The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies United States Air Force: 1 deployment across 1 region, 1 active incident. 1 source back the record.
Overview
United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the US military. Funds autonomous systems development through SBIR/STTR programs, AFWERX, and direct contracts. Operates autonomous drones (RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper) and funds autonomous combat systems.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Active incidents
- 1 incident on file
Key facts
HQ
Robot
Focus
Location
Type
Autonomous systems
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Partnerships
Every company United States Air Force has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- MightyFly x US Air Force2025-05-01with MightyFlyoperating
United States Air Force on the deployment map
View the global map1 verified deployment across 1 region, newest verified Sep 2024. Explore where United States Air Force's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full United States Air Force deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Kenneth S. Wilsbach Chief of Staffsecondary-verified
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting United States Air Force (1)
- Fatal loss of control accident with Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Stadskanaal airfield, Netherlands2018-10-13 · Fatality
via Velis Electro at Dayton, Ohio, USA
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Recent coverage
United States Air Force in third-party press
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
2 total · 2 operating
Every company United States Air Force has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- MightyFly x US Air Force2025-05-01with MightyFlyoperating
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 11, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is United States Air Force?
What does United States Air Force make?
Where is United States Air Force headquartered?
Where does United States Air Force operate robots?
How many robots has United States Air Force deployed?
Is United States Air Force a top robotics company?
When was United States Air Force founded?
Are there any incidents involving United States Air Force?
Is United States Air Force safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-09-07
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-09-07
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for United States Air Force.In the press
Recent coverage mentioning United States Air Force from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
US Air Force has a $14 billion supply hole, service officials say
As the force grapples with supply chain and maintenance issues, sustainment funding to fill the $14 billion gap is becoming increasingly necessary.
US Air Force to extend service of B-1, B-2 bombers, official says
The service lives of the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit will be extended, with their pilots to be some of the first to fly the B-21 Raider.
Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel’s rescue ‘fictional’
Iran on Thursday accused the U.S. of fabricating its account of how it rescued an Air Force colonel whose F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April, calling the claims…
US Air Force renews efforts to ensure units have accurate spouse contact information
The Air Force is distributing cards instructing commanders on how to collect and download spouses' contact information to ensure family readiness.
Tanker fleet modernization will continue for decades, US Air Force officials say
“The last KC-135 pilot has not been born,” Air Mobility Command Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue said Tuesday.
US Air Force secretary reveals deployment of on-orbit space control weapons
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink revealed that the service deployed on-orbit space control weapons but did not offer details on the type of weapon.
‘It’s not science fiction’: US Air Force must build trust in AI, says expert
The military must work on how to combat fast and reckless enemy AI agents that don’t necessarily operate with the same oversight, according to experts.
US Air Force to stand up point defense career field within 2 years, Wilsbach says
Within two years, the Air Force will establish a new career field focused on defending American air bases worldwide.
Vengeance and Fury: US Air Force names new CCAs amid ambitious production goal
"Vengeance" and "Fury" are now the names of the U.S. Air Force FQ-42A and FQ-44A, Secretary Troy Meink said Monday while announcing a new production goal.
US Air Force seeks ‘rapidly deployable’ drone swarms for base security
The U.S. Air Force is looking to use "rapidly deployable" swarms of AI-controlled drones for base security.
US Air Force seeks air-defense guns to protect overseas bases
The U.S. Air Force plans to acquire anti-aircraft guns to protect its overseas bases following Iranian attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East.
US Air Force speeds Reaper successor timeline after Iran losses
The Air Force is accelerating its timeline for a cheaper, more expendable successor to the MQ-9A Reaper after combat losses.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/us-air-force.md
- RSS feed: /companies/us-air-force/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/b271aba9-ecbd-417b-8e19-53152d14641b
- Revision history: /companies/us-air-force/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Heat Index
Serious52/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Not enough verified signal yet to place United States Air Force against peers. Reality and attention percentiles publish once the underlying record clears its data floor.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 20, 2026