Donn Yates
Executive Director Air Force Fighters and Trainers Business Development, Air Dominance Division
Donn served for 25 years as an Air Force fighter pilot and Army infantryman and retired at the rank of Colonel. He has successfully commanded a Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment, a fighter squadron, an operations group, and the largest F-15E fighter wing in the Air Force. Additionally, Donn is also a graduate and former instructor of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School.
Immediately after retirement from the Air Force, Donn served as the Chief Operating Officer for the 5th largest private jet charter company in the United States. He led a transformational strategy to grow both people and aircraft during a very uncertain time, taught his teammates how to execute as cross functional teams, and increased operational tempo resulting in increased revenue, efficiency, and profitability. Donn currently leads Business Development efforts for Boeing U.S. Air Force future fighter concepts, the F-15, and T-7.
He is a Harvard Kennedy School National Security Fellow and holds advanced degrees in strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and the Air Command and Staff College. He is married and has three sons.
SPEAKER SESSION
14 November 2023 | 11:05 - 11:20 | Boeing & Red 6 Teaming to Advance Fighter Pilot Training with Augmented Reality
This keynote session featuring Boeing and Red 6, a revolutionary air combat training systems company, will delve into the advantages of startup-OEM partnerships, highlighting the theme of speed and the value of working with startups. Learn from partnership experiences, addressing complex industry challenges in fighter pilot training and advanced tactical aircraft capabilities, showcasing how collaboration not only accelerates progress but also enriches the understanding of the aerospace landscape and customer needs.