BigBear.ai, a specialized defense and security technology company providing mission-ready AI, announced a significant expansion of its generative AI platform today. The new capabilities are designed to give Department of War (DoW) mission teams greater flexibility and control over where generative AI runs, how models are accessed, and how generative AI capabilities are procured. The expanded platform incorporates new air-gapped hardware, an additional delivery option, and flexible tenant configurations. These updates are intended to support both cloud-connected deployments and fully local deployments in disconnected environments, making generative AI capabilities accessible to operators in a wider range of operational settings.

Combined, the new capabilities and delivery options support the Department’s AI Acceleration Strategy by extending secure generative AI capabilities into new operational environments at speed. Since the acquisition of Ask Sage, BigBear.ai has refactored and enhanced the underlying model-agnostic, multimodal generative AI platform and built a new technology portfolio around it. As part of this transition, the Ask Sage product brand will be phased out for Department of War customers in favor of a redesigned BigBear.ai generative AI platform.

"The Department of War has set a clear objective: accelerate AI adoption and translate innovation into mission capability," said Kevin McAleenan, Chief Executive Officer of BigBear.ai. "To us, delivering mission-ready AI means giving the customer control and flexibility, and building technology that works in the conditions operators face, including disconnected and air-gapped environments."

Key Platform Enhancements

The introduction of air-gapped hardware addresses the need for secure, isolated operations. Flexible tenant configurations allow for tailored setups depending on the specific security and connectivity requirements of the mission. The expanded portfolio makes the platform’s enterprise capabilities, management tools, and agentic workflows available through both cloud-connected and fully local deployments.

Cloud-hosted configurations provide access to a broad catalog of AI models and support deployments up to DoD Cloud Impact Level (IL) 6. The new local device is designed for locally connected as well as air-gapped deployments up to Top Secret/SCI. When connected, users can access cloud-hosted models; when disconnected or air-gapped, locally hosted models provide continued access to the platform’s core generative AI capabilities without an external network connection.

Delivery Options and Availability

The additional delivery option separates secure workspace and platform licensing from model access. Customers that procure model capacity through their own agreements can license BigBear.ai’s integrated, multi-model platform directly, while those who prefer BigBear.ai to procure and manage model access can continue using its managed token-based option. Both approaches run on the same underlying platform for deployment, orchestration, tooling, and management.

The air-gapped AI device will be demonstrated at the AFCEA TechNet Augusta event (August 17-20, 2026) and is available now. The ‘Bring-Your-Own-Model’ delivery option is expected to be available for dedicated tenants through BigBear.ai’s contract vehicles in approximately Q3 2026.

BigBear.ai’s Pangiam Threat Detection has received Dutch national approval from the Netherlands’ National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security for aviation security screening. The approval follows testing by TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. This milestone validates the AI-enabled platform for use in regulated aviation environments.

The approval confirms that Pangiam Threat Detection met the Automated Prohibited Items Detection System (APIDS) Standard 1 criteria and Dutch national additional detection requirements. The system was tested in a configuration with SureScan Corporation’s DETECT 1000 CT screening system. This marks the first milestone in a series of tests with various certification bodies and OEMs.

Pangiam Threat Detection is an AI-enabled screening platform designed for aviation security operations. It analyzes 3D CT scans of cabin baggage in near real time, flagging potential prohibited items for security officers. The platform features rapid decision resolution, system resilience, and threat item analytics. Smart device-hosted user interfaces support remote security management, incident escalation, and training.

Kevin McAleenan, CEO of BigBear.ai, emphasized the importance of trust in introducing automation to high-consequence environments. He stated that the approval validates the company's focus on delivering mission-ready AI that supports officers and supervisors as screening operations become more automated.

This development advances BigBear.ai’s Trade and Travel Solutions portfolio. The company continues to integrate Pangiam Threat Detection with modern CT screening infrastructure and airport security workflows to bring trusted AI capabilities to regulated aviation and transportation environments.