CAMBRIDGE, MA, May 21, 2026 – RTX’s BBN Technologies has demonstrated a self-healing communications system that keeps combat air support data moving when networks are jammed, fragmented or unavailable. Funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the system uses PACE4ACE routing to shift traffic across satellite links, tactical radios and other communication paths without operator input.
The system operates across military and commercial communication pathways, from satellite links to low-power tactical radios. It uses the Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency for Agile Combat Employment ((PACE4ACE) architecture, to select an available link and reroute traffic when network conditions change.
“For warfighters on the ground and in the cockpit, PACE4ACE helps ensure critical data never disappears, even under jamming,” said Dr. Sam Nelson, principal investigator at RTX BBN Technologies. “The network self-heals, so crews can focus on the mission instead of troubleshooting communications.”
During the exercise, four geographically dispersed sites remained connected. When high-capacity links were jammed, the system switched to the next viable waveform. That process maintained situational awareness and kept Open Mission Systems and Team Awareness Kit applications synchronized.
PACE4ACE includes:
- Resilient, self-healing communications, providing continuity if a link is disrupted.
- Compact, low-SWaP architecture, suited for space- and power-constrained systems.
- Multiband support, allowing use of diverse communication channels.
- Plug-and-play integration, supporting setup with common mission systems.
- Dynamic, real-time routing, maintaining traffic flow as conditions change.
The demonstration supports the U.S. Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept. It showed that dispersed air support units can maintain secure communications across combinations of satellite, radio and low-power links.
Work on PACE4ACE is being conducted in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Long-range radios used in the test were supplied by the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition in Pensacola, Florida, while Collins Aerospace provided high-frequency support from Ottawa, Canada.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command under Contract No. FA8750-20-C-0544. The work is supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
Source: RTX
About RTX BBN Technologies
RTX BBN Technologies, formerly Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), is a R&D company based in Cambridge, MA, and a subsidiary of RTX Corporation. Founded in 1948, the company provides solutions in analytics, machine intelligence, networking, multi-domain sensing, and physical sciences. Its history includes pioneering work on the ARPANET and the first email, and it focuses on areas such as quantum-secure networks. BBN serves defense, intelligence, scientific, and federal customers with research, development, testing, and engineering services that support national security and advanced technology programs.
Source: RTX
RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, is a global aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems, products and services. It specializes in aircraft engines, avionics, cybersecurity solutions and defense systems, serving the aerospace, defense, intelligence and security sectors. With a history spanning more than a century, RTX combines expertise from its predecessor companies to support technological development. Headquartered in Waltham, MA, the company employs about 185,000 people worldwide. Its clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Airbus and Boeing. RTX supports commercial and military programs by focusing on safety, performance and efficiency, while addressing operational challenges across multiple sectors.