Assured Information Security (AIS), in collaboration with The Bellwether Group and Modovolo, successfully launched a drone carrying a FISSURE tactical node, marking a major milestone in demonstrating airborne cyber capabilities. The live demonstration showcased the ability to deliver cyber effects from an airborne platform, opening doors for FISSURE’s tactical and strategic applications.
The FISSURE software framework delivers standardized interfaces and hardware abstraction, enabling seamless integration of new sensors, signal modules and custom payloads. Its growing library of modules includes both passive tools for spectrum awareness and active tools for RF probing, communications and electronic effects.
Built on this open-source framework, the FISSURE Tactical Node is a forward-deployable, modular platform for RF sensing and effects. It leverages low-cost, commercially available software-defined radios (SDRs) and computing hardware to support real-time signal detection, analysis, generation and transmission in dynamic and contested environments.
This multi-organization effort combined AIS’s FISSURE Tactical Node, The Bellwether Group’s Vimana LS tactical edge computer platform and Modovolo’s Lift quad to demonstrate an agile, mission-ready solution for modern defense challenges. The successful test flight highlighted the seamless integration of the FISSURE payload with a low-cost airborne platform and proved its ability to execute live cyber operations remotely and securely.
“This marks our first demonstration of a low-cost, low-barrier-of-entry RF-enabled cyber attack launched from an airborne FISSURE platform,” said Eric Thayer, Chief Engineer at AIS. “It’s a critical first step toward equipping edge operational units with a customizable RF toolkit for delivering cyber effects.”
“This was a great example of simultaneously leveraging SDRs, protocol-based radios and secondary communications systems on a single drone platform,” said Chris Poore, Senior Reverse Engineer at AIS and FISSURE Lead. “It highlights how modular, multi-radio configurations can be integrated in flight to support complex RF and cyber operations in real time.”
“AIS and Modovolo share the same product development philosophy: how do we create incredibly high performing products but at a cost orders of magnitude less than anything on the market?” said Justin Call, CEO at Modovolo. “But it goes even deeper than that – both FISSURE and the Modovolo Lift are modular architectures, so you can adapt as mission parameters change, all of which is supported by Bellwether’s awesome processing platform. And this test flight demonstrated all of this beautifully.”
“The successful integration of our Vimana LS hardware with the Modovolo drone platform and FISSURE software represents a significant advancement in airborne cyber capabilities,” said Tim Teal, CEO & Founder of The Bellwether Group. “Our small form factor solution, engineered to operate in extreme environments from -45°C to 180°C, proves that robust cyber operations can be deployed anywhere in the world without environmental limitations. The collaboration between the Modolovo Lift and FISSURE software from AIS showcases the power of integrated solutions in expanding the operational envelope for cyber missions in challenging environments.”
About AIS
AIS provides critical cyber and information security services, products and operations to commercial and government customers, including the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Rome, New York, AIS has multiple operating locations throughout the United States and employs more than 220 of the brightest minds that have a passion for advancing the state of cyber and information security and delivering customer success.
About Modovolo
Modovolo is a startup that has launched the Lift – a groundbreaking, modular drone platform made up of interchangeable Lift Pods and Utility Pods that click together. This endlessly configurable system lets users build the right drone for any application, delivering hours of flight time at a price point dramatically lower than anything else on the market.
About The Bellwether Group
The Bellwether Group is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) delivering mission-ready edge computing systems and analytic services for national security operations. Through its Vimana™ product line, the company designs rugged, customizable flyaway kits built for cyber operations in contested and disconnected environments. With a team rooted in operational cyber experience and behavioral science, The Bellwether Group integrates advanced machine learning, secure communications, and situational analytics to empower decision-making at the tactical edge—where the cloud can’t go.
