The U.S. Air Force has awarded a nearly $9 million contract modification to NXTek LLC, doing business as Istari Federal LLC, for added work on the digital-first airworthiness certification of the X-56A unmanned aerial vehicle.
The fixed-price modification, valued at $9 million, brings the total cumulative contract value to $28,1 million under contract FA9300-23-C-6017.
The project focuses on applying digital validation, verification, and uncertainty quantification methods to improve risk assessment and design reviews for advanced unmanned aircraft systems.
Work under the updated contract will be conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, with completion expected by July 30, 2026.
The Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is managing the program.
The X-56A, designed by Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs — known as Skunk Works — is a modular experimental UAV built to test advanced flight technologies at high altitudes. The platform is being used to evaluate High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) flight dynamics, which are key to next-generation surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
The X-56A’s modularity allows for rapid reconfiguration of wings and control surfaces to support flexible testing scenarios, including flutter suppression and novel aerodynamic structures.
According to the Air Force, this phase of the program will specifically assess how digital modeling and predictive tools can streamline certification processes, lower costs, and reduce development risk. The approach is intended to inform broader digital engineering practices across future Air Force unmanned systems.
While the X-56A is not intended for operational deployment, the data collected through these tests is expected to shape the design and certification of future high-altitude reconnaissance UAVs that require long endurance, precision control, and autonomous capability.
In August 2024, Istari Digital announced a related initiative called Flyer Øne, described as a groundbreaking reimagining of the X-56A. According to the company, Flyer Øne aims to be the first aircraft to be digitally designed, flight-certified, and validated before any physical prototype is constructed. This “digital twin first” approach mirrors methodologies used in modern software engineering and is intended to transform how aerospace systems are developed, certified, and tested.
Istari Digital stated that Flyer Øne will serve as a flagship model for full-spectrum digital certification, enabling more agile development cycles and earlier risk identification. While still in the R&D phase, the program is being closely followed by U.S. defense and aerospace stakeholders for its potential to influence future certification frameworks across the military aviation sector.