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Set to become the world’s first digitally-certified aircraft, Flyer Øne represents a major leap forward in how aircraft are developed, tested, and certified. This ambitious endeavor not only showcases cutting-edge technology but also heralds a new era in aerospace innovation.
Istari Digital is charting new territory by aiming to create and flight-certify a digital twin of the Flyer Øne aircraft before any physical prototype is built. This approach, which aligns the pace of aircraft development with the rapid evolution of software engineering, is poised to revolutionize the aviation industry.
The project recently passed a critical milestone when Istari Digital and Skunk Works successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR). This achievement confirms that Flyer Øne is on track to reach its first digital flight release, a major step toward realizing the aircraft’s full potential. The significance of this milestone goes beyond technical progress; it reflects the United States Air Force’s legacy of innovation, now extended into the digital realm.
The emergence of the world’s first digitally-certified aircraft marks a shift in the way future aircraft will be developed, certified, and evolved. Flyer Øne exemplifies a new frontier in aviation, where digital innovation drives physical reality.
The X-56A, the predecessor to Flyer Øne, has a rich history rooted in overcoming one of aviation’s greatest challenges—flutter. Flutter is a potentially catastrophic dynamic interaction between an aircraft’s structural elasticity and aerodynamic forces. In 2005, the Skunk Works team embarked on a mission to tackle this issue, developing a design methodology that could predict and control flutter with remarkable precision.
The X-56A was initially developed under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Multi-Utility Aeroelastic Demonstrator (MAD) program as the Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT). This innovative unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was designed to push the boundaries of active flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. Since its first flight in 2013, the X-56A has demonstrated significant advancements in flight control, laying the groundwork for Flyer Øne.
Flyer Øne is part of Istari Digital’s broader vision to revolutionize aircraft development. The company recently secured a $15 million AFWERX contract for a program called “Model Øne,” which will link models and simulations across the U.S. Air Force to address the challenges of “internetized” warfare. This contract reflects Istari Digital’s commitment to developing breakthrough solutions that integrate disparate data types and accelerate digital innovation.
“Digital transformation is rapidly accelerating industries, from medical devices to monohull racing boats,” said Dr. Will Roper, Istari Digital’s Founder, President & CEO. “But the challenges of disparate intellectual property and classified data have made it difficult for Defense to follow in their wakes. This latest contract demonstrates our commitment to breakthrough data-meshing solutions and our customers’ confidence in leveraging them.”
Flyer Øne, named in homage to the Wright Brothers, is poised to be the first aircraft to achieve digital certification for real-world flight. While digital certification is common in industries like Formula 1, no aircraft has yet achieved this milestone. The U.S. military’s digital needs extend beyond design and certification, driving faster battlefield decision-making across interconnected domains.
“Software accurately represents the physical world in myriad models and simulations,” said former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. “Most are challenging to integrate, limiting adoption of digital twins. Model Øne is an exciting opportunity for Istari Digital to create a virtual military on the way towards creating the industries of the future.”
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