US Air Force and Raytheon Are Studying How Distributed Ledgers Could Help Command the Skies
A USAF Airman participating in command and control drills near Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
(Staff Sgt. Kaylee Clark/USAF)
The U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) continuing series of blockchain investments is entering the realm of battle management systems with a nearly $500,000 contract award to defense giant Raytheon.
- Raytheon BBN Technologies won a $495,039 contract titled: “Characterizing the applicability and relevance of DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) in Air C2” (CARDIAC) from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
- The contract’s title indicates that Raytheon’s advanced tech researchers will consider how DLT can benefit commanders’ ability to keep their eyes on the skies and their pilots safe and lethal. That’s the gist of C2, Pentagon shorthand for Command and Control.
- It was difficult to discern the details of the CARDIAC program. Other than the title, the parties, the funding and the date, the contract viewed by CoinDesk Thursday had little to reveal.
- Raytheon BBN did not immediately respond to a request for comment and neither did AFRL.
- But the USAF has made clear this year that it is preparing to spend millions of dollars on modernizing C2. “Highly advanced and lethal tools” help airmen “to prevail in the high-end fight,” officers wrote in its FY2021 budget overview.
- That document requested $435 million for an “Advanced Battle Management System” that links USAF and Space Force’s war-fighting capacity.
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