Sunday, November 8, 2026
TGOs

The business of defense

Get the Weekly
Topics
Menu
Search

Industry · Command and control

Army encounters problems integrating Anduril’s Lattice with older communications, Breaking Defense reports

The 25th Infantry Division’s architecture largely represents what the Army must build on for other I Corps units, officials told Breaking Defense.

The Army encountered problems integrating Anduril’s technology with existing communications, Army and company officials told Breaking Defense. The 25th Infantry Division attempted to use Lattice during September’s Lightning Surge 5 exercise in Hawaii.1

First attempt to integrate Anduril NGC2 tech into existing Army comms systems did not go exactly to plan

The test came in September when the 25th Infantry Division attempted to use Anduril's Lattice during Lightning Surge 5 in Hawaii

25th Infantry Divisionwill preserve some legacy capabilitiesplanned

the team will maintain integration with legacy equipment because not everyone gets fresh fielding like 4th ID

other I Corps divisionsNo definitive timelineplanned

Welch said it will occur within the fiscal year; the continuing resolution is having some impact and the Army will have to look at pacing some systems

Army and industry officials said the 25th ID architecture is largely representative of what they must build on as they baseline and field other I Corps units in the coming fiscal year

Reported by Breaking Defense, Oct. 19, 2026. Comments from Anduril NGC2 program manager James Craven and Joseph Welch, the Army's portfolio acquisition executive for command and control and counter command and control

Sources
TGOs tgos.io

Army and industry officials said the division’s architecture is largely representative of what they must build on to field other I Corps units.1

Earlier use at the 4th Infantry Division in Colorado paired Anduril’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) technology with new, mostly commercial hardware and software. James Craven, Anduril’s NGC2 program manager, said the 25th would preserve some legacy capabilities, and not every unit would receive fresh fielding like the 4th.1

Lockheed Martin leads integration for the 25th’s portion of NGC2 and served as integrator for Lattice. Chandra Marshall, Lockheed’s vice president of multi-domain combat solutions, said scaling with Lattice was an issue and passing data through the system was not where it should be. An Anduril official acknowledged growing pains but said they had discovered technical limitations in the broader communications architecture.1

Brig. Gen. Shane Taylor, the Army’s portfolio management executive for command and control information network, characterized much of what the Army saw as normal growing pains.1

Breaking Defense reported no definitive timeline for baselining other I Corps divisions. Joseph Welch, the Army’s portfolio acquisition executive for command and control and counter command and control, said it would occur within the fiscal year. The continuing resolution was having some impact, he said, and the Army would have to consider pacing some systems.1

Sources (1)
  1. Breaking Defense, “Army feels ‘growing pains’ as it integrates Anduril NGC2 tech with older comms,” Oct. 19, 2026 breakingdefense.com
Story permalink ↗
Keep readingBack to top ↑

Next story

Contracts · Weapon-system cybersecurity

Shift5 says $99 million Army contract expands its NGC2 role

Shift5 says it joined the Army's Next Generation Command and Control effort in February through Anduril Industries. The release does not say whether the $99 million is a ceiling.

Shift5 announced its selection for the Army's Next Generation Command and Control effort, or NGC2, on Oct. 15, 2026. The company says the five-year, $99 million contract expands its role from prototyping partner to NGC2 component.1

Shift5 says Army contract expands its command-and-control role

Army Next Generation Command and Control. Announced Oct. 15, 2026.

$99MContract value announced by Shift5
Five yearsContract term reported by Shift5

Shift5's release does not specify whether the $99 million is a ceiling or obligated funds.

Source: Shift5 release, Oct. 15, 2026. As of Oct. 17, 2026.

TGOs tgos.io

Shift5 says it joined the effort in February through Anduril Industries, integrating its platform with Lattice and supporting live demonstrations during the Army's Ivy Sting and Project Convergence exercises.1

Shift5's release does not specify the award date, contract type, contracting party or whether the value is a ceiling or obligated funds.1 The Department of War's daily contract announcements for Oct. 15 and Oct. 16 do not list Shift5.2–3

The company says its platform collects and translates operational data from military weapon systems regardless of asset type or protocol. It delivers mission-critical alerts to soldiers and continuous data streams to situational awareness and logistics applications, according to Shift5. CEO Toby Magsig said in the company's Oct. 15 release: "By delivering near real-time visibility into every platform, the Army can make faster, more informed sustainment decisions at enterprise scale."1

Sources (3)
  1. Shift5, "Shift5 Secures $99 Million Contract to Further Support Army Next Generation Command and Control," Oct. 15, 2026 shift5.io
  2. Department of War, Contracts for Oct. 15, 2026 www.war.gov
  3. Department of War, Contracts for Oct. 16, 2026 www.war.gov
Story permalink ↗

Next story

Capital · Air and missile defense

Anduril pitches new Steelfin interceptor as a lower-cost option to PAC-3

Anduril executives aim for a third of the PAC-3 MSE's price, Breaking Defense reported. The company declined to say whether Steelfin was selected for the Army's next-generation PAC-3 effort.

Anduril on Monday unveiled Steelfin, a family of two-stage surface-to-air interceptors designed for cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missile threats.1–2 Executives aim for it to cost a third of the price of the Patriot's PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), Breaking Defense reported.2 That benchmark is Lockheed Martin's missile, built under an undefinitized multiyear contract Lockheed puts at $58.62 billion. Lockheed says that funding lets it triple PAC-3 MSE capacity by the end of 2030.4

Anduril executives are aiming for Steelfin to cost a third of the price of the Patriot's PAC-3 MSE

The Army's Future Interceptor program seeks a next-gen version of the PAC-3 MSE

Steelfin interceptoraiming to cost a third of the priceplanned

will begin flight testing Steelfin variants next year

Lockheed Martinone of two companies selectedactual

Lockheed Martin and one other undisclosed company were selected for the Army's Future Interceptor program

Anduril executives declined to comment on whether Steelfin was selected for Future Interceptor

Reported by Breaking Defense, Oct. 9 and Oct. 12, 2026; Anduril, Oct. 12, 2026

Sources
TGOs tgos.io

Anduril was one of many vendors chosen for testing and demonstrations after the Army's xTech Apex Intercept competition, Breaking Defense reported Monday. Steve Milano, Anduril's senior director of missiles, said the company is vying for the Army's low-cost interceptor program with Steelfin. He called it a "natural fit" for Future Interceptor, the Army's effort to find a next-generation PAC-3 MSE, though Anduril executives declined to say whether Steelfin was selected.2 Lockheed's Tim Cahill said in a Breaking Defense report Friday that Lockheed is one of two companies selected, without naming the other.3

The company says Steelfin variants are compatible with launchers including the M903A2, the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System and Typhon. It plans to produce on the order of several thousand Steelfin variants a year in the short term.1 Milano expects full-rate production at the end of 2028 or the beginning of 2029, Breaking Defense reported. Anduril intends to build most subassemblies at Arsenal-1 in Ohio and do final integration with a "handful of our partners," he said.2 Anduril says it has spent years on Steelfin "investing alongside multiple customers," though neither its announcement nor the outlet's report names one or describes an order.1–2

Anduril says it has completed ballistic testing with representative air vehicles and will begin flight testing Steelfin variants next year.1 Naming the second Future Interceptor company will show whether Steelfin advanced in the same program as Lockheed's PAC-3 Edge, which Lockheed intends to begin testing in 2027, according to Breaking Defense.3

Sources (4)
  1. Anduril: Steelfin (Oct. 12, 2026) www.anduril.com
  2. Breaking Defense: Anduril unveils Steelfin interceptor as cheaper option to PAC-3 missiles (Oct. 12, 2026) breakingdefense.com
  3. Breaking Defense: Lockheed unveils PAC-3 Edge, its next-gen Patriot interceptor (Oct. 9, 2026) breakingdefense.com
  4. Lockheed Martin: Department of War Awards Lockheed Martin $58.62B for Multiyear PAC-3 MSE Production (July 29, 2026) news.lockheedmartin.com
Story permalink ↗

More from TGOs