Istari Digital has announced that a modification of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works X-56A is on track to become the world's first digitally-certified aircraft.
Last year, the United States Air Force awarded Istari Digital a $19 million contract to pioneer this ambitious program, aptly named Flyer Øne in homage to the Wright Brothers. The goal? To create and flight certify a digital twin before it's physically built, paving the way for future aircraft development to mirror the rapid pace of software engineering.
The X-56A, developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is an advanced modular uncrewed aerial vehicle designed to push the boundaries of High-Altitude Long Endurance flight. With a 7.5-foot fuselage and a 27.5-foot wingspan, the X-56A first took flight in the summer of 2013 from Edwards Air Force Base.
With a unique mission to demonstrate flutter prediction capability and flutter suppression, the program achieved significant progress in flight control, demonstrating the ability to suppress body freedom flutter through the development of slender, flexible wings.
Roper initiated the defense trend of adopting digital engineering practices during his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, penning the Matrix-inspired "There is No Spoon" in late 2020. The Pentagon has since directed digital engineering for all future programs.
However, unlike Formula 1, aerospace and defense face challenges in integrating numerous intellectual property and classified data sources, making adoption more difficult.
For the digital X-56A, this new digital infrastructure will act as a plug-and-play interface between Lockheed Martin's simulations and the Air Force's stringent airworthiness process. The aim is to meet the burden of proof normally required physically for a Military Flight Release.
Once approved, the aircraft-on-a-chip will be built to specification and flown at Edwards Air Force Base. If the physical twin matches the digital model, the aircraft-on-a-chip is a real airplane, at least from a research and development perspective. It can be updated and evolved using software processes without the time, cost, and environmental impact of physical world innovation.
As Flyer Øne, and with it, aviation, now take to the digital skies, both new design speeds and technical risks will follow in its wake. But like Formula 1, clinging to legacy processes is a losing strategy. Even with new risks, design speed and cycle time win.
