Defense & Aerospace Report Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Mar 12, 26] Season 4 E9 Master of the Air
Mar 12, 2026
Mike "Mobile" Holmes, retired USAF general and ex-Air Combat Command leader, offers an operator’s take on integrated air, space, and cyber campaigns. He covers AI-assisted targeting, unmanned and collaborative aircraft roles, sustaining high operational tempo, counter-drone tactics, munitions replenishment, and debates over airborne versus space sensing in modern airpower.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Stealth Still Wins Against Russian Style Defenses
- Stealth platforms like F-22 and F-35 remain highly effective against Russian‑style integrated air defenses and enabled initial dominance over Iran's systems.
- Holmes argues next‑gen platforms (B-21, F-47) will extend those roles while unmanned systems grow in importance.
Experiment Widely With Autonomous Wingmen
- Experiment openly with autonomy and CCA agents to learn tipping points between expendable swarm effects and reusable manned teaming.
- Holmes notes in‑flight agent swaps and wargame findings that CCAs can force adversary missile use but may be attrited, arguing cheap experimentation.
AI Accelerates Mobile Target Hunting
- AI is being used to find mobile, fleeting targets by fusing disparate data to generate more target opportunities faster.
- Holmes highlights AI helping hunt mobile SAMs, ballistic and drone launchers to enable pre‑launch strikes.