HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- A U.S. Air Force aerial networking capability recently completed flight testing here prior to exercise Emerald Flag 25-1 this month.
The Department of the Air Force Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management partnered with industry, federally funded research and development centers, and extreme teaming across the DAF to achieve milestone test objectives for the Common Tactical Edge Network, or CTEN.
“This demonstrates the architecture’s rapid adaptability to different mission sets and is a significant step towards achieving our near-term goals for aerial networking,” said Stephan Isco, C3BM’s Aerial Networking Branch lead engineer.
CTEN is a vendor-built, open architecture, government-owned overlay network replacing the existing prototype to enable distributed battle management command and control in highly contested environments.
For Emerald Flag, a new payload was developed to rehost virtual routers and integrate CTEN software onto a single-board computer within a single-level environment, demonstrating the systems adaptability.
The capability aims to provide tactical edge communications to enable dynamic distributed battle management command and control in contested and highly contested environments in support of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2.
CJADC2 is the Department of Defense’s approach to developing both material and non-material solutions to deliver information and decision advantage to commanders.
CTEN and other capabilities are combined to create the DAF BATTLE NETWORK, the Air Force’s contribution to the CJADC2 initiative.
The DAF BATTLE NETWORK is an integrated system of systems that connects sensors, effectors and logistics systems to provide enhanced situational awareness, faster decision-making, and decisive action for the force.
Emerald Flag is led by Eglin’s 96th Test Wing and offers an avenue for new complex weapons systems to be tested and advanced.
Numerous organizations contributed to achieving the milestone test objectives, including the Cyber and Networks Directorate, C3BA Aerial Networking, 66th Air Base Group security and operations, 645th Aeronautical Systems Group Big Safari, 46th Test Squadron, 76th Software Engineering Group, the 134th Fighter Squadron, MITRE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, and RTX.
For more information on Emerald Flag events visit DAF BATTLE NETWORK capability tested at Emerald Flag 24-3 > Air Force Materiel Command > Article Display