Anduril Industries has developed an integrated, expeditionary, secure, Command, Control, Communications and Computing (C4) platform that is designed to give warfighters the ability to rapidly plan and execute missions at geographically dispersed and austere locations.
Known as Menace, the platform is expeditionary, scalable, and designed to support the unique needs of the US Air Force and the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept of operations as well as the US Marine Corps and the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) doctrine.
According to Anduril, Menace is multi-mission capable and enables warfighters to plan and execute a variety of missions from forward deployed locations including local command and control of deployed forces, base defense and security, counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (cUAS), and maintenance and logistics.
The Air Force’s strategic focus against near-peer adversaries during large-scale combat operations necessitates the rapid placement of structures and equipment which have robust and secure communications and Command and Control (C2) architecture. As assets position and reposition around the battlefield they require fast, integrated connection to other assets, command posts and battlefield commanders.
Menace is designed to be flexible and expeditionary to meet Air Force requirements. Menace is transportable via the air on a single C-130. It can be set up with two people and be online and fully operational within 10 minutes of emplacement. Menace is Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)-equipped to withstand extreme temperatures. Quick setup and tear-down allows Menace to rapidly maneuver to sustain sortie generation during dispersed operations.
Menace can provide redundant and resilient communications and can be operated in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments. Menace integrates redundant Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) and Line Of Sight (LOS) communications paths. Menace leverages long-haul commercial Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite communications (SATCOM), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) MILSAT SATCOM, and High Frequency (HF) communications pathways. Menace is also secure, SCIF and SAP-F capable to enable classified mission planning even in austere locations.
Easily adaptable to all mission types, Menace can scale its size and integrate compute, communications, power, and thermal designs to different form factors, providing a C4 solution for tactical, and strategic operations. For example, Menace elements of the command, control, communications and computing platform can be applied to the MRZR for tactical C2, fires and maneuvers or bigger form factors like the JLTV for more complex operations.
Menace has a modular, open systems architecture and is software-agnostic — offering a high degree of flexibility. Menace allows for the continuous integration and delivery of new and emerging technologies, ensuring warfighters are able to stay one step ahead of emerging threats and the hardware is up to date nearly indefinitely.
