DAF announces 2024 Spark Tank winner > United States Space Force > Article Display

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  A prototype F-16 Combating Falcon cockpit collapsible ladder for agile fight employment and contingency operations emerged because the 2024 Spark Tank winner following presentation and judging on the Pentagon, Oct. 30.

Spark Tank is the flagship competitors through which innovators from throughout the Division of the Air Power pitch their concepts to a panel of prime management and business specialists in pursuit of sponsorship to appreciate their thought.

The Spark Tank judging panel included Underneath Secretary of the Air Power Melissa Dalton; Vice Chief of Workers of the Air Power Gen. Jim Slife; Vice Chief of Area Operations Gen. Mike Guetlein; Chief Grasp Sgt. Christopher Coleman with the Area Power Chief Expertise and Innovation Workplace Futures Job Power; and Chief Grasp Sgt. Courtney Freeman with the Secretary of the Air Power Workplace of Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

“What a tricky set of selections and only a outstanding alternative right this moment to have the ability to have interaction with our innovators within the Division of the Air Power,” Dalton mentioned. “So inspirational. Please preserve innovating, please preserve main yourselves and inspiring others to guide innovation.”

This system encourages each Airmen and Guardians to search out methods to innovate and enhance operations across the division.

“If you happen to take a look at what our aggressive benefit goes to be to get after the risk, it’s our allies, it’s our business, and it’s our folks – our persons are those innovating and bringing ahead sensible concepts,” Guetlein mentioned.

U.S. Air Power Maj. Nick Atkins, thirty first Fighter Wing undertaking lead, was the innovator of the profitable thought – a collapsible ladder that may be saved inside an F-16’s map case – permitting commanders the pliability to dynamically deploy and redeploy the jets to or from austere places.

This easy resolution to 1 particular job really has broader profit to resolve “a logistical downside by enabling resilient basing necessities and equipping our F-16s with enhanced readiness to deploy and struggle,” Atkins mentioned.

Out of 138 entries, the six innovation proposals have been chosen to compete as 2024 finalists have been:

Flyways Defender: Integrates Flyways Defender’s Synthetic Intelligence platform to streamline choices to detect, assess, and alert threats quicker.
F-16 Collapsible ACE Ladder: A prototype collapsible ladder that may be saved contained in the plane’s unused cockpit map case.
LoadPlan+: An automatic digital load plan app that streamlines mission prep and plane configuration processes to optimize current aircrew tablets.
Autonomous Flightline Resupply Car: Goals to make use of industrial applied sciences and inner capabilities inside Air Power Analysis Laboratory to construct an economical autonomous flightline resupply car for maintainers.
Venture Lavoy: The Spark Tank 2024 Fan Favourite award winner pioneers an answer by equipping medics with complete coaching, provides and sustainment for discipline whole-blood transfusion throughout contingency operations.
Cyber Assess: Simplifies complicated gathering information for the authority to function package deal utilizing comprehensible workflows.