Air Warfare

Rocket engines, helmet displays and ground robots: Last looks from AFA Day 3

Here are some parting sights from across the show floor at this year's conference.

By Breaking Defense Staff on September 16, 2026 2:00 pm
Attendees travel decorated stairways at the 2026 AFA conference. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense)

As this year’s AFA Air Space & Cyber conference concluded from Maryland’s National Harbor, attendees took a final opportunity to check out a variety of systems and gear under development and testing, as well as others — like Northrop Grumman’s counter-drone system Raid Hunter — that manufacturers say they’re actively pitching to US military services for base protection and security. Check out a selection of images in our final photo roundup from the conference below.

The Breaking Defense team is still on the ground covering the last day of activity, so don’t miss our ongoing coverage here.

RTX brought its Zero-G Helmet Mounted Display system for assisting pilots in high-definition using binocular lenses and an advanced multicore processor. The HMDS+ kit was encased behind glass during the 2026 AFA conference. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense)
Elbit Systems of America, which recently changed its name to Twenty-Six Defense, set up a booth at AFA 2026. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense)
Ursa Major showcased its liquid-fueled rocket engines Draper (left) and Hadley (Right) at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber expo. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense)
At 2026’s Air, Space and Cyber expo, Air Force Research Laboratory personnel display a battlefield blood recycling system that filters lost blood back to be transfused into the same patient. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense)
Northrop Grumman brought a scale model of its Raid Hunter 50 mm air defense system to the 2026 AFA expo. A full-size dummy shell stands just to the right of the scale model. (Breaking Defense)
Teledyne Flir brought a few of its ground robots to the 2026 AFA show floor. (Breaking Defense)
Marvin Test Solutions displayed a few training system components, including the MT3045 Advanced Hellfire Missile Simulator, at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber conference. (Breaking Defense)
Cargo security developers at Kinedyne displayed a new tiedown strap system to the 2026 AFA expo. Specialized markings help expedite precision and loading for personnel securing equipment similar to what’s seen in this photo. (Breaking Defense)