Program Manager
Tactical Technology Office
Lt. Col. Ryan "Hal" Hefron joined DARPA as a program manager in July 2021. His areas of research and expertise include advanced autonomy applications for the air domain, applied and theoretical artificial intelligence, human machine teaming, flight test, directed energy, and next-generation aerospace vehicle concepts.
Prior to joining DARPA, Hefron served as the director of curriculum standards at the USAF Test Pilot School (TPS), an instructor pilot at the USAF TPS, and as the deputy program manager and technical advisor for the Autonomous Air Combat Operations program with AFRL. Hefron is an experimental test pilot with more than 2000 hours in 40 aircraft. He began his operational career as a B-52 pilot where he deployed twice in support of the Continuous Bomber Presence in the Pacific region. Additionally, he served as a DARPA Service Chiefs' Fellow in 2019.
Hefron earned a Bachelor in physics from the United States Air Force Academy, a Master of Arts in computer science from the University of Illinois, a Master of Science in flight test engineering from the USAF Test Pilot School, and a doctorate in computer science from the Air Force Institute of Technology.