December 8–9, 2026 | California, Maryland

The Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation (PAE(A)) Autonomy & Super Intelligence (SI) / Artificial Intelligence (AI) leadership team invites Government, industry, and academic leaders, technical experts, and developers to participate in a two-day Industry Day focused on advancing Naval Aviation capabilities.

The event will bring together stakeholders to discuss emerging technologies, identify operational and technical capability gaps, and explore approaches to addressing near-term warfighter needs.

Registration closes November 20, 2026, or earlier if event capacity is reached.

Event Details

Dates: December 8–9, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM EST, daily
Location: UMD SMART Conference Center
Address: 44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Refreshments will be provided. A no-host social is tentatively planned for December 8, with additional details to follow.

Event Objectives

The Industry Day aims to:

• Align Government, industry, and academic capabilities with Naval Aviation requirements.
• Identify technical, operational, and mission capability gaps.
• Increase awareness of commercial and academic tools relevant to current Navy development priorities.
• Inform potential future acquisition approaches supporting near-term warfighter needs.

Event Format

Plenary Sessions

Government leaders from PAE(A), NAVAIR Headquarters, Naval Air Warfare Centers, and Program Management Activities (PMAs) are expected to share high-level priority roadmaps, operational gaps, current initiatives, and areas of interest.

Industry and Academic Breakout Sessions

Industry and academic participants are encouraged to present their capabilities and concepts during individual 30-minute breakout sessions.

• Session duration: 30 minutes
• Breakout room capacity: 30 seats
• Available sessions: 20 across both days

Tentative Agenda

Day 1: December 8, 2026
Super Intelligence / Artificial Intelligence (SI/AI)

Day 1 will focus on the cognitive, digital, and programmatic foundations supporting current and future SI/AI capabilities.

Topics include:

• Workforce Enablement
• SI/AI Training Portal
• Digital Architecture to Enable SI/AI Tools
• Weapons Systems Enabling Architectures for SI/AI

Day 2: December 9, 2026
Autonomy

Day 2 will focus on applying intelligent systems to physical platforms and complex operational environments.

Topics include:

• Operations in Contested Environments
• Swarming
• Human-Autonomy Teaming
• Decision Support Tools
• Autonomy Functions, including:

• • Dynamic mission planning/replanning
  • Automated deck handling
  • Air-to-air refueling
  • Flight autonomy

• Training Environments
• Edge Applications
• Next-Generation C2 Systems
• Cybersecurity
• International Standards

Autonomy functions of interest include dynamic mission planning and replanning, automated deck handling, air-to-air refueling, and flight autonomy.

Why Attend?

Participants will have opportunities to gain insight into Navy research and development priorities, better understand operational capability gaps, share emerging technologies and approaches with Government stakeholders, and engage with representatives from Government program offices, academic institutions, and industry.

Registration Information

Registration is open to Government, industry, and academic participants. NASC membership is not required to attend.

Organizations may register a maximum of three attendees.

Registration Deadline: November 20, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET.

Registration may close earlier if event capacity is reached.

Important Information

Participation in this event is not limited to existing NASC members.

This announcement is provided for informational and planning purposes only. Attendance does not constitute a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, make an award, or reimburse participation costs.

The Government is considering use of NASC in connection with potential prototype efforts that may be pursued through Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) under 10 U.S.C. 4022. Additional information may be discussed during the event.