US Air Force Funds Digital Engineering
The Department of the Air Force awarded an $8.6 million contract to Istari Digital to establish Industry Øne. The initiative is designed to accelerate digital transformation across the Defense Department. Its goal is to break down digital engineering barriers between different systems and programs.
The Industry Øne initiative is built upon previous successful projects with Istari Digital. One such project is Flyer Øne, a collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab and Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, which is pioneering the digital certification for the X-56A X-plane. Another is Model Øne, a $15 million program designed to connect models and simulations across the Air Force to address the challenges of "internetized" warfare. 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 company's goal is to create digital engineering ecosystems where technologies are developed digitally, reducing real-world costs and schedules. Their platform allows for secure collaboration across different organizations without centralizing or copying sensitive data. The push for digital engineering addresses significant challenges within the Department of Defense, including fragmented IT environments, incompatible software tools, and strict security requirements that hinder collaboration. Many critical military systems are outdated and rely on "technical debt"—decades of temporary fixes that have become permanent. This makes it difficult to keep pace with adversaries who are rapidly fielding new and complex capabilities. The broader strategy for the Department of the Air Force is a move toward a "Digital Enterprise" that encompasses all functional areas, not just engineering. This involves creating a "digital thread" that connects every aspect of a weapon system's lifecycle, from design and development to sustainment. The goal is to move away from paper-based deliverables to a more dynamic and iterative digital process.
