Fuse Integration announced that a recent demonstration of its Tactical Edge Network (TEN) successfully enabled cross-country connectivity across a distributed mobile network. Connected systems reached back through the Tactical Edge Network Targeting in a Contested Long-Range Environment (TENTaCLE) architecture with a forward-deployed ground station to enable tactical data link gateway between a forward-deployed battlespace node and command and control units distributed across the country. Working closely with the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Fuse’s portable and secure network architecture, Kraken Expeditionary Gateway (KEG), extended the reach of the Atlantic Test Range from Patuxent River, Maryland out into the Pacific Ocean.
“Fuse has developed and tested tactical edge networks in multiple events over the past five years,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “This demonstration of our TEN architecture, interconnected with line-of-sight mesh networks and tactical data link gateway, shows that we are bringing essential CJADC2 capability to our warfighters at the edge.”
This most recent experiment showcased the flexible features of Fuse TENTaCLE, supporting connectivity aligned with the Department of Defense Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) effort. Layering a coalition network into the TENTaCLE architecture with live automated failover between aircraft and test nodes enabled the architecture to maintain connectivity—even when the greater SIPRNet went down during the demonstration.
As part of the demonstration, an experimental KRAKEN Robot was deployed with the expeditionary KEG kit and controlled by remote C2 users thousands of miles away. This secure coalition network successfully leveraged a global hybrid SATCOM link, in conjunction with secure data, to enable multiple users to access data at various security levels.
Fuse’s TENTaCLE architecture is a joint tactical edge networking capability that has been developed through Joint Capability Technology Demonstration and Office of the Secretary of Defense development efforts. The first platforms to deploy TENTaCLE were B-52s and F/A-18 Hornets. Through further development with NAVAIR and U.S. Air Force programs, Fuse has now extended TENTaCLE capabilities to reach out to other aircraft to support coalition users.
The fleet-wide fielding of the Fuse CORE® multi-function network controller on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye platform will bring resilient networks with hybrid SATCOM linking it to the tactical edge.
About Fuse Integration
Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.FuseIntegration.com
NAVAIR Public Release 2025-0107. Distribution Statement A—Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
