NGC2 Reaches Scale as the Army's Drone-Warfare Leadership Unravels
Ukraine showed that drone warfare turns on the network connecting sensors and shooters. The US Army now has a working answer in NGC2, but the leaders and the unit that forced its adoption are being removed as the technology matures.
Ukraine showed that drone warfare turns on the network connecting sensors and shooters. The US Army now has a working answer, but the leaders and unit that forced its adoption are being removed as the technology matures.
The US Army is closing the technical gap that Secretary Dan Driscoll identified in May 2026, while reopening it inside the institution. Driscoll told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Ukraine's Delta integrates every drone, sensor and shooting platform into one network. Of the Army's systems, he said: "Ours does not." Pressed on why the service was embracing Ukrainian-style integration only in the war's fifth year, he accepted the fault as his alone. The New York Times published an inside account of Delta on Aug. 26 that gives the admission its full weight: the Army now knows what it needs and has built much of it, just as the officials who drove the change are leaving.
Delta's 6,600 daily hits
Delta is a cloud battle-management system run by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. It grew out of Aerorozvidka, a volunteer group experimenting with reconnaissance drones against Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and has drawn on the NATO C4 Trust Fund since roughly 2017. It ingests drone video, radio intercepts and satellite imagery, identifies targets and pushes them to thousands of reconnaissance and strike drones. Col. Artem Martynenko, who oversees the software's development for the ministry, calls Delta the nervous system of the drone force that has slowed Russian advances to a near standstill. The aircraft provide reach. Delta decides how quickly their information becomes action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Delta?
A cloud battle-management system run by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. It fuses drone video, radio intercepts and satellite imagery into one targeting picture and pushes targets to reconnaissance and strike drones. It grew out of the volunteer group Aerorozvidka in 2014 and has drawn on the NATO C4 Trust Fund since roughly 2017.
Did the US Army Secretary really say the Army cannot match it?
Dan Driscoll told the Senate Armed Services Committee in May 2026 that Delta integrates every drone, sensor and shooting platform into one network, and said of the Army's systems, "Ours does not." He told the committee the fault for the delay was his alone.
What is NGC2?
Next Generation Command and Control, the Army's answer to the same problem. The Army selected Anduril in June 2026 to lead its common data baseline, partnered with Palantir on a data mesh combining Lattice and Foundry. The Army declared it ready to scale on July 29 after Project Convergence-Capstone 6 at Fort Irwin.
Why does the leadership change matter if the technology works?
Gen. Randy George, who championed the Europe drone battalion, was forced out as Army chief of staff in April with no permanent successor nominated. Driscoll has discussed resigning, per NBC News. The Associated Press reported the Unmanned Assault Battalion is reverting to airborne infantry. Programs crossing commands and budgets rely on sustained senior sponsorship.
Who gains commercially?
Anduril and Palantir. Owning the data layer sets the integration terms for the more than 60 companies the Army says contribute to the NGC2 ecosystem, a more durable position than a single platform award.
What should Europe watch?
Whether European forces adopt an American commercial data layer or build a sovereign alternative from providers such as Helsing, SAP and Atos, per SPARTANAT's assessment. Ukraine keeps Delta nationally owned and controls data access.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Below this point
- The horizontal kill web
- NGC2 at Fort Irwin
- The Unmanned Assault Battalion
- Lattice, Foundry and Europe's data choice
- Fiscal 2027
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.