US-Based Anduril Wins NATO Contract for eAirC2 Data Platform Initiative

Modern air operations require the rapid and secure exchange of reliable information. Red Flag 26-02 exercise, Alaska, 2026. Photo: U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kentavist P. Brackin

US-based Anduril has achieved another success in the European market. NATO has selected the defense company's flagship Lattice platform for its eAirC2 Data Platform Initiative. The proposed solution is intended to integrate both new and existing systems while allowing every NATO member state to retain full control over its own operational data.

Contract Details

According to a press release, the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has selected Anduril Industries as a supplier under the Enhanced Air Command and Control (eAirC2) Data Platform Initiative.

During a nine-month evaluation phase, the company—working through Anduril UK and its European team—will deploy the Lattice platform within the NATO environment. It will integrate functions including:

• Air traffic control
• Airspace surveillance
• Force management

This will allow NATO to assess the system against the Alliance's operational requirements. The announcement was made during the NATO Summit in Ankara, which was dominated by decisions concerning new procurement initiatives and armament programs across the Alliance.

The Lattice Platform

It was further specified that Lattice integrates existing systems through an open architecture rather than replacing them with new solutions. Key features include:

• Secure data exchange between organizations while allowing individual nations to retain full control over their own information assets
• Resilient operation in degraded or restricted communications environments, maintaining uninterrupted operational capability against electronic-warfare measures or cyber interference

As European NATO members modernize their command-and-control systems, Lattice will allow them to integrate both new and existing capabilities while ensuring that each nation retains complete control over its own operational data.

The press release explicitly states that modern air operations require the rapid and secure exchange of reliable information to support faster decision-making and more effective operational coordination. This challenge is compounded by the need to facilitate cooperation among 32 member states, each of which operates its own systems, procedures and information-security requirements.

The modernization of NATO's air command-and-control architecture is intended to allow Allied nations to conduct joint operations securely while retaining full control over their own data.

The eAirC2 Data Platform Initiative

The eAirC2 Data Platform Initiative represents the next stage in the development of NATO's modular, data-centric architecture for the command and control of air operations.

Under the project, Anduril will assess the Lattice platform's ability to:

• Securely integrate existing systems
• Exchange operational data
• Support operations conducted by an integrated coalition of Allied nations

The eAirC2 program is described as one of NATO's most important modernization initiatives currently under way. In practical terms, it involves building a digital nervous system for Allied air operations in a potential high-intensity conflict.

Objectives of eAirC2

The capability is intended to enable NATO to:

• Manage all types of air operations seamlessly throughout the Supreme Allied Commander Europe's area of responsibility
• Integrate air traffic control, surveillance, air mission control, airspace management and force-management functions
• Support multidomain surveillance, threat detection and threat assessment, integrated with the space and cyber domains

All of these functions are to be enabled by resilient, data-centric and interoperable command-and-control systems.

Strategic Context

Defence24 has repeatedly noted that Anduril Industries is steadily expanding its position on the international defense market, including in such important regions as the United States, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

However, supplying various effectors and unmanned systems is one thing; entering the command-and-control domain with Lattice is another. This means earning trust in solutions that are essential to one of NATO's key military capabilities.

One of the factors distinguishing NATO's military potential from that of Russia is the Alliance's position in the air domain. The critical importance of air power underscores the strategic significance of this contract.