For two days, around fifty Airmen, divided into eight teams from the Constellation network, gathered at the Rochefort Air Base to participate in the “Constellation Challenge,” a competition aimed at stimulating collective innovation in support of the operational mission. Targeted at Airmen, this competition aims to address operational issues in line with the strategic plan of General Jérôme Bellanger, Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force (CEMAAE).
For the 2026 edition, the teams’ challenge was to imagine local, autonomous, and cost-effective solutions for deception, hardening, and camouflage purposes. The passive defense necessitates investing fully in its four essential pillars to ensure resilience and protection of military installations. The challenge is part of the Constellation network, which brings together several innovation labs within the AAE. These connected labs, also known as “labs,” are tasked with designing and experimenting with on-the-ground solutions.
In the walls of the “Cube,” an ideation space dedicated to training in new technologies at the Rochefort Air Base, the ten teams rose to the challenge with commitment and creativity. In a collaborative dynamic driven by the field, this edition recognized several innovative projects. The BENTROX project, led by the Human Factors Laboratory of the Air Warfare Center (CEAM – AWS), won the challenge with a deception solution based on the automation of Mototok vehicles to enhance the discreetness of A330 MRTT tanker hangars and shelters.
Other initiatives were also rewarded. The VEGECAM project focuses on vegetalizing roof camouflage, while the RUBIS program, developed by the Cube, offers innovative solutions to increase the discretion and resilience of MRTT-related infrastructures. Lastly, the VERT project from the Air and Space Force Non-Commissioned Officer School (l’EFSOAAE) was praised by the jury for its potential and the remarkable commitment of its young bearers. These projects will receive support from the Constellation network and the Air and Space Force Territorial Command (CTAAE) to accelerate their development and quickly materialize demonstrators.
The success of this edition is attributed to the commitment of all stakeholders involved, including the teams of the Rochefort Air Base, the Cube staff, and the members of the Constellation Council. True to its motto “dream, dare, and challenge the limits,” the Constellation Challenge stands as a real driver of collective innovation. Today, more than ever, the operational solutions of tomorrow are built together.
