The Aerospace Advantage
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with Heather ”Lucky” Penney as the host. Every week, Lucky takes listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
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Episode Summary: This week, we're shining a spotlight on the men and women of the 11th Space Warning Squadron (SWS). They provide theater missile warning to warfighters around the world. Given the nature and intensity of the threat environment, they have been incredibly busy. The 11 SWS is the inaugural recipient of th
Episode Summary: We’re bringing you a special edition of the Aerospace Advantage to discuss Saturday’s strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. Everyone has read the news by now—the story of the 7 B-2s flying from Whiteman Air Force Base, numerous aerial refuelings along the way, air superiority aircraft joining
Episode Summary: This week we’re taking a deep dive into deterrence, specifically deterring China from using force in space. Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), in partnership with the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA), just released a new report exploring this topic. Results suggest that the U.S.
Episode Summary: Combat operations in Ukraine and the Red Sea clearly demonstrate the impact of small lethal drones as portable precision-guided munitions. Some have suggested that their use has made such a change in the character of war that a new category of airspace must be introduced. Casting it as the “air littora
Episode 239 — Budget Battles, Golden Dome, and Ukraine’s Strike on Russia: The Rendezvous
Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather "Lucky" Penney talks to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Charles Galbreath, and Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski about the top defense issues this month in Washington, D.C. and beyond. They unpack how the FY26 defense budget is unfolding—what is good and where is it falling short?
Episode Summary: With threats surging around the world, the Air Force must figure out how to reset and do it fast. They can’t just buy more of what the service fielded in past decades. Fighting and winning tomorrow will require new operational concepts and technologies that’ll give airmen an edge. That’s where CCA come