iBase-t Launches Solumina AI for Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

LAKE FOREST, CA – January 15, 2026 – iBase-t, a prominent provider of digital manufacturing solutions for the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) industry, today announced the general availability of Solumina AI. The company positions the new offering as the only artificial intelligence platform purpose-built to navigate the complex and highly regulated A&D manufacturing landscape. The launch includes the core platform and four specialized AI modules designed to improve productivity, compliance, and operational insight.

This move signals a deliberate shift from general-purpose AI experimentation to the deployment of specialized, "vertical AI" directly within the operational heart of A&D facilities. For an industry where precision, security, and traceability are paramount, the introduction of a domain-specific AI platform addresses critical vulnerabilities posed by more generic systems.

The Compliance Imperative: Why A&D Needs Domain-Specific AI

In the world of aerospace and defense manufacturing, the stakes are exceptionally high. Unlike consumer goods or general business workflows, A&D production operates under a stringent web of regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and cybersecurity standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Introducing AI into this environment is not merely a technological upgrade; it's a security and compliance challenge.

General-purpose, or "horizontal," AI assistants, while powerful in broader contexts, can introduce significant risk in this sector. Without a deep understanding of A&D-specific processes, data structures, and regulatory mandates, these systems can produce inaccurate outputs, leading to quality escapes, and create severe compliance exposure. The risk of mishandling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or other sensitive data is a major barrier to the adoption of generic, cloud-based AI tools.

iBase-t's Solumina AI is engineered to confront these challenges directly. The platform features a secure, self-contained architecture that can operate in air-gapped and other restricted environments. Each deployment includes an embedded large language model (LLM) that runs within a customer's own controlled cloud or on-premises infrastructure, a critical feature for maintaining data sovereignty and adhering to ITAR's strict data governance rules.

"Solumina AI represents a fundamental shift from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it in the most demanding manufacturing environments," said Sung Kim, Chief Technology Officer at iBase-t. "By embedding AI directly into Solumina, we're delivering intelligence that understands our customers' data, processes, and regulatory realities. The result is trusted, domain-constrained, audit-ready AI that improves quality, accelerates decision-making, and reduces risk from day one."

This approach aligns with broader industry analysis. A 2025 Gartner prediction noted by VP Analyst Sumit Agarwal anticipates that organizations will use smaller, task-specific AI models three times more than general-purpose ones by 2027, citing benefits like faster responses and reduced operational costs.

From Shop Floor to C-Suite: AI Driving Operational Excellence

While compliance and security form the foundation of Solumina AI, its primary goal is to deliver tangible operational improvements. The platform's initial four modules are designed to address persistent challenges in A&D manufacturing, from digitizing legacy data to empowering decision-makers with real-time insights.

The modules available at launch include:

• Solumina ScanAI: This tool tackles the costly and error-prone process of converting paper-based work instructions and records into structured digital data. By automating this conversion directly into the Solumina Manufacturing Operations Platform, it reduces manual data entry, strengthens audit readiness, and helps mitigate the "cost of poor quality"—an industry metric that can account for significant financial losses due to scrap, rework, and warranty claims. Industry studies have shown that such inefficiencies can be a major drain on resources.
• Solumina Digital SME: Functioning as an AI-enabled subject matter expert, this module provides instant, context-aware guidance on Solumina best practices. It aims to improve first-pass quality and accelerate the onboarding of new technicians—a critical benefit in an industry facing a skilled labor shortage. By reducing dependency on a few key experts, teams can minimize execution errors and maintain operational continuity.
• Solumina Intelligence: This smart analyst tool allows leaders to query operational data for on-demand insights into throughput, schedule adherence, and quality risks without needing a data science background. It enables faster, more informed decision-making, helping managers identify production bottlenecks and reduce schedule surprises before they impact delivery timelines.
• Solumina PulseAI: An AI-assisted dashboarding solution that offers supervisors at-a-glance visibility into production status, workforce readiness, and skill certifications. This allows for proactive management of workforce constraints, ultimately improving shop floor productivity and operational confidence.

These tools leverage the high-fidelity data already present within iBase-t's Solumina platform—the system of record for manufacturing, quality, and sustainment operations at many leading A&D firms, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and GE Aerospace. By embedding AI within this existing ecosystem, the insights generated are contextual and immediately actionable.

A Strategic Move in a Transforming Industry

iBase-t's launch of a vertical AI platform is a calculated move in an increasingly competitive technology landscape. While major enterprise software vendors like Siemens and IFS are also integrating AI into their manufacturing solutions, iBase-t is betting that its deep, specialized focus on the unique demands of A&D will be its key differentiator. The company's deep market penetration, with a customer base representing a majority of top-tier A&D manufacturers, provides a strong foundation for this strategy.

The move also reflects a broader digital transformation sweeping the defense industry. Major contractors are investing heavily in "digital factory" initiatives and programs like Lockheed Martin's 1LMX, which aim to create a fully integrated digital thread from design to sustainment. These initiatives depend on clean, structured, and accessible data—the very foundation that Solumina AI is built upon. By providing tools that not only consume this data but also help create it (via ScanAI), iBase-t is positioning itself as a critical enabler of this next-generation manufacturing paradigm.

"AI is no longer optional — but in Aerospace & Defense, it must be governed, deployable in restricted environments, and accountable to the manufacturing record," stated Naveen Poonian, Founder and CEO of iBase-t. "With Solumina AI, we're delivering practical, production-ready intelligence that is deeply aligned with how our customers actually operate."

The release of these first four modules is presented as just the beginning. The company has signaled a long-term AI roadmap designed to further transform manufacturing and sustainment operations. By building on its established Solumina platform, iBase-t is making a compelling case that the future of AI in the world's most critical industries is not just about raw intelligence, but about intelligence that is trusted, secure, and deeply integrated into the operational fabric.