U-2 Dragon Lady executes first in-flight test of DevSecOps capabilities

An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady last month performed the first in-flight test of DevSecOps capabilities from the Platform One enterprise services team.

Air Combat Command's U-2 Federal Laboratory oversaw the March 23 demonstration at Beale Air Force Base, CA, following 2020 achievements deploying an artificial intelligence pilot and the Kubernetes open-source platform on the Cold War-era spy plane.

The most recent flight test proves "the immediate return on investment seen by adopting DevSecOps methodologies for all software innovation," Air Force Chief Software Officer Nicolas Chaillan said in a press release announcing the event earlier this week. "It also shows that combining Platform One capability with other forward-thinking organizations is unequivocally instrumental in swiftly delivering utility to warfighters at the tactical edge."

ACC specifically deployed Platform One's "Big Bang" capability onto the U-2, the DevSecOps enterprise services team posted on social media Thursday. According to the Platform One website, "Big Bang" is an infrastructure-as-code or configuration-as-code package that helps Defense Department programs build a custom software factory for specific mission needs.

The flight test last month also proved the U-2 Federal Laboratory's success in bringing together development, acquisition and operational insight to deliver capabilities quickly, Maj. Raymond Tierney, the organization's director, said in the release.

He explained the lab was able to integrate the DevSecOps package just 12 days after the initial request, noting this work is an example of how his team is responding to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown's call to accelerate change.