Anduril Industries has introduced Menace-X, an expeditionary command, control, communications, and computing (C4) vehicle-based system that extends strategic and operational-level capabilities to the tactical edge. Built to operate in denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) communication environments, Menace-X enables resilient command and control of complex mission sets, such as deep sensing and coordination of maritime surface fires, in a highly-mobile form factor.
Current C2 solutions require large logistical footprints, significant set-up time, and specialized training. With logistics and communications networks of forward-deployed and stand-in forces increasingly at risk of adversary targeting, warfighters need to quickly disperse, maneuver, and communicate across distributed forces to sustain operations at the edge while under multi-domain attack. This is where Menace-X comes into play.
Menace-X is easily transported by MV-22, CH-53, MH-47, C-130 and almost any other air and naval platform to provide on-demand C2 anywhere on Earth. It is designed with warfighters in mind, featuring an intuitive and ergonomic interface activated at the flip of a switch, allowing operators to easily observe and control power, communications, and compute subsystems. Operators can use government-furnished software or Anduril’s Lattice C2 suite for tasking live assets and workflows to generate effects on the battlefield, or use built-in applications for battle space analytics, collaborative planning, automated threat detection, and high-value targeting.
"Menace-X provides absolute situational awareness of friendly and adversary forces by bringing national, strategic and local sensor data and tracks down to the tactical level, allowing for the real-time tasking of assets and prosecution of targets," said Tom Keane, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Anduril. “Fully operational within minutes of aircraft roll-off, Menace-X allows teams at the tactical edge to C2 forces, fires, and effects at the speed and scale necessary to achieve over-match of the pacing threat.”
Menace-X features resilient, software-defined communications infrastructure that can be orchestrated on a user-defined basis, allowing operators to use the electromagnetic spectrum as a maneuver space. And with integrated mesh networking and Anduril’s AutoPACE™ software, Menace-X monitors the performance of network pathways and intelligently selects the optimal link with the ability to adjust based on mission requirements. Onboard communications include bi-directional data exchange across six pathways (PLEO, GEO, Cellular, UHF/VHF, HF/WBHF, Hardline, Link-16) and unidirectional receipt of three further data feeds (IBS, ADS-B, AIS). The open architecture of Menace-X enables operators to access joint sensor-to-shooter networks, ingress and hold custody of thousands of weapons-quality tracks, and if necessary, egress those tracks to weapons control systems for targeting and prosecution.
Menace-X expands the Menace family of expeditionary C4 solutions by delivering operational-level capabilities to the tactical edge, furthering the reach of the joint force inside contested areas. The system has been successfully demonstrated at several U.S. military exercises, including the Marine Corps’ Weapons & Tactics Instructor course and the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence Capstone event, and is deploying globally across 2024.
Click here to learn more about Anduril's Menace-X C4 vehicle-based system.
