Ditto and Qualcomm Technologies Demonstrate Resilient Tactical-Edge Data Sharing at AUSA 2026
Ditto, a data platform designed to support operations in environments where conventional connectivity may be unreliable or unavailable, announced that Qualcomm Technologies, through its Qualcomm Government Technologies (QGOV) division, integrated Ditto Propagate and Ditto Edge Sync into its tactical-edge demonstration at AUSA 2026. The event took place from October 12 to 14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
During the demonstration, Ditto’s software served as the Software Defined Network and Assured Data Layer, illustrating how commercial Android devices and tactical radios can exchange information across disrupted, disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DDIL) environments. The demonstration focused on maintaining data continuity when conventional network connections fail and restoring synchronization when connectivity becomes available again.
The collaboration highlights how commercially available technologies can support military communications and data-sharing requirements without depending entirely on centralized servers or uninterrupted links to headquarters.
Demonstration Connects Tactical Radios and Commercial Android Devices
A central feature of the AUSA 2026 demonstration was Ditto Propagate’s ability to bridge different radio waveforms and fielded tactical radios through commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Android devices. By connecting these communication components, the software demonstrated how information could move between otherwise disparate network systems.
When a device lost its connection to a central server or cloud environment, applications and operators continued synchronizing data directly with nearby peers. Once the connection returned, the devices could reconnect with the server or cloud and resume synchronization. This approach is intended to help personnel maintain access to shared information even when a network experiences interruptions.
The demonstration also incorporated integrations with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) and other tactical platforms. These integrations supported a shared operational picture across disconnected and contested networks, allowing information to remain available to participating devices without requiring every user to maintain a continuous connection to a central system.
Maintaining a consistent operational picture is particularly important in tactical environments, where personnel may need to exchange updates while operating beyond reliable communications coverage. A system that preserves locally available information and synchronizes changes when connections return can help reduce dependence on continuous reach-back communications.
Ditto Propagate Creates a Flexible Tactical-Edge Network
Ditto Propagate is designed to turn a commercial Android device into a tactical-edge network hub. The application can route data across multiple radio interfaces simultaneously, helping connect communication paths that would otherwise operate separately.
According to the company, Propagate can perform this function without requiring custom hardware, modifications to the Android operating system, or root access. This approach could allow organizations to use existing commercial devices as part of a broader tactical network rather than depending exclusively on purpose-built equipment.
The ability to work with multiple radio interfaces is central to the demonstration. Tactical formations can use different communications systems for different operational requirements, but exchanging information across those systems can be challenging. A software-defined networking layer can help bridge these connections and move data between participating devices.
By operating on commercially available Android hardware, Ditto Propagate is intended to support a more flexible approach to tactical networking. The model also offers the potential to make new capabilities available through software deployments and updates, rather than requiring every change to involve a new hardware platform.
Ditto Edge Sync Preserves Data During Network Disruptions
Ditto Edge Sync complements Propagate by enabling devices to synchronize information directly with one another. The application supports peer-to-peer data exchange and automatically reconciles conflicting edits, helping preserve a consistent operational picture when multiple users update information while disconnected.
In conventional network architectures, devices frequently depend on a central server to distribute updates and maintain shared data. When that central connection becomes unavailable, synchronization may stop or users may lose access to the latest information. In a DDIL environment, these limitations can affect applications that depend on current data.
Edge Sync is designed to address this challenge by allowing devices to continue exchanging information locally. When communication links are jammed, severed, or otherwise unavailable, participating devices can continue working with their available data and synchronize directly with peers within reach. When connectivity is restored, the system can reconcile changes and resume synchronization with the broader network.
Ditto said its Propagate and Edge Sync applications could help turn the more than three billion Android phones and tablets in global circulation into a foundation for resilient data layers in DDIL environments. The company argues that this model offers an alternative to traditional hub-and-spoke architectures, which can become vulnerable when centralized servers or connections are disrupted.
Companies Highlight the Need for Resilient Data Architecture
Eric Hanft, senior vice president for Public Sector at Ditto, said conventional hub-and-spoke systems would face significant challenges in a conflict with technologically advanced adversaries. He emphasized the need for a tactical-edge data layer that can continue functioning when data servers become targets and communications infrastructure is disrupted.
Hanft said the combination of Ditto’s combat-proven software and Qualcomm’s advanced transport technologies creates an edge-network architecture designed to be difficult to disrupt.
His comments reflect a broader operational concern: military applications increasingly depend on data, but the systems that deliver that data must remain useful when communications links cannot be guaranteed. Distributing data synchronization and networking functions across edge devices can reduce reliance on a single central connection, although actual performance will depend on the operating environment, available radio links, device capabilities, and implementation.
Qualcomm Technologies also emphasized the importance of combining commercially developed technologies with fielded military systems.
Ken Davis, vice president for Global Defense Business Development at Qualcomm Technologies, said future tactical networks would require resilient, adaptable platforms capable of integrating dual-use innovation with existing systems. He explained that the demonstration showed how Qualcomm’s wireless connectivity, edge computing, and on-device artificial intelligence capabilities could help commercial devices and tactical radios function as an integrated ecosystem through Ditto Propagate and Edge Sync.
Davis also highlighted the potential to process data and provide decision support closer to the point of need, including when reach-back communications are limited or denied. By bringing computing capabilities closer to users and operational devices, organizations may be able to support faster access to relevant information without relying on uninterrupted connections to remote infrastructure.
He further noted that military technology must be scalable across formations, missions, and partner forces. Commercially proven technologies and established global ecosystems can potentially reduce deployment costs and complexity, support more frequent technology updates, and make advanced capabilities accessible beyond a limited number of specialized units.
According to Davis, a dual-use approach can accelerate the delivery of interoperable systems while supporting connectivity, data continuity, and actionable intelligence in contested environments.
Demonstration Builds on Growing Military Adoption
The AUSA demonstration follows a series of military engagements involving Ditto’s technology across different branches and operational programs.
The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) awarded Ditto a $17 million APFIT contract to field the Ditto Mission Fabric across SOCOM. The initiative is intended to support real-time data sharing between human operators and autonomous systems, addressing the need for information exchange across complex operational environments.
The U.S. Marine Corps began evaluating Ditto in July as the data layer for Project Dynamis’ Assured Command and Control pillar. The evaluation reflects the importance of maintaining reliable access to information as military organizations develop command-and-control capabilities for environments where network availability cannot be assumed.
The U.S. Army’s Program Manager Unmanned Aerial Systems also contracted Ditto Propagate for drone sensor data distribution. The application is intended to support the movement of sensor information across tactical networks, where timely data exchange can be important to mission coordination and situational awareness.
In addition, Ditto holds a Defense Innovation Unit success memo for maritime collaborative autonomy. This work adds a maritime dimension to the company’s military-related activities and reflects the broader need to share data among distributed platforms operating in environments with variable connectivity.
Ditto said each service independently identified the commercial platform as a potential solution to the same underlying DDIL challenge. While the programs have different operational contexts, they share a requirement to maintain data availability and synchronization when conventional networks are interrupted.
These engagements represent adoption, evaluation, or contracted work across different programs; they do not necessarily mean that every capability has been fully deployed throughout each service.
Commercial Availability and Future Tactical Networks
Ditto also pointed to Executive Order 14271, which directs federal agencies to prioritize proven commercial products, as relevant to its commercial off-the-shelf positioning. The company said the platform already supports mission-critical operations for major commercial enterprises and is now being fielded or evaluated in military settings.
The commercial technology model may offer military organizations an alternative to developing every networking and synchronization capability exclusively for defense-specific hardware. By adapting software that can run on widely available devices, organizations may be able to pursue broader deployment, reduce hardware dependence, and update capabilities as requirements evolve.
However, integrating commercial devices into tactical environments still requires attention to security, interoperability, reliability, device management, and mission-specific requirements. The usefulness of any resilient data architecture will also depend on the communications available, the applications being supported, and the conditions in which personnel operate.
The AUSA 2026 demonstration by Qualcomm Technologies and Ditto illustrated how software-defined networking, peer-to-peer synchronization, commercial Android devices, and tactical radios can work together to support data continuity in disrupted environments.
As military organizations continue to develop distributed operations involving human personnel, sensors, unmanned systems, and artificial intelligence, resilient data exchange is likely to remain an important design consideration. Ditto and Qualcomm Technologies’ demonstration presented one approach to that challenge: bringing networking and synchronization capabilities closer to the tactical edge so that applications can continue operating when centralized connectivity is unavailable.
