AFWERX In the News

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Representatives from 17 commercial space companies joined officials from Space Systems Command on Aug. 19, 2025 for a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Industry Day to assist commercial launch service and space capability providers in planning for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 on-ramp opportunities.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFRL) — AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, partnered with Joby Aviation to demonstrate autonomous aircraft capabilities with a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan during Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC), July 24-30, 2025. REFORPAC was part of the Department-Level Exercise (DLE) series, a month-long set of exercises across the Indo-Pacific that enhanced readiness and interoperability with allies and partners while providing critical lessons learned for future operations.

What started as a school project has developed into a promising innovation for explosive ordnance disposal operations across the Defense Department. While completing his degree in electronics engineering technology at the University of Arkansas Grantham, former Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Trombone was challenged to solve a real-world problem within just two months. Despite limited time and resources, he turned the assignment into a functional prototype, marking the beginning of the EOD robot depth-perception system.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) SpaceWERX, in support of U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command's (SSC) Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) Program Executive Office, has announced the launch of its Hyperspace Challenge 2025 program. The initiative is calling for companies with a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award to participate in helping advance modeling and simulation capabilities.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A bright orange dart drifted in the air at approximately 1,000 feet. The cloudless bright blue skies practically swallowed up the seven foot, 50-pound unmanned aerial system as it flew its pattern. As it passed overhead, the sound from it at ground level was like a revved up weed eater engine.

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — The 35th Fighter Wing (FW) drove innovation across the Pacific last week by hosting the wing’s first-ever Layer 1: Foundations of Additive Manufacturing and Design course, marking a milestone in how the Air Force equips Airmen to design, build and field solutions at the speed of need.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Space Systems Command’s (SSC) 4th Fight Tonight Competition is now open for submissions from its military and civilian workforce. The annual innovation contest invites qualified personnel to identify mission area solutions to be accelerated and/or scaled, bringing needed capabilities to the fight.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Team Eglin participants gathered at the University of Florida’s Research and Engineering Education Facility for Software Defined Radio Day, a hands-on workshop fostering continuous learning and technical innovation under a combat innovation initiative July 21.

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Airman 1st Class Reid Richardson, a contracting specialist, assigned to the 509th Contracting Squadron, has been assigned to join Project Arc, a selective Air Force program focused on solving operational challenges through creative, cross-disciplinary solutions.