Cybersecurity the focus of DARPA Resilient Software program
NewsJune 19, 2025
ARLINGTON, Va. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is teaming with the U.S. Air Force to integrate formal methods-based cybersecurity tools -- a mathematically rigorous approach to software development that helps eliminate exploitable vulnerabilities before software is deployed -- on the MQ-9 Reaper, the first project in the DARPA Resilient Software Systems Capstone program.
The agency is partnering with each of the services via its Resilient Software Systems Capstone program to address the pressing need for the strongest possible cybersecurity in all avenues; the Capstone program comprises jointly funded projects on operational platforms aimed at assessing critical findings, including level of resiliency, cost, time, and level of expertise required to adopt various formal methods capabilities. The U.S. Air Force is the first service branch to identify its pilot weapon system – the MQ-9 Reaper program, developed by General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Incorporated (GA-ASI).
“The current patch-and-pray approach to software development for DoD [U.S. Department of Defense] systems is simply unacceptable when lives depend on those systems,” said Stephen Kuhn, DARPA Capstone program manager. “DARPA’s transition approach through the Capstone brings resilient software tools to both the services and industry partners and will allow us to capture the lessons learned to drive broad adoption of correct by construction. This effort will serve as a template that can be used by others to help jumpstart their efforts to incorporate DARPA’s resilient software tools into their platforms and development pipelines.”
Each project will run for approximately 24 months, with the main objectives being achieving inherently more secure software, accelerating the governmental Authority to Operate (ATO) process, streamlining software developmental testing, and development of a “Best Practices Guide” to support broad adoption.
DARPA reports that it is also working DARPA with the Departments of the Navy and Army and with NASA on additional upcoming Capstone cybersecurity program platform experiments.
