Evolving Modular Detachment Kit Edge to Accelerate Command and Control

A new form of tactical command and control (C2) and battle management (BM) is on its way to becoming operational in Europe. It’s the latest success in a long-term partnership enabling the development and fielding of Booz Allen’s Modular Detachment Kit Edge, a lightweight and scalable system to empower mobile defense that uses Booz Allen’s Modular Detachment Kit (MDK) as the foundation of the solution.

Stakeholders initiated the effort in response to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s challenge to expedite delivery of critical warfighter capabilities. Modular Detachment Kit Edge, fielded by U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and Booz Allen, is providing crucial C2/BM capability to the European Command (EUCOM) area of responsibility. 

Collaborating with partners like Booz Allen since 2005, the Air Force has worked with technologists to support the fielding, sustainment, and modernization of the U.S. Central Command Air Forces Battle Control Center (BC-3)—a powerful solution delivering robust and connected tactical C2 capabilities for Air Force Central Command (AFCENT).

Initially deployed at Al Udeid, Qatar, BC-3 spanned operations from Afghanistan to the Red Sea. The Booz Allen team provided and tested the concept and solution, enabling the transition to Shaw Air Force Base. The team anticipated the need to design and prototype a lightweight, highly mobile, and modular solution capable of executing BC-3 battle management mission sets—and soon, the Modular Detachment Kit (MDK) concept was born.

The Modular Detachment Kit team built the solution as a modular, highly tailorable, scalable integration of government off-the-shelf (GOTS) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software. Agnostic in design, Modular Detachment Kit frees the government from vendor lockout, enables healthy competition, and integrates with other capabilities, both programs of record and legacy solutions.

Responding to a request from Air Combat Command and with the support of AFRL, Booz Allen provided the Modular Detachment Kit Edge technology demonstrator for Project Convergence 2022 (PC22). There it fused data from multiple sensor types and data feeds and provided the Common Tactical Picture across the PC22 enterprise.

The requirement to meet rapid mobility was demonstrated when Air National Guard Air Control Squadron members moved the initial deployment at Camp Pendleton to a remote site in the Navy China Lake Range—with setup time under 60 minutes.

Specific capabilities demonstrated include:

• Sending targets digitally to the Army’s Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS)
• Extending classified and unclassified networks for airfield connectivity
• Integrating unmanned aircraft system electronic intelligence (ELINT) data directly into the targeting “kill chain”

To ensure a streamlined process, the Modular Detachment Kit Edge team created a digital engineering model that interfaces with the Air Force’s command, control, and communications (C3) Transformational Model Battle Management (TM-BM). This enables rigorous design reviews, trade-off decisions, and performance analysis—accelerating delivery on the Air Force’s contribution to Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2).