Speakers | International Fighter Conference

2026 Conference Chairs

General (Ret.) James Hecker
Former Commander
U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa

Air Vice-Marshal (Ret.) Mark Chappell
Former Senior British Military Advisor CENTCOM & Former Typhoon Force Commander
Royal Air Force

General (Ret'd) Frank Gorenc
Former Commander
USAFE-AFAFRICA

2026 Speakers

Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer
DSACEUR
NATO SHAPE

General Adrian Spain
Commander
Air Combat Command

General Francisco Braco Carbó
Chief of Air Staff
Spanish Air and Space Force

Lieutenant General Holger Neumann
Chief of Staff
German Air Force

Lieutenant General David Tabor
Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs
U.S. Air Force

Lieutenant General Silvano Frigerio
General Manager NETMA
NETMA

Major General Tomasz Jatczak
Inspector of the Polish Air Force
Polish Armed Forces

Major General Marco Lant
Commander, Combat Forces Command
Italian Air Force

Major General Brian Laidlaw
Director of Operations, Air Combat Command
U.S. Air Force

Rear Admiral Giancarlo Ciappina
Commander, Naval Aviation Department
Italian Navy

Air Commodore Howard Edwards
DCOS Force Preparedness
HQ AIRCOM - NATO

Brigadier General Ugrik Csaba
Flight Director
Hungarian Defence Force

Brigadier General Timothy Helfrich
Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft
Air Force Lifecycle Management Center

Brigadier General Carl-Fredrik Edström
Director Air and Space Systems Division
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV)

Brigadier General Todd Balfe
Deputy General Fighter Capabilities
Royal Canadian Air Force

Brigadier General Riivo Valge
Commander
Estonian Air Force

Brigadier General José María Alonso
Director of Operations
Spanish Air Combat Command

Air Commodore Matthew Harper
Head of Australian Defence Staff - London
Royal Australian Air Force

Commodore Inge Marcel van Egmond
Commander Air Combat Command
Royal Netherlands Air Force

Colonel John Cummings
Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, ACC
US Air Force

Captain Tim Flatman
Deputy Commander, Combat Air Force
Royal Air Force

Colonel Vito Cracas
Assistant Director
NATO - Joint Air Power Competence Centre

Colonel Nick Suppa
Deputy Commander
80th Flying Training Wing

Colonel Mario Schwarz
Chief Air Defence Branch & Chief Dispersed Ops
Swiss Air Force

Colonel Scott Gunn
Commander
U.S. Air Force - 53d Wing

Colonel Klaus Wuggazer
Coordination Officer F-35A
Bundesministerium der Verteidigung

Colonel Rafael Ichaso Franco
Commandant
Tactical Leadership Programme

Captain Sebastien Colard
Carrier Wing commander
French Navy

Colonel Andrew Glass
Commander, 350th Spectrum Warfare Group
US Air Force

Colonel Diego José Sánchez Caamaño
Plans Division
Spanish Air and Space Force

Colonel Daniel Wynn
Commander, 85th Fighter Group
US Air Force

Regine Friedberger
Branch Chief
Bundesministerium der Verteidigung

Lieutenant Colonel Harrison Garlick
Combat Air Branch Head
NATO - Joint Air Power Competence Centre

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Peisker
Commander, Center for Electronic Warfare Airborne Weapon Systems
German Air Force

Jason Hawker
Principal Officer NATO Flying Training Europe
NSPA

Justin Bronk
Senior Research Fellow for Airpower
RUSI

Axel Schulte
Head of Institute of Flight Systems
University of the Bundeswehr Munich

Dr.-Ing. Marcel Stößel
Team Lead Propulsion System Test, R&D
University of the Bundeswehr Munich

2026 INDUSTRY SPEAKERS

Manuel Kiefer
Head of NATO/EU Defence, Global Business
Airbus Defence and Space

Oliver Brieger
Head of Chief Engineering for Fighter Aircraft
Airbus Defence and Space

Pilar Alvarez
Head of New Generation Fighter
Airbus Defence and Space

David Arthurton
Managing Director Combat Air UK & Europe
Anduril

Mark Shushnar
Vice President, Autonomous Airpower
Anduril

Michael Loringer
Director – Business Development, Autonomous Aviation (International)
Anduril

Patrick Doherty
Executive Director AF Field Operations/Programs
Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Logan Correll
Air Dominance Business Development & Strategy Senior Manager – NGAD FOS
Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Kevin Fesler
Executive Director BD & Strategy, Air Dominance, Air Force Systems
Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Ron Henry
Executive Director BD & Strategy, Mobility Surveillance and Bombers
Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Kevin McLaughlin
Executive Director and Leader of Navy Programs Business Development
Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Jeremy Feldhahn
CCA/MQ-28 Strategy Lead Strategy and Futures, MQ-28 Program
Boeing Defence Australia

Cristiano Montrucchio
Chief Engineering & Operations Officer
Eurofighter

Nicola "Niki" Johnson
Vice President, International Capture & Government Affairs
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Scott Gilloon USAF Col (Ret)
Sector Vice President, USAF Strategic Development
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Tom Burke
Vice President Strategic Development UK
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Steven Esser
Expert: Air Operations
Helsing

Rob Novotny
Vice President of Business Development
Hermeus

Jeffrey L. Harrigian
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Skunk Works®
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Michael Biorn
Director, Business Development, Advanced Development Programs
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Peter Lee
Principal Strategic Planner, Strategic Studies Group
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Wayne Smith
Sales Director
Leonardo Electronics UK

Johan Segertoft
Vice President and Head of Business Unit Gripen
Saab

Peter Nilsson
Head of Saab Business Unit, Advanced Programs
Saab

Anders Jönsson
Senior Sales Strategist
Saab

Ryan Tseng
Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder
Shield AI

Andrew Hawkes
Director of X-BAT Campaign
Shield AI

Todd Wesley
Vice President of Hivemind Engineering
Shield AI

Jon Norman
VP, Air & Space Defense Systems, Requirements & Capabilities
Raytheon, an RTX Business

Steve Shepro
Vice President, Integrated Customer Solutions
Pratt & Whitney, an RTX Business

Alex Johnson
Director, Adaptive Engine Programs
Pratt & Whitney, an RTX Business

Bryan Grubert
Chief Growth Officer
Attalon

Matthew Isler
Acting VP Regional Executive for Europe and the Middle East
Northrop Grumman

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