ResilienX, Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract by AFWERX to address real-time model health monitoring in uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) ecosystems for the Department of the Air Force.
Sponsored by AFWERX, a component of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), through the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program, the award was made on June 30, 2026. The effort targets a pressing challenge in modern autonomous systems, which increasingly depend on machine learning models whose behavior can shift once deployed outside controlled laboratory environments. As sensors, environments, and mission inputs change in ways a model never encountered during testing, that model can begin producing unreliable results without outward indicators of failure, leaving operators unable to tell a sound AI decision from a failing one.
To address these quiet failures, ResilienX will demonstrate how its FRAIHMWORK platform continuously tracks the health of deployed models to spot early signs of slipping performance before an issue can affect a mission. When the platform flags a questionable result, it delivers a clear, plain-language explanation of the reasoning behind it, enabling human operators to act with justified confidence rather than blind trust.
“Operators are being asked to trust AI they cannot see inside,” said Matt Synborski, Chief Technology Officer of ResilienX. “This effort puts real-time model health and plain-language explanations directly in front of the people who depend on these systems, so the Air Force can field autonomy with confidence rather than doubt.”
During Phase I, ResilienX will validate this approach with Department of the Air Force stakeholders while laying the groundwork for broader model-assurance applications across defense and government missions where reliable, understandable AI is essential.
