Kitware Awarded $4M DARPA SABER Contract to Evaluate AI-Enabled Battlefield Systems
Kitware will develop techniques to protect against advanced adversarial attacks and evaluation tools to assess the performance of AI-enabled ground and air systems operating in contested environments.
Clifton Park, NY — May 4, 2026 — Kitware has been awarded a two-year, $4 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through its Information Innovation Office (I2O), as part of the Securing Artificial Intelligence for Battlefield Effective Robustness (SABER) program. The effort will focus on developing software and participating in field tests to evaluate the resilience of AI-enabled battlefield systems against external threats.
As AI becomes increasingly integral to modern military operations, ensuring the robustness and security of AI systems under real-world conditions is critical. Many AI-enabled platforms remain vulnerable to adversarial digital, cyber, and physical-world attacks. The SABER program addresses this challenge by developing a comprehensive framework, including tools, tactics, and evaluation methodologies, to realistically assess how AI-enabled ground and rotary-wing air systems perform in contested operational environments.
Kitware is leading the development of state-of-the-art physical-world adversarial attack techniques, leveraging its deep expertise in AI robustness and evaluation. Kitware’s team includes Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI), which contributes extensive experience in autonomous systems.
“Our technical approach enables comprehensive evaluation of system vulnerabilities, from initial sensor data ingestion through AI-driven decision-making and the resulting real-world actions,” said Scott McCloskey, Ph.D. Director of Computational Imaging at Kitware. “By combining physical-world attack vectors with adversarial AI techniques, the framework uncovers weaknesses that might otherwise remain hidden until deployment.”
The outcomes of this effort will support more informed risk assessment and improved confidence in the deployment of AI-enabled defense technologies in complex operational environments. This award reinforces Kitware’s commitment to advancing trustworthy, resilient artificial intelligence through rigorous evaluation and collaborative research.
About Kitware
Kitware delivers innovation to its customers. As a software research and development company, Kitware solves the world’s most complex scientific challenges using custom software solutions built on open source technology. In addition to custom software development, the company also offers technical support and training services to anyone using its open source tools. Since its founding in 1998, Kitware has developed a reputation for its unparalleled technical expertise and excellent customer service. The company is proud to be 100% employee-owned. For additional information, visit kitware.com or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.