The chief software officer for the Air Force recently designated Hangar 18 as a Department of the Air Force software factory.
Hangar 18 joins 16 other DAF software factories—including the first, Kessel Run—that have sprung up across the nation since the Air Force began its digital transformation efforts in 2017. These efforts were initially driven by the release of the Air Force Science and Technology Strategy for 2030, released in 2017, and then influenced by the digital engineering initiative laid out by Dr. Will Roper, former assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.