Senior Airman Josephine Pepin-Rust
Warner Robins, Ga. — AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, completed its 15th Refinery cohort Dec. 4. The six-week course, held in Warner Robins, Georgia, focused on bridging the gap between Air Force requirements and Airmen innovation.
The Refinery, an AFWERX innovation accelerator, transforms projects with a minimum viable product into solutions ready for military adoption. By equipping Airmen and Guardians with entrepreneurial expertise and access to key stakeholders, the Refinery accelerates the transition from idea to implementation.
This cohort showcased nine projects, including physical innovations like the Single-Point Nozzle Adaptor, which improves fuel sampling time by 75%, and digital solutions like the Future-Oriented Resiliency Generation and Growth Education, a video game-style training designed to strengthen decision making and mental health, reducing suicide rates among Airmen.
The training began in October 2024 near Robins Air Force Base, the largest single-site industrial complex in Georgia. The base hosts more than 50 mission partners and offers an ideal environment for innovation. Its proximity to stakeholders like the C-17 Systems Program Office enhances collaboration and networking opportunities.“As an engineer for the C-17 SPO, I focus on crew systems, overseeing equipment and mission-specific applications that impact pilot-vehicle interface, aircrew stations, life support systems, emergency mechanisms and airdrop operations," said Matthew Monsted, C-17 System Program Office crew and mission systems engineer. "With so many systems to manage under strict Air Force and Department of Defense requirements, AFWERX and The Refinery bridge Airmen and maintainers' insights with the SPO's technical expertise, which helps uncover practical solutions—like redesigning legacy parts or implementing small adjustments that ease aircrew mental workload on long missions."
The Refinery has a long history of collaborating with SPOs. For example, a joint effort between the Refinery, the Air Force’s 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron and the Army’s 101st Airborne Division with support from EagleWerx, their local Spark Cell, developed the Lightweight Landing Zone/Drop Zone Marking Panels. This project modernizes landing and drop zone marking for austere environments.
The new design is 18 pounds lighter, two-thirds smaller, and more portable, allowing operators to carry a complete kit and sustainment gear in a single bag. It benefits Combat Control Teams, JTACs and other joint units by enhancing mobility and reducing logistical demands.
“The relationships we built and knowledge shared benefited both services and ultimately the DoD,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Pool, 621st Contingency Response Wing chief of innovation. “We could not have accomplished what we did, as fast as we did without the 101st Airborne Division and her EagleWerx and Catalyst Pathfinder programs.”
"The need to modernize equipment and ensure robust supply chain solutions is critical, but so is aligning these efforts with mission requirements at the SPO level," said Erik Kast, AFWERX Refinery program manager. "Airmen on the front lines are adept at identifying problems but may not fully understand the program office requirements necessary to address them. The Refinery's greatest value lies in bridging that gap – connecting the operational insights of those directly engaging with challenges to the structural and procedural needs of the program office, enabling more effective and timely solutions."This cohort has projects that have already found success with SPOs in their journey of finding investors and stakeholders, such the Aircrew CRU-60P seatbelt mount project. This innovation improves oxygen mask fit, aircrew mobility and safety by reducing interruptions to oxygen pre-breathing, a process of breathing 100% oxygen for a period of time – typically 30 minutes – before high-altitude flying to reduce the risk of developing decompression sickness. Through connections made by the Refinery with key stakeholders at Robins AFB, the project has navigated four program offices, two commands and a training squadron, moving closer to testing and implementation.
“The Refinery was important in helping us navigate the acquisition space specifically,” said Lt. Col. William Carter, a C-17 evaluator pilot and the 97th Air Mobility Wing director of innovation. “We have a good idea; we can scale it at the local level, but without the right approvals, we can never get the idea out beyond our base. That’s the true value of The Refinery for us: getting the right ideas to the right people for the best results.”
With 15 cohorts completed, the Refinery continues to drive innovation and collaboration across the force. To learn more or submit a project for an upcoming cohort, visit AFWERX Refinery.
About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,200 new contracts worth more than $4.7 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Parker McLaughlin, 1st Special Operations Contracting Squadron contract officer representative, briefs the Refinery Cohort 15 class about his project, HydroSol, Oct. 22, 2024, in Warner Robins, Georgia. The Refinery, an initiative of the AFWERX Spark Division, targets grassroots innovation efforts within the Department of the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Josephine Pepin-Rust) 
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – Benita Hickey, AFWERX Refinery acquisitions program manager, discusses presentation pointers with an RQ-4 pilot from the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron for his Unmanned Flight Interface project, Oct. 23, 2024, in Warner Robins, Georgia. The AFWERX Refinery, an “Innovation Accelerator,” provides Airman and Guardian innovators with entrepreneurial knowledge, connections to relevant stakeholders and resources within the Department of Defense ecosystem. 
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – Erik Kast, AFWERX Refinery program manager, listens as Britney Reeds, Emerald Spark Cell coordinator at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, pitches a Single-Point Nozzle Fuel Adapter for a U.S. Air Force Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants project Oct. 23, 2024, in Warner Robins, Georgia. The Refinery’s training curriculum focuses on growing the skills project creators need to effectively pitch and market their idea to stakeholders. 
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – Prototypes for the Aircrew CRU-60P Seatbelt Mount project rest on a table next to a flight helmet during a meeting with a Systems Program Office Nov. 14, 2024, at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Connections with relevant stakeholders, such as SPOs, are an integral part of the AFWERX Refinery program's training and process for advancing innovation projects into actionable solutions.