SOUTH BEND, Ind., June 15, 2020 — Blockchain innovator SIMBA Chain has been awarded a two-year, $1.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to fund a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project. The contract, a continuation of an earlier SBIR Phase I project, includes the addition of one of the world’s largest aerospace corporations and a SIMBA Chain partner. The SIMBA Chain project addresses a significant need of the U.S. Department of Defense. This includes identifying opportunities to develop cyber-related capabilities to enhance logistics and supply chain management solutions, developing specific use cases based on aerospace parts, and introducing blockchain into the Air Force’s cybersecurity, logistics, and programming training curriculum and research.

Commenting on the award, Jeffrey Slayton, director, Special Programs, Strategy and Policy, U.S. Air Force, says, “The Air Force supply chain is incredibly complex, with thousands of participants across the globe and many parts designed, manufactured, inspected, and transported each year. With the advent of additive manufacturing, which allows us to print parts on-demand anywhere in the world, including on battlefields, supply chain complexity and the need for data integrity have grown exponentially. Emerging technologies like SIMBA Chain’s blockchain platform have the potential to achieve the reliable exchange of information over an unreliable network where not all participants can be trusted, and in so doing, continue to advance the technological supremacy of America’s air, space and cyber forces.”

This includes identifying opportunities to develop cyber-related capabilities to enhance logistics and supply chain management solutions, developing specific use cases and introducing blockchain into the Air Force’s cybersecurity, logistics, and programming training curriculum and research.

SIMBA Chain CEO Joel Neidig says his company’s smart contract-as-a-service platform is well-suited for the U.S. Air Force and other branches of the Department of Defense. The SBIR Phase II project will help prove this out. “The capabilities offered by SIMBA Chain’s blockchain platform should enhance the Air Force’s Supply Chain Management Wing’s ability to provide an uninterrupted and validated pedigree of supply chain support and mitigate the risks posed by counterfeiting and data breaches,” Neidig says.

“Additionally, with minimal training, our solution can be rapidly deployed across the Air Force and other military branches. Unlike traditional blockchain that requires deep technical knowledge, SIMBA Chain allows developers with little or no programming experience to build and deploy distributed applications (dapps) rapidly and cost-efficiently on cloud servers or on military infrastructures. This is a significant advantage to the military where dynamic situations are common.”

“The capabilities offered by SIMBA Chain’s blockchain platform should enhance the Air Force’s Supply Chain Management Wing’s ability to provide an uninterrupted and validated pedigree of supply chain support and mitigate the risks posed by counterfeiting and data breaches,” Neidig says.

SIMBA Chain will be working with select aerospace OEMs in the project, providing three typical aircraft components for case study analysis, assisting with the development of supply chain events and data modeling methodologies, and ultimately validating the solution with business case analysis and strategy for larger-scale deployment.

This research was, in part, funded by the U.S. government. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government.

Photo credit: Greg L. Davis/U.S. Air Force