Air Warfare

AFA preview: Air Force leadership faces an uncertain future

Breaking Defense's Aaron Mehta and Michael Marrow walk you through what you need to know as the annual AFA conference kicks off.

Washington’s fall defense trade show season kicks off Monday with the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, just outside the US capital at scenic National Harbor, Md. But it’s an unusual time for the Air Force, as turmoil in the top ranks threatens to derail the service’s major modernization plans.

Breaking Defense’s Aaron Mehta and Michael Marrow are here to walk you through the state of the service as the conference kicks off. Above, you can hear what they’ll be listening for as officials take the stage, and what they’re hoping to see on the show floor.

Make sure to check out our AFA landing page for all our stories, and our multimedia page for daily video roundups and photos from the conference.

PHOTOS: AFA 2025

PHOTOS: AFA 2025

Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman delivers his keynote address, Sept. 23, 2025. (Jud McCrehin/Air & Space Forces Association)
Jay Raymond (left), former Space Force chief of space operations, and David Thompson, former vice chief of space operations, speak on a panel moderated by Nina Armagno, former Space Force staff director, Sept. 23, 2025. (Jud McCrehin/Air & Space Forces Association)
Griffon Aerospace displays its Valiant vertical takeoff-and-landing drone, designed for field reconnaissance on the go, Sept. 23, 2025. (Aaron Mehta/Breaking Defense)
Trac9 shows its Advanced Deployable Aircraft Mobile System, a portable hangar, Sept. 23, 2025. (Aaron Mehta/Breaking Defense)
A model of Saab-Boeing's T-7 Red Hawk jet trainer, Sept. 23, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
A 1/6th-size model of the Hermeus supersonic jet sits below a live feed of the company's production line in Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 23, 2025. (Aaron Mehta/Breaking Defense)
Shield AI's V-BAT vertical takeoff-and-landing drone, sits on display, Sept. 23, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
The Air Force Research Laboratory displays a missile designed under its "Angry Tortoise" program, a partnership with Ursa Major, that looks to develop hypersonic missiles that can be deployed en masse for millions of dollars less than more traditional munitions, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)
Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury drone, an entrant in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone wingman program, sits on display, Sept. 22, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
General Atomics’ YFQ-42A, another CCA entrant, sits on display, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)
JetCat shows several small jet engines designed to power munitions or kamikaze drones at a fraction of the cost of larger engines, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)
Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Battery Revolving Adaptive Weapons Launcher (BRAWLR), a reconfigurable counter-drone system in use by at least one classified foreign customer, makes its defense trade show debut, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)
Air Force Undersecretary Matt Lohmeier visits the Northrop Grumman booth, where the Stand-In Attack Weapon and Hypersonic Cruise Missile are on display, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)
The Tactical Combat Training System Increment II connects live aircraft to a simulator in training, allowing remote troops to practice in real-world conditions. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)

Could you fly Embraer’s C-390? (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)

Embraer aims to convince the Air Force that its C-390, shown in miniature on Sept. 24, 2025, could be a boon to the service’s airlift fleet. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
J.P. Nauseef, president and chief executive officer of JobsOhio speaks during ASC, Sept. 24, 2025. (Jud McCrehin/Air & Space Forces Association)
Attendees traverse the show floor on the final day of the conference, Sept. 24, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
Attendees mill about near the main show floor doors at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Oxon Hill, Md., Sept. 24, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk/Breaking Defense)
RTX shows off munitions at its booth on the show floor, Sept. 22, 2025. (Rachel Cohen/Breaking Defense)