Full Stack Engineer - Defense

Air Space Intelligence awarded DIU contract to build Open Mission Engine for U.S. Air Force. Sep 15, 2026, 08:30 ET The Open Mission Engine (OMEN) gives the Air Force an open, extensible platform to build and distribute mission applications at the edge, starting with a Tactical Moving Map for the Mobility Air Forces. BOSTON, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Air Space Intelligence (ASI), a pioneer in AI-powered operations software for the world's most demanding domains, today announced it has been awarded a Phase 2 prototype agreement by the Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU) to build the Open Mission Engine (OMEN), an open software development kit, and a Tactical Moving Map application for the Mobility Air Forces (MAF). DIU solicited OMEN as a platform to enable rapid development, deployment, and sustainment of mission applications, with an open software development kit, published application interfaces, and cross-platform compatibility - ensuring the Air Force isn't locked into a proprietary, single-purpose build for every aircraft or mission set. ASI's Design Studio lets any authorized user with or without a software development background build a mission application once, and then version it many times over for different aircraft, missions, or units. The Open Mission Engine Core runs that workload at the edge. The first application slated to run on OMEN is the Tactical Moving Map, which gives MAF aircrew a real-time, unified operational picture fusing relevant mission-update data into a single display - designed to keep working through degraded, disrupted, intermittent, and limited-bandwidth (DDIL) conditions. ASI will leverage its commercial edge C2 capability and experience in DDIL operations with the DoW to rapidly meet MAF requirements. Beyond the TMM, OMEN is built as a reusable engine intended to support additional mission applications across platforms and mission sets as the Air Force chooses to build them. "We are honored to deliver an open mission system to the mobility fleet," said Mark Lepczyk, President of ASI Federal. "Putting this technology in the hands of the warfighter, and giving them the flexibility to keep building on it, will let the MAF move at a speed and scale that previous efforts could not match." Interoperability with the Department of the Air Force Battle Network (DAF BN) is a named requirement of the program: OMEN is configured to rapidly extend any new DAF BN service directly to operators at the edge, while also ingesting and normalizing data from a wide range of other authorized Government sources. Other companies selected for the OMEN award include Defense Unicorns who will provide DDIL-resilient system administration, orchestration, fleet management, software distribution, and cybersecurity capabilities purpose-built for airgapped and tactical edge environments; and, Stator Integration Labs, which will deliver advanced data fusion and spatial temporal reasoning capabilities that help OMEN turn mission data into operational insight. About Air Space Intelligence ASI is an American AI company that dynamically orchestrates critical infrastructure and defense assets, across air traffic control, energy, logistics, and combat operations. Its platform powers vital infrastructure for customers like the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, National Grid, and the Department of War. ASI is headquartered in Boston with offices in Washington, DC, Denver, and Europe, and is backed by leading investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital, and Bloomberg Beta. SOURCE Air Space Intelligence

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Air Space Intelligence a contract worth nearly $900 million to modernise US airspace using predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. The startup's software, Flyways AI, is already used by Alaska Airlines, which reports saving approximately 1 million gallons of fuel annually by optimising flight routes and operations. The technology processes real-time data on air traffic, weather, and wind patterns to provide dispatchers with efficiency suggestions. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said the current system lacks a unified view of national airspace, creating inefficiencies. The agency aims to prevent congestion through small schedule and route adjustments whilst supporting air traffic controllers rather than replacing them. Alaska Airlines began using Flyways in 2021, making it the first carrier to adopt the technology for commercial operations.

Alaska Airlines has been using software called Flyways AI, developed by startup Air Space Intelligence, to optimise flight operations since 2021. The system analyses air traffic, weather, and wind patterns to suggest more efficient routes, helping Alaska save tens of thousands of flight hours and roughly a million gallons of fuel annually. The Federal Aviation Administration has now awarded Air Space Intelligence an $875 million contract to modernise the entire US airspace. The company will build the SMART system (Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes, and Trajectories), which uses predictive analytics to prevent bottlenecks before they occur. FAA head Bryan Bedford says the technology offers a "transformational" opportunity, though officials insist it will assist air traffic controllers rather than replace them. Some observers question whether the technology can scale from airline operations to managing the world's busiest airspace.