BigBear.ai to acquire Warren County-based AI company for $250M

McLean government tech contractor BigBear.ai announced this week that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ask Sage, a fast-growing, secure generative artificial intelligence platform tailored for defense and national security, for $250 million.

BigBear.ai made the announcement as part of an earnings report released Monday. The company expects the acquisition to close in the late fourth quarter of this year or early in the first quarter of 2026.

Headquartered in Warren County, Ask Sage’s AI capabilities are specifically designed for defense and national security agencies, as well as other highly regulated sectors. According to BigBear.ai CEO Kevin McAleenan, Ask Sage supports more than 100,000 users on 16,000 government teams across hundreds of commercial companies.

“By integrating Ask Sage with BigBear.ai, we are creating what the market has been asking for: a secure, integrated AI platform that connects software, data and mission services in one place,” McAleenan said in a statement. “Despite delays resulting from the government shutdown, we believe the potential for new business in the field of border security and defense remains strong, and we expect to see those opportunities, including accelerated spending resulting from the One Big Beautiful Bill, to materialize into contracts next year.”

In the call, McAleenan stated that the acquisition of Ask Sage provides BigBear.ai with a proven, secure and model-agnostic generative AI platform, meaning the platform can work with various AI models, rather than being tied to a single vendor.

McAleenan also revealed during the earnings call that, as part of the merger, Ask Sage founder and CEO Nicolas Chaillan will join BigBear.ai as its chief technology officer.

In the role, Chaillan will focus on enhancing BigBear.ai’s broader portfolio and increasing the efficiency and velocity of its product development and innovation.

“Nick is one of the most respected voices in secure mission-grade AI, having served as the former Chief Software Officer for both the U.S. Air Force and Space Force and founded multiple companies over the past 25 years,” McAleenan said during the call. “He has proven that he can build technology the Pentagon actually uses rapidly and iteratively to support critical missions.”

BigBear.ai did not discuss how many additional employees it would add from the merger, and the company didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

Headquartered in McLean, BigBear.ai is a federal contractor that provides artificial intelligence technology and services for defense, national security and critical infrastructure. The company generated $158.2 million in revenue in 2024, an increase from $155.2 million in 2023.

In its third-quarter report, the company disclosed that year-over-year revenue decreased 20% to $33.1 million, compared to $41.5 million for the third quarter of 2024, primarily due to lower volume on certain Army programs. However, this year’s third-quarter net income was $2.5 million, compared to a net loss of $15.1 million for the third quarter of 2024. The company projects it will earn revenue between $125 million and $140 million for the whole year.