THE WORLD’S PREMIER
MILITARY FLIGHT TRAINING CONFERENCE
31st March – 2nd April 2026 |
Hotel & Conference Center Sempachersee, Switzerland
DAY ONE | 31 MARCH
8:10 am - 8:15 am
DEFENCE IQ OPENING REMARKS
8:15 am - 8:25 am
CHAIRMAN'S OPENING REMARKS
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Anthony J. Rock -
Former Inspector General,
U.S. Air Force
Lt. General David Nahom - Former Commander, Alaskan Command, US Air Force
8:25 am - 8:45 am
HOST NATION OPENINING ADDRESS
8:45 am - 9:15 am
EVOLVING FLIGHT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF A RETURN TO GREAT POWER CONFLICT
Justin Bronk -
Senior Research Fellow for Airpower,
RUSI
· Evolution of operational scenarios and training needs
· M-346 performance and features
· M-346 Block 20 enhancements & cockpit evolution – unveiling
· The “download” / Tactical Surrogate concept
9:15 am - 9:45 am
INSIGHTS FROM PILATUS
10:00 am - 10:30 am
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING
10:30 am - 10:50 am
LEVERAGING STATE-OF-ART TRAINING TECHNOLOGIES AND EQUIPMENT: UPDATE ON HOW WE TRAIN OUR PILOTS?
Air Vice-Marshal Ian Townsend -
Commanding Officer, No 22 Group,
RAF
10:50 am - 12:20 pm
INSIGHTS FROM CAE
11:00 am - 11:30 am
EVOLVING TRAINING PIPELINES AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AT FASF ACADEMY
Brigadier General Oliver Kaladjian -
Commanding General,
French Air and Space Force Academy
• Update on the Mentor 2 Program
• Leveraging immersive technologies to enhance pilot proficiency and reduce time-to-combat readiness
• Strengthening the link between initial training and frontline operations
Brigadier General Oliver Kaladjian, Commanding General, French Air and Space Force Academy
10:20 am - 11:00 am
INDUSTRY LEADERS PANEL: ENHANCING COLLABORATION WITH THE MILITARY TO MEET DEMANDS
How can industry and armed forces best collaborate to modernise training pipelines across fixed-wing, rotary, and multi-engine platforms? This session asks whether current engagement models truly allow rapid adoption of effective training systems without disrupting operational readiness.
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
LUNCH & NETWORKING
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
INSIGHTS FROM LEONARDO
All conference participants not attending the gala dinner are invited to join us for some informal networking
2:30 pm - 3:10 pm
ALLIANCE INTEROPERABILITY PANEL: FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY
We explore how allied nations are harmonising training pipelines. Discussions consider what institutional structures and processes are required to make interoperability more than just a goal on paper, such as:
• Standardising training objectives across allies
• Technical interoperability challenges
• Collaborative Training Model
Questions include:
• What lessons are you learning that help you to balance commercial providers, government oversight, and allied interoperability requirements in a technically complex programme like this?
• What technical or data-sharing considerations need to be addressed to ensure Canadian systems can interoperate with allied training environments?
• How can programs like FAcT serve as a testbed or blueprint for allied cooperation on aircrew training?
