AFWERX Prime

The AFWERX Prime program aims to transition agile affordable, and accelerated capabilities by teaming innovative technology developers with Airmen and Guardian talent. It leverages Spark (the Airmen and Guardian talent base), AFVentures (the dual-use expanded technology base), and Prime (technology transitions) to scale and accelerate capability. The program supports research and development, innovation hubs, information technology, public affairs, and marketing. It also focuses on reducing risk in emerging technology markets by partnering with industries through Prime investments and providing access to Government analysis, testing, and certification capabilities. The specific objectives include accelerating prototyping and widespread adoption of blended wing body aircraft for military and commercial applications, reducing fuel delivery logistical challenges, and priming the U.S. commercial aerospace sector to advance 21st-century airframe designs.

The AFWERX Operations and Support project under the AFWERX Prime program aims to transition affordable and accelerated capabilities by teaming innovative technology developers with Airmen and Guardian talent. It supports research and development, innovation hubs, information technology, public affairs, marketing, and the sustainment of the Acquisition Workforce and organizational capabilities. The project's specific objectives include executing efforts to explore and transition emerging dual-use technologies under a new acquisition approach, including evaluation of transformative vertical flight and agile logistics supporting distributed operations, autonomous capabilities, advanced energy, hybrid propulsion, rapid commercial software capabilities, technical exchanges, research, development, certification testing, evaluation activities with multiple aircraft manufacturers. Additionally, it targets over a 30% increase in aerodynamic efficiency over traditional tube-and-wing large aircraft for military applications. These efforts aim to accelerate learning to enable early adoption, procurement, fielding of hardware/software/data/services while leveraging significant private and industry investment to accelerate future optionality for aerial tanker cargo bomber fleets.