Space Force Taps AI for Warfare Training in $27M Slingshot Deal

WINDSOR, Colo. – January 15, 2026 – The U.S. Space Force is investing $27 million in artificial intelligence to revolutionize how its Guardians prepare for conflict in orbit, awarding a significant contract to Slingshot Aerospace. The deal will leverage the company's autonomous AI agent, TALOS, to create hyper-realistic, unpredictable adversaries for advanced training simulations, marking a pivotal shift away from traditional, pre-scripted training scenarios.

Under the 18-month contract, Slingshot Aerospace will advance the Space Force’s Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) program. The initiative aims to integrate the AI-native technology directly into the military’s existing training enterprise, providing operators with the complex, machine-speed challenges they are expected to face from near-peer adversaries in an increasingly contested space domain.

This investment signals a critical evolution in military preparedness, acknowledging that future conflicts may be won or lost based on the ability to anticipate and counter autonomous, rapidly adapting threats. For the Guardians tasked with defending U.S. assets in space, this means training against an opponent that thinks, learns, and reacts in real time.

The Dawn of the AI Adversary

The core of the new training paradigm is TALOS, which stands for Thinking Agent for Logical Operations and Strategy. Unlike static simulations that follow predictable patterns, TALOS is an autonomous agent built to realistically imitate satellite behavior and tactics. It operates within a physics-accurate orbital environment, allowing it to execute complex maneuvers, from subtle orbital adjustments to aggressive “dogfighting” strategies.

Slingshot’s proprietary “behavior cloning pipeline” allows the AI to learn from observing real-world spacecraft tactics and maneuvers. This enables TALOS to replicate authentic behaviors rather than relying on programmed scripts, creating an adversary that can dynamically adapt its strategy based on the unfolding scenario. The result is a training environment that mirrors the complexity and unpredictability of actual orbital conflict.

“This award marks a turning point in how the Space Force prepares for conflict in orbit,” said Tim Solms, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace, in a statement. “TALOS allows the Space Force Guardians the ability to train against adaptive, AI-driven threats that behave like real adversaries — not pre-programmed scenarios. This is the dawn of AI-native space training, where human and machine intelligence work together to give mission leaders a decisive operational edge.”

The technology has already been put through its paces. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), including the 57th Space Aggressors Squadron, recently tested TALOS. The command found it to be a force multiplier, capable of simulating complex threat behaviors at machine speed, which significantly accelerated scenario development and enhanced the scale and realism of training missions.

A New Model for Defense Acquisition

The $27 million contract is more than a technological milestone; it also exemplifies a strategic shift in how the Pentagon acquires critical capabilities. The award was facilitated through a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), a streamlined procurement vehicle designed to rapidly onboard innovative commercial technologies.

This approach aligns with the Secretary of the Air Force's “Warfighting Acquisition System” transformation directive, a broad reform aimed at accelerating the delivery of urgently needed tools to warfighters. By embracing processes like CSOs, the Department of Defense can act as a “fast follower,” leveraging the speed and innovation of the private sector to maintain its technological edge. The contract builds on a previous $25 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award granted to Slingshot in 2022, indicating sustained confidence in the company’s direction and technology.

This public-private partnership model is becoming increasingly vital as the commercial space industry outpaces traditional government development cycles in key areas like software and AI. For a company like Slingshot Aerospace, founded in 2017, this contract solidifies its position as a key partner in bolstering national security, demonstrating how agile, tech-forward companies are becoming indispensable to the nation's defense posture in the 21st century.

Building an Interoperable Training Ecosystem

Slingshot Aerospace emphasizes that TALOS is not a standalone solution but a foundational component of a larger, integrated training ecosystem. The goal of the OTTI program is to create a cohesive infrastructure that synchronizes live and synthetic training environments, providing Guardians with a comprehensive platform for testing tactics and ensuring combat readiness.

TALOS will function as the “Red Cell,” an intelligent opposing force, within this framework. However, its success depends on its ability to seamlessly connect with other systems.

“Our goal is to ensure TALOS can plug into the full training ecosystem — not just Slingshot technologies,” Solms explained. “We’re working closely with other partners and government teams so the Space Force can incorporate new sensors, data systems, and AI capabilities as they come online. Open APIs and flexible integration paths are central to how we’re approaching this program.”

This collaborative approach ensures that the Space Force is not locked into a single vendor. Instead, it can build a modular and adaptable training environment, integrating best-in-class “Blue Cell” (friendly forces) and “White Cell” (control and evaluation) tools from across the industry. This interoperability is crucial for creating a future-proof system that can evolve as new technologies and threats emerge.

The Strategic Imperative in a Contested Domain

The urgency behind this technological leap in training is driven by the rapidly changing nature of the space domain. For decades, space was considered a relatively benign environment. Today, it is recognized as a critical warfighting domain, with near-peer adversaries actively developing and deploying advanced anti-satellite capabilities and autonomous systems.

Preparing Guardians for this reality requires a training regimen that goes far beyond theoretical exercises. By simulating an intelligent, machine-speed adversary, the Space Force can develop and validate new tactics, techniques, and procedures for defending assets in a contested environment. This AI-driven training helps operators build the mental and operational resilience needed to counter threats that evolve in real time.

The contract also highlights Slingshot Aerospace’s broader mission to enhance space situational awareness and sustainability. The company’s core platform fuses data from its global sensor network, its Seradata satellite database, and other sources to create a unified operating picture of space. This holistic view is essential not only for training but also for real-world planning and operations, helping to ensure the space domain remains safe, sustainable, and secure for all.