US Air Force to leverage SIMBA Chain’s blockchain platform

SIMBA Chain’s solution will enable the 3D printing of aircraft parts, supported and secured by blockchain technology

Cloud-based smart contract-as-a-service platform SIMBA Chain announced yesterday that it had been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the US Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office (AFRSO) to print sophisticated aircraft parts.

In collaboration with Steel Modular, Inc., SIMBA Chain will provide AFRSO with mobile 20-40 foot disposable containers, each one containing a metal and fibre additive 3D manufacturing facility. The containers can be climate-controlled and transported anywhere, and will use advanced 3D printing to manufacture, test, and deploy replacement parts for aircraft and weaponry.

The solution is part of the Department of Defense’s and the US Air Force’s goal of transitioning engineering practices to digital engineering, and all critical information and conversations during the manufacturing process will be secured on the blockchain. SIMBA Chain could also receive a further $1 million in a Phase II grant if Phase I is successful.

CEO of SIMBA Chain, Joel Neidig, explained, “At the heart of this project is enabling and safeguarding the digital supply chain and that’s exactly where SIMBA Chain flexes its muscles. Our blockchain technology ensures data integrity and protects against tampering of intellectual property and communications. Sophisticated hackers are a very real threat and deploying SIMBA Chain globally and on a distributed, decentralized basis, provides an unhackable barrier and protects supply chain governance.”

The project will speed up the turnaround time for producing new parts from months to days, and will also mean that older planes can remain serviceable, even if replacement parts for them aren’t commercially available.

The immutable, transparent, and verifiable nature of SIMBA Chain’s blockchain platform makes it ideal for a range of Department of Defense and other projects. So far, over 4,300 organisations use the platform and it hosts more than 2,300 applications.

Other use cases for SIMBA Chain’s technology include tracking solar energy, providing an early warning system for a chemical manufacturing supply chain, adding accountability to child support, and creating better housing records.