Unmanned systems have evolved to offer the military many of its most advanced capabilities, including intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply, combat operations, and communications relay. They now carry the burden of missions that typically require experienced crews, support teams, and well-controlled environments.
Due to their high-tech nature, though, these systems have introduced vulnerabilities that require defense manufacturers and program offices to rethink engineering, design, and sustainability. It’s no longer enough to simply integrate cybersecurity barriers to keep out enemies.
Unmanned platforms rely on components like distributed sensors, software-defined applications, continuous data exchange, and networked command-and-control. Cyber-related compromises can affect whether an unmanned system can be trusted to operate as intended under pressure.
It’s now critical for programs to complement cybersecurity with cyber resilience, a process of building capabilities into the system that enable it to continue operating even when an intrusion occurs. Cyber resilience measures ensure that systems continue to perform and adapt in support of mission goals.
In short, cyber resilience is now as important as cybersecurity, and developers should move beyond static defenses toward architectures designed to withstand disruption.
The architecture of unmanned systems poses unique challenges for operators. The platform comprises an array of tools, including sensor arrays and systems for telemetry, communications, targeting, navigation, guidance, mapping, obstacle avoidance, and related functions.
Each system can face attacks individually, with the potential to prevent missions from continuing or even starting. In the process, it can undermine the trust between operators and commanders. Software-defined applications are particularly vulnerable.
While cybersecurity focuses on keeping intruders outside the system perimeter, adversaries continually adapt and find ways around defenses. Cyberattackers can target systems even before they are deployed to the field.
The question for program officers is how to keep the unmanned system operational even if the initial attack succeeds. The goal is to build cyber resilience into systems to mitigate threats, even if an attacker gains access. A focus on resilience makes cyber defense a dynamic process, different from the static nature of cybersecurity tools. It’s not an either-or proposition: Cyber defense and cyber resilience combine to create mission assurance.
Digital engineering, analytics, and forward-thinking design are the linchpins of a cyber-resilience strategy, creating a foundation for unmanned systems to continue their mission.
Cyber resilience recognizes that no single security measure, or any collection of measures, is foolproof. Bad actors will eventually get inside the wire. Resilience is what the unmanned system needs to keep missions on track with maximum capability. It also looks at the challenge differently. For engineers of unmanned platforms, this means designing systems capable of detecting anomalies, isolating problematic sectors or components, and recovering functionality.
As researchers from Stockholm University frame it, cybersecurity aims to be fail-safe, while cyber resilience is safe-to-fail, thus enabling systems to absorb disruption without catastrophic mission impact.
In practical terms, resilience takes on several forms, including:
Building this level of resilience requires a unique approach to design and development. Increasingly, digital engineering enables the early modeling, testing, and refinement of these resilience characteristics, so manufacturers and program teams can field unmanned systems capable of sustaining operations even in the presence of cyber interference.
For defense acquisition and intelligence leaders, cyber resilience ultimately comes down to a question of execution: how resilient behavior is designed, tested, and delivered at scale, from the factory to the field. For suppliers, that means demonstrating their technical expertise and the flexibility and creativity to balance performance and cost.
Digital engineering is providing the firepower to meet those demands. Through model-based systems engineering, digital twins, and advanced analytics, resilience can be built into unmanned systems from the outset, informed by real-world scenarios that the systems may face. This reduces—but does not replace—costly and time-intensive field testing.
The goal is to create integrated, end-to-end digital architectures that enable program teams to identify cyber failure modes early, before they surface. This helps lower technical risk and speeds iteration, bolstering confidence across the enterprise.
Organizations like the Institute for Defense Science and Technology (IDST), a California defense research organization, argue that digital engineering can fundamentally change how the Department of War operates when acquiring complex systems. “Education and guidance are crucial components of this transformation, emphasizing that things can be done differently,” IDST stated, noting that access to technical data packages associated with acquired hardware is essential to making digital engineering more accessible and effective.
In particular, analytics enable engineers to gain insights into system behavior across a range of scenarios and to make predictions about the future, challenging developers to make continuous improvements. The data provides not only an explanation of what happened but also an indication of what might happen.
Analytics also serves as an enabler. By examining system behavior across a range of modeled scenarios, engineers can anticipate future failure modes. In one example cited by IDST, the Air Force Research Laboratory used digital twins to identify an issue in a modernization estimate that “could be resolved by replacing a single chip.”
Digital engineering supports modular architectures and software-defined capabilities, which are required for resilient operations. Virtual models enable engineers to explore alternative configurations, assess strategies to isolate compromised systems, and evaluate mitigation options without increasing development costs. This makes it possible to understand how unmanned systems will respond to challenges and design the ability to recover.
In this context, cyber resilience positions itself as an operational asset. Resilient systems are less likely to fail and are better equipped to adapt to operational surprises, improving operational security. As commanders would hope, it also reduces the likelihood of mission aborts.
New partnerships, such as the one between DARPA and the Air Force involving the MQ-9 Reaper, underscore the growing importance of cyber resilience and the increasing reach of digital engineering in unmanned systems.
Developing operational continuity and resilience in a remotely controlled machine requires rapid, frequent iteration, which is now more readily available through digital engineering. These emerging methods are uniquely capable of providing development-level insights into countering the ever-shifting levels of cyber risk, enabling engineers to model and implement modular, adaptable architectures. Sumaria Systems has more than four decades of model-based systems engineering experience to support improved cyber resilience across unmanned platforms.
Partnering with Sumaria provides a strategic advantage through cutting-edge unmanned systems engineering and digital solutions tailored to defense programs. Our expertise helps you reduce development time, lower costs, and improve system reliability, ensuring that your programs meet critical deadlines and security standards. We are dedicated to supporting your mission objectives with innovative technology, experienced personnel, and a focus on long-term sustainment and upgradability. Let us help you achieve operational superiority and strengthen national security through advanced engineering support. If you'd like to speak with one of our specialists, feel free to book a one-on-one call.