Huntsville-based Performance Drone Works (PDW) is partnering with software company Ditto to make it easier for military personnel to share battlefield intelligence collected by drones, using commercially available smartphones and tablets instead of specialized equipment.
Under the agreement, Ditto’s Propagate networking software will be integrated with PDW’s C100 small uncrewed aircraft system, allowing operators to distribute drone sensor data across multiple military communications networks.
Company officials say technology is meant to reduce the need for expensive, custom-built devices traditionally used to route battlefield intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data.
Propagate runs as an application on standard Android phones and tablets, allowing the devices to receive and transmit information over multiple tactical radio connections without modifications to their operating systems.
That means military units could replace damaged or lost devices with commercially available equipment rather than waiting for specialized hardware.
“The C100 gives operators greater reach, and the information it collects needs to move just as effectively across the force,” said Shawn Hall, PDW’s chief revenue officer. “Pairing Propagate with the C100’s modular, adaptable design gives operators a streamlined ability to see farther, understand their environment, relay data, and respond as the mission demands.”
Ditto previously demonstrated the software during U.S. Army technical exercises, where an Android device received drone sensor data over a tactical radio connection and routed it to another application without changes to the device’s operating system.
The software can also connect different communications systems, including mobile ad hoc networks and satellite communications, allowing video, telemetry and command-and-control information to move between drone operators and other personnel.
“The move towards data-centric warfare requires distribution and access to the kind of sensor data PDW’s drones produce,” said Eric Hanft, Ditto’s senior vice president of public sector. “Propagate was built to unlock the scale of true COTS End User Devices, and avoid the high cost of custom phones and network switching boxes.”
Developed and manufactured by PDW, the C100 is a portable, modular drone designed for reconnaissance, communications relay, spectrum awareness and support for military operations.
The aircraft has received multiple U.S. Army contracts, including awards supporting the Medium Range Reconnaissance program and the Transformation in Contact initiative.
According to the company, the C100 is deployed across U.S. military commands in the Indo-Pacific, Europe and Middle East, as well as with public safety agencies and allied partners.
The agreement is the latest development for PDW as the company expands its manufacturing capabilities and defense technology partnerships in Huntsville.
In October, PDW announced a partnership with Ukrainian defense technology companies The Fourth Law and Odd Systems to explore bringing battlefield-tested thermal camera technology into U.S. production.
The company also received a conditional federal loan commitment of up to $820 million in August to support expanded domestic manufacturing of drone components.
PDW operates its 90,000-square-foot Drone Factory 01 in Huntsville’s Research Park, where it develops and manufactures military drone systems.
Financial terms of the Ditto agreement and a timeline for integrating Propagate into the C100 were not disclosed.
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