Visionaries, Leaders, and Pioneers Head a Broad Government, Industry, Academia Lineup in San Diego
The AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026 will open on Monday, 8 June, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, with five days spanning commercial aviation, defense, academia, and emerging technology. The forum theme, “From Velocity to Altitude – Accelerating Toward Tomorrow,” is anchored each day by a notable plenary speaker:
- Leading off Monday is Maurílio Albanese Novaes Jr., Director of Technology Development and Intellectual Property at Embraer, who will speak on “Embraer and the Engineer of Tomorrow,” drawing on one of the world’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturers’ experience navigating electrification, sustainability, and next-generation aircraft design.
- Tuesday features Renee Pasman, Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Digital Transformation Executive at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, who will tackle “AI: Hype, Reality, and Readiness in Aerospace,” a grounded assessment of which emerging technologies are living up to their promises – and which aren’t.
- Wednesday morning opens with Vice Admiral Doug “V8” Verissimo, Commander, Naval Air Forces and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He will bring the operational defense perspective with a plenary on “Aerospace Life-Cycle,” offering a senior military leader’s view on how aviation systems are acquired, sustained, and evolved across their service lives.
- Thursday showcases Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, who will address “From Progress to Possibility” – a talk that puts supersonic commercial flight back on the agenda after decades of false starts. Scholl has spent a decade making the case that faster-than-sound passenger travel is not just viable but imminent, and his plenary sets the aspirational tone for the week.
- Friday wraps up with Amy Pritchett, Department Head of Aerospace Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, who will address “Transforming the Global Airspace.” She will examine how research, policy, and technology must converge to reshape air transportation at a global scale.
More than 300 speakers will appear throughout the forum, drawn from leading aviation companies, defense and civil government agencies, and top research universities around the world. One of the key differentiators of AIAA events is the deep technical content, with more than 800 technical papers to be presented throughout the week. Explore the full program at aviation.aiaa.org.
Unique Features All Week
- The AIAA Electric Propulsion and Advanced Technologies Symposium (EPATS) runs for three full days embedded within the AIAA AVIATION, giving attendees access to EPATS keynote addresses, panels, and technical sessions alongside the broader forum program. EPATS is the dedicated gathering space for engineers advancing electrified aircraft propulsion – from battery systems, fuel cells, and power electronics to thermal management, high-voltage distribution, and certification pathways. Topics span fixed-wing and rotary-wing electric aircraft, hybrid-electric integration, superconducting systems, and flight demonstration results.
- The 5th Annual H2-Aero Symposium convenes over two days as the premier gathering of aerospace pioneers advancing hydrogen propulsion, storage, and fueling technologies in aviation. Speakers include Val Miftakhov, CEO of ZeroAvia; Eloa Guillotin, CEO of Beyond Aero; Anita Sengupta, CEO of Hydroplane; and Helen Leadbetter, Zero Emissions Flight Lead at the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Presentations cover fuel cell aircraft technology, liquid hydrogen airport infrastructure, and hydrogen turbine developments.
- Attendees will be treated to a preview of a new PBS documentary telling the story of the Voyager I and Voyager II spacecraft and the team of operators. The documentary will air in 2027 in line with the 50th anniversary of Voyager missions. The Forum 360 session on Tuesday will provide a special screening of portions of the film, followed by discussion with the producers, along with The Honorable Ravi Chaudhary, Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force and Former Director of Advanced Programs and Innovation, FAA Commercial Space Office, and other high-profile experts.
- The NASA Aeronautics Forum 360 Session takes the main stage on Thursday, 11 June, featuring NASA leaders who will deliver a live update on the agency’s vision and outlook for the years ahead. The session gives researchers and industry partners direct engagement with NASA aeronautics leadership across its mission directorates – from sustainable aviation and advanced air vehicles to transformative aeronautics concepts.
- On Tuesday afternoon, 10 June, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA will meet center stage to address the regulatory landscape shaping next-generation aviation certification. With electric aircraft, advanced air mobility vehicles, autonomous systems, and supersonic transports all pressing toward approval simultaneously, the session offers developers and operators a timely policy update from the agency setting the rules of the road.
- The future of air dominance will be defined by how crewed and uncrewed platforms collaborate across domains. On Wednesday afternoon, 11 June, the U.S. Air Force will discuss “Advancing Airpower: Advancing and Operationalizing Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). Speakers include: Crystal Pasiliao, Principal Technical Advisor, Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO); Lt. Col. Matthew E. “Needles” Borger, USAF, Deputy Division Chief, ACC Autonomous Collaborative Platform SMO; Maj. Trent “Wreck” McMullen, USAF, Advanced Capabilities Division Chief and F-15E/EX Instructor Pilot; and Col. Alec “Bulldog” Spencer, USAF, Director, Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office, 96th Test Wing, Air Force Test Center, Air Force Materiel Command.They will explore emerging CCA concepts and their role in shaping next-generation air operations. They also will discuss cutting-edge testing protocols, rapid experimentation frameworks, and integration pathways to bring CCA capabilities from design to deployment.
- Attendees can extend their forum experience with a slate of pre-forum technical courses and workshops led by expert instructors on the field’s most pressing topics Course registration is available at aviation.aiaa.org. Offerings include:
- Design of Electrified Propulsion Aircraft Course
- AIAA Drag Prediction and Aeroelastic Prediction Workshop
- 3rd AIAA Workshop on Multifidelity Methods for Design and Uncertainty Quantification
- Propeller Aerodynamics for Advanced Air Mobility: Fundamentals and Integration Effects Course
- Computational Aeroelasticity Course
- Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics Course
- The Rising Leaders in Aerospace program returns with the Young Professionals Panel and Social Hour focused on novel aircraft configurations on Tuesday and Speed Mentoring on Wednesday. In addition, young professionals and students are invited to the Careers in Aviation panel on Tuesday to hear about the realities of working in engineering and technical roles across the industry.
AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026 runs 8–12 June at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, California. Registration is available at aviation.aiaa.org.
