The Air Force is consolidating more than 50 of its battle network programs into a single contract vehicle worth up to $4.5 billion, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The move was reported Oct. 14, 2026.
The contract vehicle, nicknamed ‘Megatron,’ will replace multiple separate programs with one unified acquisition mechanism.
Details of which specific programs are included or the timeline for the contract award were not disclosed in the report.
The announcement comes as the Army separately advances its own next-generation command-and-control system. On Sept. 30, the Army awarded Anduril Industries a contract worth up to $1.8 billion over five years to help transition its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) software from experimentation to fielding. The initial award is $162.8 million to continue work on NGC2’s common data baseline, which will be implemented across I Corps in the Indo-Pacific.
Anduril, along with Palantir, Raft and Striveworks, have helped build the baseline. The system is intended to allow technologies, weapons, sensors and applications to operate on the same network, increasing decision-making speed on the battlefield.
During a July 2026 exercise at Fort Irwin, California, Project Convergence-Capstone 6, the Army tested NGC2 with 10,000 participants from U.S. and allied forces using 90 technologies. In May, Anduril deployed the system at Fort Carson and Pinon Canyon using over 160 tactical edge computers, over 2,500 devices and 40 applications.
Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said, ‘We know the biggest risk to our national security and our national defense is not moving too fast. It’s not moving fast enough. The side that can sense a target, process the data, and deliver a kinetic effect the fastest, wins.’
The NGC2 is set to replace the Army’s first-generation command-and-control system, which helps control fire, logistics and airspace. The Army has said it wants to implement NGC2 as soon as possible.
Sources: DVIDS News · Defense News