Air Force Taps Istari for Digital Initiative
The Department of the Air Force awarded an $8.6 million contract to Istari Digital to establish an initiative called Industry Øne. The project is designed to break down digital engineering barriers and accelerate digital transformation across the Defense Department.
Istari Digital was founded by Dr. Will Roper, the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and is backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The company's goal is to create a "digital engineering metaverse" where new technologies are developed entirely in a virtual space, free from real-world costs and constraints. The Industry Øne initiative builds on previous Air Force projects with Istari, including "Flyer Øne" and "Model Øne". Flyer Øne is a program aimed at creating the world's first digitally-certified airplane, a fixed-wing drone, using a digital-first engineering process from design to airworthiness certification. Another foundational project, "Model Øne," is a $15 million effort to link the Air Force's various models and simulations to address challenges of internet-connected warfare. This initiative aims to create digital twins of military assets to speed up battlefield decision-making and simulate future conflicts. The core problem Industry Øne tackles is the fragmentation of the defense industrial base, where thousands of suppliers use incompatible digital tools behind separate firewalls. Traditionally, collaboration has required manually copying and sharing data, which is slow and introduces security risks. Istari's platform allows different organizations to connect their engineering models and data securely without centralizing or copying the information outside of their own control. This creates what Istari's CEO, Will Roper, calls an "Internet of Models" where engineers across government and industry can securely collaborate and verify designs in real-time. The approach is inspired by digital transformation successes in other high-tech fields, such as Formula 1 racing, which rely heavily on digital modeling and simulation to innovate rapidly. By applying these principles, the Air Force aims to accelerate the development and fielding of new capabilities.
