Photo By Senior Airman Dylan McCrink | A MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 174th Attack Wing flies over Hancock Field Air National...... read more read more
SYRACUSE, NY – The New York Air National Guard’s (NYANG) 174th Attack Wing (ATKW) entered a new chapter in its commitment to technological advancement and operational readiness, joining forces with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and other military units through the Northeast Multi-Domain Operations Alliance (NEMDOA).
The partnership was formalized in a recent memorandum of understanding signed by Maj. Gen. Michael Bank, the commander of the New York Air National Guard, which brought the 174th ATKW into an integrated ecosystem designed to bridge the gap between warfighters and engineers.
Together, NEMDOA members are connecting operational requirements into Research & Development acceleration opportunities critical to the future of joint and multi-domain operations.
The partnership is supported by Future Flag, a year-round, multi-service joint experimentation initiative focused on advancing tech solutions, as well as the Test Flag Enterprise, among others.
Future Flag experiments are structured to drive innovation across various military branches, focusing on real-time information sharing, advanced targeting, and risk reduction of novel warfighting capabilities.
Maj. Nicholas Guilbeault of the 152nd Air Operations Group, Capt. Andrew Garcia of the 138th Attack Squadron, Master Sgt. Benjamin Graser of the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron – all from NYANG, as well as other key planners from, the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center focused on Battle Control Systems, contributed to the planning and execution of multiple experiments at Future Flag.
Technology developed out of an earlier partnership between AFRL and the 174th is Agile Condor, an advanced scalable computing chassis designed for both airborne and ground deployment.
The NEMDOA partnership has enabled Agile Condor to support AI research at the 174th MQ-9 Formal Training Unit.
Agile Condor units are connected to MQ-9 simulator feeds and used to run automatic target recognition models powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).
This enables the rapid identification of potential threats by analyzing simulated data, which is then used to train AI models. “Although our primary mission is training world class MQ-9 aircrew, having the ability to perform AI studies and keeping a rapid-reprogramming capability on hand allows us to do things with technology that no other training unit is doing,” said Lt. Col. Drew Larned, director of operations at the 108th Attack Squadron, 174th Attack Wing. “We are developing new training opportunities to practice fighting in an AI/ML-enabled environment, representative of the types of capabilities we’ll have in tomorrow’s battlespace. This benefits our instructor cadre, tenant units at the 174th and our student warfighters who get exposure to new technologies coming down the line.”
The system has even been used to replicate real-world conditions from exercise vignettes, simulating a high-tempo, realistic training environment that can operate 24 hours a day – allowing AI models to train off infinite iterations of large force exercise scenarios.
During these exercises, Agile Condor detected, identified and autonomously labeled targets on sensor operator screens far faster than human operators-a groundbreaking advancement that has the potential to transform threat recognition and aircrew information management in critical mission environments.
This region provides an ideal environment for testing and developing emerging remotely piloted aircraft and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance technologies due to local, representative infrastructure, terrain and environmental characteristics.
By situating critical research and experimentation locally, the alliance is able to shorten the feedback loop between engineers and operators, fostering a continuous cycle of improvement and refinement.
The commitment to this partnership enables rapid-response technological advancements, giving the 174th ATKW and its partners the tools they need to excel in joint mission environments.
As the partnership between AFRL and the 174th ATKW continues to grow, future training exercises and technology demonstrations will offer even greater insights into the power of joint experimentation.
Leaders from both organizations are hopeful that these innovations will bridge current operational gaps and better prepare U.S. forces for the complex challenges that lie ahead.
The partnership between AFRL and the 174th ATKW represents an important step toward making Central New York a thriving hub for technological development, one where engineers and military personnel work hand-in-hand to secure our nation’s future.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 487982 |
| Location: | SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 174th Attack Wing Partners with Air Force Research Laboratory for Cutting-Edge Innovation, by SrA Dylan McCrink, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
