Air Warfare, Space

Why the US is talking about space weapons now

We recap leading headlines from day one of this year's conference.

By Breaking Defense Staff on September 14, 2026 10:02 pm

The Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference began today as attendees gathered at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink kicked things off with a bold statement that the Space Force has launched “space control weapons” into orbit. Breaking Defense’s Aaron Mehta and Michael Marrow talk through what that might mean, in addition to other developments from the expo’s first day.

Be sure to also 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 2026

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PHOTOS: AFA 2026

Dozens of attendees file in during day one of the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
The unmanned fighter aircraft FQ-42 Vengeance from General Atomics is seen here on display at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
This is a Hellfire Scalable Rail Launcher from Marvin Test Solutions, as seen on the show floor at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
Here are AeroVironment's (from left) Switchblade launcher as well as the Switchblade 600 and Switchblade 400 loitering munitions at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
The firm Crystal Group specializes in "ruggedized" systems for military use, including these sturdy iterations for remote laptop use, on display at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
Swedish manufacturer Saab brought a scale model of its T7-A Advanced Pilot Training System as seen close up at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
Here is Blu, an easy-going service dog attending the Air, Space and Cyber conference at the expo display from ruggedized, portable computer firm MaxVision on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
Here is 1:8 scale model of a Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) satellite from Northrop Grumman on display at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
A side view of SNC's Brawlr (Battery Revolving Adaptive Weapons Launcher) air-defense system near the show floor entrance for the 2026 Air and Space Forces Air, Space and Cyber conference. (Breaking Defense)
Pratt & Whitney’s PW500 engine is seen on the show floor at the Air, Space and Cyber conference on Sept. 14, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
AeroVironment’s Locust X3 directed-energy counter-drone system on the show floor at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber trade show. (Breaking Defense)
The Havoc missile system from defense firm Ursa Major at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber conference. (Breaking Defense)
A 1:7 scale model of the Ramjet-X from Hermeus is seen on display at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber expo. (Breaking Defense)
Anduril showed off its FQ-44 Fury unmanned fighter aircraft on the show floor of AFA 2026. (Breaking Defense)
A pilot training system from Tactical Air Support is one several trainers brought to the show floor at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber conference. (Breaking Defense)
The firm Unit Solutions brought their Unit4 rifle (an M4 replica) for attendees at the 2026 Air, Space and Cyber conference. (Breaking Defense)
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