21 Aug 2019

Air Force advances innovation at “Spark Collider”

In Air Force-speak, the Spark Collider “will accelerate the matching of Air Force problems with viable solutions” by being equal parts speed dating, tech showcase and pitch sessions. The Air Force’s effort to innovate is part of a central tenet for defending the United States as outlined in the National Defense Strategy.

21 Aug 2019

Civilian discovers true purpose with the Air Force

How long did it take you to discover your true purpose in life? Some people find the solution to that question rapidly, while others work and wait to receive that answer. Jonie Collins received her answer when she chose to join the Air Force family as a civilian.

21 Aug 2019

Airmen, companies tackle mission pain points during AFWERX Spark Collider

Over the span of two days, more than 150 Airmen representing 50 bases and 200 entrepreneurs representing 100 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I companies joined together to see which missions could match up to an associated business product.

19 Aug 2019

Travis AFB produces first certified 3-D printed aircraft parts

The Stratasys F900 3D printer, which is capable of printing plastic parts up to 36-by-24-by-36 inches, uses a material called Ultem 9085 that is more flexible, dense and stronger than typical plastic.

9 Aug 2019

Emerging technology may save Airmen’s lives

This focus on readiness was on display Aug. 5 during a SERE exercise in Vallejo, California, which provided Airmen an opportunity to train using realistic scenarios while testing new technology.

8 Aug 2019

Autism at Work brings civilian opportunities to individuals on the spectrum

The Autism at Work program, a collaboration between the Air Force Materiel Command and Wright State University, offers students and recent graduates with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum the opportunity to participate in paid, one-year internships as Air Force civilians. The program provides the interns not only real-world job experiences as Air Force civilians, but it also offers them the opportunity to learn and practice soft skills such as business etiquette and communication under a team of mentors dedicated to helping them achieve success in the internship and beyond.

7 Aug 2019

Record-setting first sortie for wing's newest F-35A

Aircraft tail number 5261 left Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, production facility a little after 8 a.m. Aug. 1, landed at Hill Air Force Base at 10 a.m., and by 3 p.m. had taken off on its first combat training mission.

5 Aug 2019

AFWERX Fusion, MDO Challenge drive collaboration between industry, military, academia

To better foster a culture of collaboration and innovation within the Air Force, AFWERX Fusion brought more than 1,200 people from business, military and academia as well as close to 120 Multi-Domain Operations Challenge teams and companies together under one roof July 23-24.

5 Aug 2019

Academy cadets’ invention to support battlefield Airmen awarded patents

A team of Air Force Academy cadets took on this exact challenge while completing their mechanical and systems engineering degrees in 2016 and now their technology has been awarded three patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

30 Jul 2019

Air Force brings defense planning into 21st century through modern software

For much of the defense community, the ease and functionality of modern technology is not translated to military planning systems. While cumbersome acquisitions processes, funding issues and security concerns are often valid causes, many Department of Defense processes (and any software associated with them) cannot compete with the technology many Americans use regularly.