Aerospace Advantage

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present the Aerospace Advantage, with veteran fighter pilot and Senior Resident Fellow Heather “Lucky” Penney as the host.
Every week, Heather “Lucky” Penney will take listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.

The UK is a close and aligned ally to the U.S. The Mitchell team chats with the head of the Royal Air Force, ACM Sir Richard Knighton. Topics discussed include lessons learned from Ukraine, projecting power into the Pacific, deterrence in the modern era, space as a contested domain, and much more!

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U.S. adversaries continue to pursue acts of aggression that have been responded to by the Air Force airmen. The Mitchell team speaks with 9th AF/ US Air Forces Central Command Commander Lt Gen Alexus “Grynch” Grynkewich to understand the scale and scope of current operations, and desired objectives through a leadership lens.

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Once the undisputed leaders in hypersonic technology, the U.S. now face adversary competition in the realm. The Mitchell team chats with Dr. Michael Brown (AFRL) and Mark Rettig (GE Aerospace) on how and why our defense community must respond.

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John “Slick” Baum chats with former U-2 pilot Maj Gen H.D. “Jake” Polumbo, USAF (Ret.), the highest-ranking officer to fly the Dragon Lady in combat, and long-time experienced MQ-9 pilot Lt Col Johnny Duray, who has risen through the ranks as a line pilot to a commander in the RPA world. This episode focuses on the ISR evolution by exploring the U-2, a Cold War icon manned ISR aircraft, and the uncrewed ISR mission through the lens of the MQ-9 Reaper, which can execute ISR, while also employing kinetic strike capabilities and a range of other functions.

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John “Slick” Baum chats with Scott Forney, the President of Electromagnetic Systems at General Atomics, along with Col Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.), and Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), from our Mitchell Institute team. The Space Force is developing its satellite constellations to meet new mission demands, evolving their architecture to address a rapidly burgeoning threat environment. No longer does the Space Force want to be overly reliant on large “fat juicy target” satellites, which, if destroyed or incapacitated, would yield outsized impacts to broader mission functions.

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