Future Air Force: 20–22 October 2026 | Prague, Czech Republic
Air force leaders, operational experts and industry representatives will gather in Prague on 20–22 October for the Future Air Force Conference 2026. Covering lessons from Ukraine, multinational air mobility, electronic warfare and armed UAV operations, the programme will examine how air forces can translate operational experience and technological advances into readiness. ACE – Aerospace Central Europe is a proud media partner of the conference.
Organised under the auspices of and in cooperation with the Czech Air Force Command, the Future Air Force Conference forms part of Future Forces Forum 2026. Conference sessions on 20 and 22 October at the Grand Hotel Prague Towers will be complemented by participation in the Future Forces programme at PVA EXPO PRAGUE on 21 October.
The agenda brings together questions that increasingly shape air force planning: how to maintain operational effectiveness in contested environments, integrate unmanned systems, prepare personnel for electronic warfare and build interoperability across multinational fleets.
Lessons from current conflicts
The opening session, Air Power in the Future Security Environment, will set the operational context. Professor Vadym Slyusar is scheduled to address lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, followed by a panel discussion with Brigadier General Volker Samanns and Air Marshal (Ret.) Ian Gale.
The discussion will connect experience from current military conflicts with the decisions facing air forces as they develop future capabilities, training and operational concepts.
Air mobility, multinational cooperation and multirole platforms
The first thematic block will explore air mobility and the role of multirole platforms. Colonel Paulo Martins of the Portuguese Air Force will discuss the development of a multinational KC-390 community, focusing on interoperability, training and operational readiness.
The programme also includes a keynote presentation by Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Aswal VM of the Indian Air Force and an industry presentation by Ondřej Koukol of AERO Vodochody on the L-39 Skyfox as a multirole training platform. A panel discussion will bring together military and industry perspectives on the evolving requirements of air mobility.
Advanced sensing and electronic warfare
A dedicated afternoon block will examine advanced sensing and electronic warfare, including the training required for operations in a fifth-generation environment.
Scheduled contributors include Grant Page of Draken, Colonel Dameion “Booster” Briggs of the US Air Force and Lieutenant Colonel Semih Düzgünsıvacı of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre. Industry presentations by PRAMACOM and ERA will address airborne ISR and electronic warfare architectures, alongside the integration of sensing across ground, air and space domains.
The session will link technological developments with their practical implications for training and operational employment.
Air Force 2035 and the integration of armed UAVs
The second conference day, on 22 October, will open with the commanders’ panel Air Force 2035: Priorities, Challenges and Readiness, before moving into a dedicated block on armed UAV operations and training.
The programme includes a keynote by Major General Hayrettin Koca of Allied Command Transformation, an Ethiopian Air Force perspective on the employment of unmanned aerial systems in contemporary conflicts, and a Spanish Air Force presentation on integrating UAVs into air operations.
Air Commodore Frederick Wigglesworth of the Royal Air Force is scheduled to address UAV operations and training. Further industry contributions will include presentations by L.P.P. Holding and KBP International, alongside AERO Vodochody’s presentation on the L-39 Skyfox Drone Hunter.
Together, these sessions will examine how unmanned capabilities affect force development, operational integration and the preparation of personnel.
Connecting the conference with the wider defence community
On 21 October, delegates are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of Future Forces Forum 2026, the Future Forces Conference session Defence 2035+: Adapting to the New Security Reality, and the exhibition at PVA EXPO PRAGUE.
This connection gives participants an opportunity to place air power discussions within the wider defence and security context and engage with the technologies and organisations supporting future capability development.
Join the discussion in Prague
As a media partner, ACE – Aerospace Central Europe is supporting the exchange of operational experience, technical expertise and international perspectives at Future Air Force Conference 2026.
For air force professionals, defence planners, training specialists and industry representatives, the conference offers a forum to discuss the capabilities, people and partnerships required for the next decade of air operations.
20–22 October 2026 | Prague, Czech Republic
Registration and participation enquiries
View the conference programme and event information
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