Kessel Run — F-35 Logistics
The Air Force's Kessel Run unit was stood up to modernize how the military builds and deploys software. The F-35 program was managing critical logistics and parts tracking through a patchwork of spreadsheets and legacy systems — slow, error-prone, and a genuine operational risk.
Build a secure, operational software capability from scratch inside one of the most bureaucratic organizations on earth, using agile practices that the Air Force had never seen before. Train active-duty airmen to become software engineers and product managers along the way.
Pivotal Labs embedded alongside Air Force personnel in a side-by-side pairing model. Our team didn't just build software — we taught the Air Force to build software. Every sprint, military personnel were in the room, writing code, running standups, doing user research. The goal was always autonomy, not dependency.
An F-35A fighter jet taxis during Red Flag 19-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., on Feb. 6, 2019. (R. Nial Bradshaw/U.S. Air Force)
- — Replaced fragile, manual logistics processes with a secure, deployable operational capability
- — Trained active-duty Air Force personnel in modern agile and XP practices
- — Delivered a working system on a timeline that would have been considered impossible through traditional procurement
- — Demonstrated that modern software delivery practices could work in highly constrained security environments
Kessel Run Team receives the Gen. Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award
- ◌ General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award
- ◌ Theodore von Kármán Award
- ◌ Defense Acquisition Software Innovation Team Award
- ◌ Congressional recognition — Senator Elizabeth Warren