US Air Force Awards $8.6M for Digital Engineering Platform
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has awarded an $8.6 million contract to Istari Digital to create Industry Øne. The initiative is designed to break down digital engineering barriers and accelerate digital transformation across the defense industrial base. The platform aims to create a more unified and efficient ecosystem for developing and sustaining military hardware.
Istari Digital was founded by 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 startup, co-founded by digital engineering expert Chris Benson, emerged from stealth in 2023 after a $13 million seed round and has since secured multiple government and commercial contracts. The core problem Industry Øne tackles is the fragmentation of the defense industrial base, where thousands of suppliers use incompatible tools behind separate firewalls. This forces engineers to manually copy and transfer data for collaboration, a slow process that surrenders control and introduces security risks. Istari's platform aims to create an "Internet of Models," allowing engineering data to be connected and accessed without being centralized or moved outside an owner's firewall. CEO Will Roper likens the platform's goal to creating "the experience of Git across guarded firewalls." The system enables different organizations to maintain data sovereignty while their models interact through controlled, auditable interfaces. This approach is designed to automate complex engineering workflows, such as updating simulations and running tests, reducing timelines from weeks to mere minutes. This contract builds on previous, smaller-scale initiatives. One such program is "Flyer Øne," a $19.1 million collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works to create the first-ever digitally-certified aircraft. Another is "Model Øne," a $15 million AFWERX contract to connect disparate models and simulations across the Air Force. This award reflects a broader Pentagon strategy to accelerate technology adoption by overhauling its acquisition processes. The Department of Defense is increasingly prioritizing faster, more flexible contracting methods, such as Commercial Solutions Openings and Other Transaction Authorities, to more easily engage with startups and non-traditional defense companies. This shift is part of a move away from legacy bureaucratic hurdles that have historically slowed software procurement and deployment.
