DAY TWO | WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2025

7:00 - 7:55 REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS

7:55 - 8:00 CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS

CURRENT & FUTURE ROTORCRAFT CAPABILITIES

8:00 - 8:30 NEXT GENERATION ROTORCRAFT CAPABILITY (NGRC): A TECHNICAL & OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW

Kevin Luxford - NGRC Technical Section Leader - Principal Technical Officer, NSPA
  • Identifying and quantifying the NGRC capability need
  • Developing the NGRC Technical Baseline for Concept Stage and beyond (CONOPS, Attributes and Capability Requirements)
  • Technical approach & activities to prepare for development
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Kevin Luxford

NGRC Technical Section Leader - Principal Technical Officer
NSPA

8:30 - 9:00 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS – WEAPON SYSTEM CAPABILITIES

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Colonel Mats-Uno Runeson

Deputy Wing Commander, Helicopter Wing
Swedish Armed Forces

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Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Fountain

Director Air Requirements 9 (Tactical Aviation)
Royal Canadian Air Force

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Jay Macklin

Director, Army, and Air Force (AAFS) Strategy and Business Development
Sikorsky, A Lockheed Martin Company

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William Sampson

VP, Head of Market Operations
Airbus Helicopters

10:00 - 10:30 MORNING NETWORKING BREAK, VIP EXHIBITION TOURS & EXHIBITOR TECH DEMOS

10:30 - 11:10 UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ATTACK HELICOPTERS IN CURRENT CONFLICT: OBSERVATIONS FROM UKRAINE

Lieutenant Colonel Emiliano Pellegrini - Subject Matter Expert Attack Helicopters, JAPCC

·       Rotorcraft vulnerabilities identified from the Russia Ukraine conflict

·       Changes in the role of attack helicopters between 2023 and 2024

·       Analysis of the future developments in attack helicopter operations as the conflict continues

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Lieutenant Colonel Emiliano Pellegrini

Subject Matter Expert Attack Helicopters
JAPCC

11:10 - 11:40 RESERVED FOR INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM BOEING

11:40 - 11:45 COMFORT BREAK & TRACK MOVEMENT TIME

TRACK 1: OPERATIONAL READINESS WITH EFFECTIVE TRAINING

Chaired By: Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE, Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command


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Jason Hawker

Principal Officer, NATO Flight Training Europe
NSPA

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Daniele Cucchi

Aviation Support Programme Manager
NSPA

12:25 - 12:55 AUSTRALIA’S ARMY AVIATION COMMAND – PAST, PRESET AND FUTURE
Major General David Hafner AM CSC - Commander, Aviation Command, Australian Army


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Major General David Hafner AM CSC

Commander, Aviation Command
Australian Army


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Major General David Hafner AM CSC

Commander, Aviation Command
Australian Army

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Jason Hawker

Principal Officer, NATO Flight Training Europe
NSPA

TRACK 2: UPGRADING PLATFORM CAPABILITIES WITH ADVANCED SENSORS & WEAPONS

Chaired By: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Matt Briers CBE, Former Director Carrier Strike, UK Ministry of Defence

11:45 - 12:15 HENSOLDT SOFTWARE DEFINED DEFENSE (SDD)

12:15 - 12:55 ENHANCING THE FLEET AIR ARM’S CAPABILITIES TO FIGHT AND WIN FROM AIR AND SEA

·       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

12:55 - 13:25 MOOG SPECIALIZED WEAPON SOLUTIONS

13:25 - 14:30 LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK

TRACK 1: TACTICAL INTEGRATION OF UNCREWED SYSTEMS FOR LIFT, FIND & ATTACK MISSION SETS

Chaired By: Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE, Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command

14:30 - 15:00 MANNED-UNMANNED TEAMING FOR ROTARY AVIATION: NEW SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS, OR JUST A BETTER WAY FOR HELICOPTERS TO WORK WITH UAS?

·       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

15:00 - 15:30 ENHANCING LETHALITY AND SURVIVABILITY: LEVERAGING LAUNCHED EFFECTS IN CONTESTED ENVIRONMENTS
Liam Ball - Senior Principal Rotorcraft Systems Engineer, DSTL - UK MoD

•       A strategic overview of pairing Launched Effects with Attack and Reconnaissance Helicopters for mission success

•       Initial findings, key assumptions, and critical considerations for effective implementation

•       Current initiatives and future developments shaping the operational landscape

•       Join us to uncover innovative approaches driving mission impact in challenging and degraded operational settings

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Liam Ball

Senior Principal Rotorcraft Systems Engineer
DSTL - UK MoD

15:30 - 16:00 SPEED, RANGE AND LETHALITY OF THE BCT FLEET TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE OVER ADVERSARIES

·       Tactical integration of current platforms for lift, find and attack mission sets

·       Lessons identified from current operations, and future requirements to enhance combat capabilities

·       Strategic view on the future of uncrewed systems for combat aviation

·       Future design and operational challenges to ensure seamless multi-domain interoperability 

TRACK 2: OPTIMISING SUSTAINMENT TO MAXIMISE THE OPERATIONAL LIFE OF CURRENT AND FUTURE FLEETS

Chaired By: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Matt Briers CBE, Former Director Carrier Strike, UK Ministry of Defence

14:30 - 15:00 MAXIMISING ROTORCRAFT AVAILABILITY FOR THE UK ARMED FORCES: MANAGING THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS OF FLYING
Mark Langrill - Director Rotary Wing & Uncrewed Air Systems, DE&S - UK MoD

·       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

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Mark Langrill

Director Rotary Wing & Uncrewed Air Systems
DE&S - UK MoD

15:00 - 15:30 RESERVED FOR INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM NHINDUSTRIES
Axel Aloccio - NHI President and Head of NH90 Program, Airbus Helicopters, NHIndustries
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Axel Aloccio

NHI President and Head of NH90 Program, Airbus Helicopters
NHIndustries

15:30 - 16:00 FUTURE HEAVY LIFT CAPABILITIES: INCREASING SURVIVABILITY OF THE CH-53K

·       Strategies to ensure sufficient spare components and repair capabilities to prepare for first CH-53K deployment in 2026

·       Providing logistics support to Marines spread out on and near shore in the Indo-Pacific, and increasing capabilities in high, hot environments

·       Operational innovations to drive the use of the CH-53K forwards, and new strategies to work with the remaining legacy heavy lift aircraft

16:00 - 16:30 AFTERNOON COFFEE AND NETWORKING

TRACK 1: FUTURE ROLE OF UNCREWED CAPABILITIES & UNMANNED PLATFORMS FOR ROTARY AVIATION

Chaired By: Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE, Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command

16:30 - 17:30 PANEL DISCUSSION: THE POTENTIAL & CHALLENGES OF UNCREWED AVIATION

·       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?

TRACK 2: MAXIMISING HELICOPTER AVAILABILITY FOR EVOLVING OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Chaired By: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Matt Briers CBE, Former Director Carrier Strike, UK Ministry of Defence

16:30 - 17:00 SUSTAINING LITHUANIA’S UPGRADED ROTARY FLEET TO STRENGTHEN BALTIC SECURITY
Lieutenant Colonel Andrius Stuknys - Chief of HQ Engineering Service, Lithuanian Air Force

·       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

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Lieutenant Colonel Andrius Stuknys

Chief of HQ Engineering Service
Lithuanian Air Force

17:00 - 17:30 CURRENT CHALLENGES, CAPABILITIES AND PRIORITIES OF THE BULGARIAN AIR FORCE HELICOPTER BASE

·       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

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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

18:00 - 18:30 MAA PERSPECTIVE ON UNCREWED CAPABILITIES

·       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

18:30 - 18:40 CHAIRMAN’S SUMMARY REMARKS