HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —
Air Force Special Operations Command will host its fourth annual Thunder Dome Innovation Competition in fiscal year 2027. The program allows Air Commandos to pitch tactical concepts directly to senior leadership for development funding and prototype support.
Thunder Dome focuses on rapidly developing these concepts into usable tools for frontline units. The program receives proposals from Airmen across active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve components across the command. Winning teams receive direct innovation funding and program office advocacy to prototype, test, and field their solutions.
Voting for the next Thunder Dome Innovation Competition is now open and runs through Oct. 26, 2026. Select the best game-changing ideas to solve our toughest challenges, your vote will help determine the finalists.
Use this link to set up your Department of War-registered account and cast your three votes for the most impactful ideas. Every Air Commando voice matters!
Ahead of the next Thunder Dome competition, several winning projects from last year’s program are already yielding dividends across multiple operational disciplines:
Project SilentSentinel — 193rd Special Operations Wing, Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania ($51,000 awarded):
The 193rd SOW team leveraged additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping to produce 27 custom-shielded lock boxes. The units are currently prepared for tactical field evaluation and stress-testing during upcoming training exercises to validate physical security and RF-shielding capabilities.
Project IRIS — 137th Special Operations Wing, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma ($51,000 awarded):
Air Commandos assigned to the 137th SOW procured specialized communications tracking tags and optical radio frequency scanners. Following initial operational validation within the communications flight, the Wing is developing integration pathways to expand tracking architecture into its security forces, logistics readiness, and force support services squadrons.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Range Modernization — 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida ($510,000 awarded):
The 1st SOW team worked to overhaul tactical demolition and munitions disposal training infrastructure. The modernization project is nearing completion and will support multi-hazard training environments for EOD proficiency.
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