Heather “Lucky” Penney digs into AI and Collaborative Combat Aircraft, with Mike “Pako” Benitez of Shield AI and Ray “Krypto” O’Mara of the Mitchell Institute.
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Every week, Heather “Lucky” Penney will take listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
Ep. 253 - The Rendezvous
A New CSAF, CCA Airborne, and Starship Success
Our team talks about about what a new Chief of Staff of the Air Force will mean for the service and the broader defense environment, the CCA’s first plight, plus ACC’s focus on readiness.
America’s ability to secure its interests demands a robust Air Force. The current security environment will tolerate nothing less. The service has traditionally measured its prowess via capacity, capabilities, and its readiness. The Air Force currently lags in each of these three areas. Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret), JV Venable, and Robert “Otis” Winkler discuss these challenges and outline what needs to be done to reset the Air Force. JV just completed a major report on this topic and the conversation centers around his discuss the top findings.
This week we’re talking about what it’ll take to project airpower into the heart of the fight in a conflict with China. The American way of war, especially airpower, requires a lot of connectivity. That’s why China has focused a tremendous amount of energy to degrade and deny this communication. That has huge implications for our forces. It’s exactly what Mike Dahm investigated in his latest report—Disconnected by Design—Fifth and Sixth Generation Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations. The concept relies upon a force of fifth and sixth-generation aircraft, plus CCA, that can penetrate adversary air defenses, sensing, coordinating, and executing individual actions at the tactical edge of the battlespace.
The Arctic remains the most direct path between the U.S. and its adversaries. Modern airborne threats like cruise and hypersonic missiles, plus long-range drones threaten the homeland. Maj Gen Pete Fesler, USAF (Ret), Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret), and Brig Gen Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) discuss how to ensure we’re prepared for these threats.
America is running short on munitions. With so many conflicts ongoing, our consumption is outpacing what we can build. This episode explores this the munitions gap and what folks are doing to try and fix it. We speak with Nick Bucci, vice president of defense systems and technologies at General Atomic EMS. They recently partnered with Rafael to build their Bullseye missile here in the United States. This adds more domestic munitions production capacity, while also on-ramping in some new capabilities.
Ep. 248 - The Rendezvous
Fighter Recapitalization, Trump on Ukraine, and the X-37B Mission
Our team digs into the status of the defense bills on Capitol Hill, spacepower policy, fighter recapitalization and E-7. Plus, President Trump’s new approach to Ukraine, Air Force and Space Force leadership changes and the X-37B mission.
Spacepower is fundamentally reliant on the cyber domain—it is the backbone of connectivity for constellations on orbit, their ground stations,...
As America’s interests in space grow and humanity ventures further from Earth, the need to have Guardians in space to...
The Air Force increasingly needs a broader set of munitions to achieve mission effects in the modern age. Combat operations...
Ep. 244 - The Rendezvous
Readiness Precipice, FY26 Budget Pressures, and E-7 on the Line
In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney talks to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Charles Galbreath, Todd “Sledge” Harmer, Anthony...
This week, we’re shining a spotlight on the men and women of the 11th Space Warning Squadron (SWS). They provide...
We’re bringing you a special edition of the Aerospace Advantage to discuss Saturday’s strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. Everyone...
The U.S. must deter China from using hostile force in space. Experts from Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), in partnership with the Center for Naval Analysis, just released a new report suggesting that while conflict in space is not inevitable, the U.S. security establishment has a long way to go when it comes to boosting America’s ability to deter conflict on orbit.
Combat operations in Ukraine and the Red Sea clearly demonstrate the impact of small lethal drones as portable precision-guided munitions....