DAY TWO | WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2025

• Overview of strategic collective training objectives, and opportunities to view Simulation as a Service
• Effectively finding the right balance between live and synthetic training to enhance operational capability while reducing costs
• Impact of contractorization and industry partnerships on operational capabilities, and improving the pace of synthetic development

·       Bolstering military cooperation between Australia, the UK and the USA in preparation for the arrival of the new Apache fleets to Australia in 2025

·       Opportunities to interchange personnel and supplies, and benefits for sustainment and MRO

·       Shaping Australia’s future Apache operations and tactics for operating a heavier, more robust machine with enhanced communication capabilities

Brigadier David Hafner AM CSC

Incoming Commander, Aviation Command
Australian Army

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·       Strategies to quickly increase training capacity for existing and future fleets at minimum cost to avoid future gaps

·       How are militaries leveraging existing structures to deliver state-of-the-are training for next-generation pilots?

·       Promoting interoperability with collaborative pilot training with international allies and partners

·       What support is needed from industry to improve both live and simulated training programmes?

Brigadier David Hafner AM CSC

Incoming Commander, Aviation Command
Australian Army

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·       Role of the Army Aviation and Missile Command in supporting rotary operations

·       Strategies to guarantee commonality between systems and enable faster operational readiness for new weapon systems

·       Weapon upgrades to enhance the lethality of the current UH-60 models

Major General Lori Robinson

Commanding General
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command

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·       Strategies to prepare for and respond to conduct warfare in all domains

·       Requirements to upgrade lethality and stealth for anti-submarine missions with the MH-60R Seahawk

·       Gaining a tactical edge over adversaries operating in the Indo Pacific

Commodore Matt Royals

Commander Fleet Air Arm
Royal Australian Navy

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·       Future Royal Navy aviation requirements and capabilities, focusing on the transformation from crewed to uncrewed systems

·       Near-time strategies to incorporate VTOL Autonomous Collaborative Platform in collaboration with crewed aircraft and surface shifts for future ISR, logistics, and strike capabilities post-Merlin and Wildcat

·       Developments in the Royal Navy Heavy Lift Challenge to increase the availability of UAS at rapid pace

Commodore Steve Bolton

Deputy Director Aviation Programmes and Futures
Royal Navy

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·       Critical capabilities provided by Air Launched Effects (ALE) to detect, identify, locate and report pacing threats in contested environments

·       Challenges to fully integrate launched effects into rotary platforms

·       Role of collaborative drone swarming in future operating environments to reduce rotorcraft exposure to enemy threat

·       Gain insights into the repair and logistical requirements to maximise availability of the Black Hawk fleet

·       Benefits of improved interoperability with Poland and Latvia to strengthen Lithuanian long-term security

·       Enhancing maintenance capabilities with improved infrastructure for MRO activities

Lieutenant Colonel Andrius Stuknys

Chief of HQ Engineering Service
Lithuanian Air Force

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·       CH-47F Block II programme to enhance reliability, reduce unscheduled maintenance, and keep costs low

·       Gain insights upgrade requirements to sustain the Chinook fleet up to 2040 and beyond

·       Measures to mitigate part shortages, and foresee supply chain disruptions

·       Capability improvements of MUM-T for German Army Aviation, and modifications needed for successful operations

·       Finding the right balance between autonomy and manned-unmanned teaming to maximise performance

·       Potential challenges of utilizing manned-unmanned teaming in conjunction with UAS, and steps to mitigate these challenges

Colonel Guido Krahl

Branch Chief Army Aviation
Bundeswehr

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·       What are the near-term priorities of incorporating more uncrewed capabilities and manned-unmanned teaming into current mission sets?

·       How do militaries see the future balance between crewed and uncrewed capabilities in rotary aviation?

·       How much can uncrewed systems do for rotary fleets now, and what should remain crewed in the future to maximise mission effectiveness?

·       Challenges of implementing uncrewed capabilities into attack mission sets with more GPS jamming, and increasingly electromagnetically contested environments where a human decider needs to be on the platform

·       How can militaries strike the right balance between cost and capability, focusing on near-term requirements of the next 5-10 years?

Colonel Guido Krahl

Branch Chief Army Aviation
Bundeswehr

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·       Strategies to counter EW and cybersecurity threats posed by increased use of UAS in the battlespace

·       Certification challenges of uncrewed systems, and current regularly status

·       Innovations needed to effectively integrate UAS into rotary platforms

Brigadier Del Stafford MBE RM

Head Operating Assurance Group
Military Aviation Authority - UK MoD

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·       Current strategies for increasing availability of the UK’s Merlin fleet

·       Providing maximum availability for live operators of Apache and Chinook fleets

·       Update on the Rotary Wing Enterprise initiative

Mark Langrill

Director Helicopters
DE&S - UK MoD

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·       Royal Navy strategies to change the game in aircraft availability, and support the readiness of all MOD rotary platforms

·       Opportunities for data exploitation to drive more time and cost efficient maintenance

·       Collaboration with industry partners to position the Royal Navy at the forefront of innovation in the defence industry

Commander Brett Gillies

Commanding Officer - 1710 Naval Air Squadron
Royal Navy

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Stephanie Griffiths

Head of Data Exploitation - 1710 Naval Air Squadron
Royal Navy

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