NATO selects Anduril’s Lattice platform for next-generation air command and control

According to the alliance, the program “is a key part of NATO’s broader initiative to enhance warfighting effectiveness in a rapidly evolving technological landscape and will enhance the Alliance’s ability to respond to evolving air and missile threats.”

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey, in the presence of representatives from the NATO Communications and Information Agency, the NATO Independent Program Office, and industry partners.

“Another important step towards our goal of stitching together every platform, even the ones built decades ago,” Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey wrote on X/Twitter following the announcement.

Lattice is an AI platform that uses computer vision, machine learning, and mesh networking to fuse real-time data from disparate sources into a single, autonomous operating picture. The open‑architecture suite is designed to fuse sensors, autonomous platforms, and command‑and‑control tools, enabling faster threat detection and more resilient battlefield networks.

Anduril, through its UK branch and European team, will deploy Lattice inside the NATO platforms. The trial will integrate air traffic control, surveillance, and force‑management functions to assess whether the system meets NATO’s operational requirements.

NATO’s air operations depend on the ability to rapidly and securely share trusted information among 32 member states, each with its own systems, authorities, and security rules. The alliance’s modernization of its Air Command and Control architecture aims to allow allied air forces to operate together while maintaining national control over sensitive data.

“These contract awards represent an important milestone in delivering improved situational awareness, better coordination, and faster decision-making across the NATO Command and Force Structures,” said NCIA General Manager Dr Dylan Browne. “The project is a tangible demonstration of NATO innovation and cooperation with industry to ensure we’re deploying state-of-the-art technology that can evolve and be scaled as needed.”

Lattice is designed to connect existing systems through an open architecture rather than replace them. According to Anduril, the platform enables operational data to move securely between organizations while allowing nations to retain sovereignty over their information.

The system is built to function in contested environments, continuing to synchronize, orchestrate, and distribute data even when communications are disrupted or degraded. The company said the platform is intended to ensure that commanders maintain a trusted operational picture during high‑pressure operations.

The eAirC2 Data Platform initiative is part of NATO’s transition to a modular, data‑centric architecture for allied air operations. The selection allows Anduril to demonstrate how Lattice can help NATO securely connect legacy and modern systems, share operational information, and improve coalition command and control.

The move also builds on Anduril’s expanding work with European governments seeking to modernize command and control through open, software‑defined architectures. Last November, the company took part in Digital Shield 1.0 in Tallinn, Estonia, to support the alliance’s Eastern Flank’s Deterrence Line amid heightened tensions with Russia.

The company joined the US Army’s 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command and the Estonian Defense Forces to link national and allied sensors into a single network. It used its Menace-T compute and communication kits and established Lattice nodes in the cloud, creating a resilient network.

“By connecting these systems through Lattice, Anduril enabled real-time data fusion across previously separate radar, acoustic, and commercial networks,” the company said at the time.

“Feeds that once operated independently were synchronized and shared instantly across US and Estonian command nodes, allowing operators at radar sites, the Estonian Control and Reporting Centre, and US Army Europe’s G-3 Operational Data Team to see the same tracks simultaneously, distinguishing drones from birds, validating detections, and coordinating faster responses.”

Last week, NATO announced that it had reached full technical operational capability of Maven Smart System (MSS). The command and control platform developed by Palantir is powered by AI and tracks Russian troop movements and provides timely warnings to commanders about possible threats and identifies possible targets.

While it’s already in use by the British Defense Ministry, last month France's domestic intelligence agency DGSI announced that it would replace tools from Palantir in favour of a French ‌rival, ChapsVision.

European governments have grown increasingly wary about dependency on US tech platforms, and particularly on Palantir Technologies. Germany's military has ​said it will ​no longer use Palantir, ⁠while Britain is reviewing the National Health Service's £330 million ($440 million) data contract with Palantir following political and parliamentary pressure.

Anduril was founded by Palmer Luckey in 2017 and has since been awarded numerous contracts by the Pentagon and around the world for its defense solutions. Anduril was founded as a company to develop a command-and-control system for the US-Mexico border and later expanded to all security products, including drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, UAVs, and even fighter jets.

In March, Anduril was awarded one of the largest technology-focused contracts issued by the Army in recent years at $20 billion to integrate Lattice into a unified, mission-ready capability supporting the Army’s evolving operational needs.

Officials from the company, including Luckey and CEO and co-founder Brian Schimpf, have visited Israel several times, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), as well as several defense primes and startups.