The 25th edition of the’International Fighter Conference (IFC), a significant international event organised by Defence IQ with the support of the Italian Air Force. The IFC, hosted in Italy for the first time this year, brought together approximately 450 military leaders and experts from industry, academia, and research from various countries worldwide, to analyse the strategic developments of air power. The three-day event focused on responding to growing geopolitical competition and the need to adopt Sixth Generation technologies (GCAP/FCAS), artificial intelligence (AI), and the enabling architecture of the Combat Cloud to ensure Air Superiority in an increasingly contested strategic scenario.
The International Fighter Conference was a further opportunity for the Air Force to reaffirm its doctrinal and technological leadership in Europe and worldwide. A strong representation of personnel from the Armed Force, coming from both the Staffs and High Commands, as well as operational and training bodies, including attendees from the Air Force Academy and the NCO School, took part in the proceedings, investing in the human capital that will be the true protagonist in the deployment of new platforms and the disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, as well as future-generation weapon systems.
The Paradigm Shift: Decisional Superiority and the Falcon Strike 2025 Laboratory
To open the proceedings on Tuesday 4 November the Air Squadriglia General Giovanni Balestri, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, whose intervention highlighted the strategic importance of dialogue in a global security context where the level of defence is no longer defined by individual platforms, but by ability to integrate domains and turn data into a Strategic decision-making and cognitive advantage.General Balestri highlighted how it is“essential to promote air power through collaboration and innovation“, as operational superiority has shifted from mere control of physical airspace to control of decision space. He also illustrated the continuum strategic asset of the Armed Force, seeing the F-35 fleet operate as a truly “living laboratory” to test the operational concepts of the Sixth Generation. In this regard, the exercise was valued Falcon Strike 2025, taking place at the 32nd Wing in Amendola. The exercise, focused on honing the operational capabilities of 5th generation fighters in a joint and multinational context, is a testbed for multi-domain operations because it integrates Air, Sea, Land, and Cyber domains, with Decisional Superiority at the heart of the activity. The optimisation of data flow and Command and Control (C2) management in high-density scenarios make Falcon Strike 2025 a “a fundamental laboratory for data-driven operational concepts that will form the backbone of GCAP's future Combat Cloud“.
IFTS: The Centre of Excellence Training Pilots for Future CCAs
Among the prominent themes addressed in the IFC, the Air Force has placed particular emphasis on the theme of training, with the’International Flight Training School (IFTS), developed in a strategic partnership with Leonardo and CAE and presented as a national flagship.
It Brigadier General Paolo Rubino, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Schools Command / 3rd Air Region, has illustrated the innovation and virtuous model of the IFTS, which places the Air Force as a leader in military pilot training, as confirmed by the appreciation of numerous foreign air forces that have decided to send their military pilots to train in Italy.
The school's success lies in the training model. Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC).LVC training provides the necessary exposure to manage multiple virtual assets – the Conceptual precursors of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) – revealing itself as the most effective mechanism for instilling the “sixth-generation mentality” required to maximise the GCAP's utility. Gen. Rubino's participation in the advanced operational training panel confirmed that Italy is actively engaged in preparing its pilots and those of partner nations to operate in the complex future Multi-Domain ecosystem.
The Strategy for the Future: the Six Pillars for a Quantum Leap in Capability
To close the works, the Air Force General Antonio Conserva, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, has reasserted that current geopolitical scenarios, with the emergence of new threats such as hypersonic missiles and drone swarms, require the Air Force not a simple upgrade, but a real “quantum leap” of capacity. General Conserva stressed that the inability to achieve air superiority inevitably leads to a war of attrition and reiterated the need to extend aerospace defence into Space and Cyber to ensure Multi-Domain deterrence.
The strategy for tackling these challenges is based on Six fundamental pillars:
Strategic Enablers The urgency for Europe to become self-sufficient with its own key capabilities such as satellite systems for Earth observation, communication, and essential military resources like in-flight refuelling, strategic airlift, command and control, and integrated air and missile defence.
Future Combat Air System (GCAP) The future is represented by technological innovation and will depend on this new platform. Italy is included in the GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) programme, which will be developed in international partnership and is not just an aircraft but a central element of a highly interconnected “system of systems”, a true national technological incubator. The F-35 fleet is already operating as a "living laboratory" to test technologies (such as data fusion) that will flow into the heart of GCAP, namely the Combat Cloud.
Sustainability and Logistical Depth technological platforms are not enough; it is essential to move to scalable and resilient stockpiles of armaments and logistical reserves to sustain prolonged operations in high-intensity scenarios.
Human Capital No technology can function without the right personnel. The Air Force is investing in the selection and training of new professionals, such as Data Scientists and Cyber specialists, who must develop a new-generation mindset to manage complex systems. To this end, the International Flight Training School (IFTS) is the centre of excellence preparing aviators to operate in the Multi-Domain ecosystem using Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training.
Infrastructure Resilience Military airports are not just facilities but pivotal points of deterrence. They must be modernised to be resilient and capable of rapid reaction, as “where there is a base, there is reaction capability”.
Information Superiority (C4ISR) Conflicts are won with speed of decision-making. To be faster than the adversary, it is essential to enhance Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems, dominate cyberspace and integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) for data processing and to facilitate the intervention of decision-makers.
Gen. Conserva concluded by reiterating that the Air Force's strategy, based on an integrated and pragmatic action plan, considers investment in defence as a crucial factor for ensuring the country's security, technological autonomy, and prosperity.
