarms during a great power conflict with Dr. Doug Meador, the Autonomous Collaborative Vehicles Portfolio manager within AFRL's Aerospace Systems Directorate; Lt Colonel Ryan “SCUDS” Slaughter, the lead for Autonomous Collaborative Platforms in the Headquarters AF Strategy, Integration and Requirements directorate; plus Caitlin Lee and Mark Gunzinger from the Mitchell Institute team. In popular depictions, drones swarms always seem to show up at exactly the right moment, in seemingly infinite numbers, to attack their targets. But in real life combat, deploying drone swarms will require new, thoughtful and creative approaches to operations, logistics, and maintenance. As the Air Force gets ready to field a new generation of autonomous drones – known as collaborative combat aircraft–CCAs–it will have to address these very practical considerations. On today’s podcast, we bring together operators, scientists and policy experts to identify the challenges of deploying a drone swarm in a combat environment and their implications for CCA design.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Dr. Doug Meador, Autonomous Collaborative Vehicles Portfolio manager, AFRL Aerospace Systems Directorate

Guest: Lt Colonel Ryan “SCUDS” Slaughter, Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Lead, Headquarters AF Strategy, Integration and Requirements Directorate

Guest: Dr. Caitlin Lee, Senior Fellow for UAV and Autonomy Studies, The Mitchell Institute

Guest: Mark Gunzinger, Director, Future Concepts and Capability Assessments, The Mitchell Institute

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #uav #cca #drone

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Episode 111 - Congressional Drama and Defense, New F-35 Contract, Space Update, and Ukraine: The Rendezvous Jan 14, 2023

Show notes

Episode Summary:

In Episode 111 of the Aerospace Advantage, Congressional Drama and Defense, New F-35 Contract, Space Update, and Ukraine: The Rendezvous, John Baum chats with Lt Gen David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Todd Harmer, Anthony Lazarski, and Tim Ryan. The churn we all saw in the House of Representative as members struggled to elect the Speaker of the House has implications for defense—our conversation breaks down key perspectives. We also discuss the latest F-35 contract and how new pricing will impact the future of the program. Our team also assesses challenges and opportunities for the Space Force as we look to 2023. The conversation wraps with an update regarding factors to consider as fighting continues in Ukraine. This is an important set of conversations as we consider the vector top defense issues will take as 2023 unfolds.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Lt Gen (Ret.) David Deptula, Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Col (Ret.) Todd "Sledge" Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International

Guest: Col (Ret.) Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs

Guest: Tim Ryan, Senior Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute

Submit Your Questions:

mitchell@afa.org

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #speaker #congress #rendezvous #ukraine

Thank you for your continued support!

Episode 110 - Russian Airpower in Ukraine: Lessons for the West, Jan 07, 2023

Show notes

Episode Summary:

In Episode 110 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Russian Airpower in Ukraine: Lessons for the West, John “Slick” Baum chats with Dr. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies along with Heather “Lucky” Penney and Lt Col Michael “Mongo” Kingry of our Mitchell Institute team about key takeaways from the Ukraine-Russia war. Media reports have largely focused on the ground war, but the opening stages of the conflict saw a fierce air battle. And it’s still unfolding. We need to discuss this, because it has challenged a lot of the assumptions about the Russian air force and what a modern air campaign looks like against advanced systems and a determined enemy. Unfortunately, many pundits are drawing the exact wrong conclusion from this fight. This episode explores the strategies and tactics the combatants are employing, the hardware they are bringing to the fight, and what it means for the wider war. We’ll also look at what lessons can be learned by NATO and the United States as war rages in Eastern Europe and adversaries around the globe evaluate the Western response.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Producer: Patrick Gensel

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Dr. Justin Bronk, Airpower Research Fellow, Military Sciences at Royal United Services Institute

Guest: Heather Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute

Guest: Lt Col Michael Kingry, Air Force Fellow, The Mitchell Institute

Links:

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies