Raft Validates the Future of Command and Control at Army's Lightning Surge Exercises

Raft Data Platform and AI Mission System Validated at Lightning Surge 1 and 2 Enabling AI-Powered
Sensor-to-Shooter Execution Under Live Fire

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Raft, a leading defense technology company, today announced that Raft Data Platform ([R]DP) and Raft AI Mission System ([R]AIMS) directly enabled the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Surge 1 and 2 exercises, part of the Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) initiative.

In partnership with the Army's 25th Infantry Division, CPE C2IN, and industry partners Lockheed Martin, Accelint, and Rune Technologies, Raft delivered real-time, hardware- and data-agnostic synchronization of sensors, fires, ISR, and sustainment systems under live-fire conditions at the tactical edge. Both exercises validate that a software-defined, data-first approach accelerates decisions, increases soldier lethality, and enables decisive multi-domain operations at speed and scale.

Across both Lightning Surge exercises, Raft provided the agnostic data and AI layers enabling:

• Ingesting and fusing multi-domain data through Raft Data Platform including electronic warfare targeting, live drone video, positional feeds, and battle damage assessment reports into a unified, mission-ready common operating picture.
• Operationalizing data with AI-powered workflows through Raft AI Mission System, enabling voice-enabled agentic perception and accelerated decision loops at the tactical edge.
• Supporting sensor-to-shooter fires execution enabling soldiers to clear airspace, cue fires, and execute HIMARS and M777 artillery engagements in real time.
• Predictive sustainment forecasting with real-time ammunition tracking tied to live combat operations.

During Lightning Surge 2, division artillery soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division demonstrated Raft Data Platform and Raft AI Mission System ingesting live calls for fires and compressing a soldier intensive process into an automated workflow. The demonstration validated, under senior leadership scrutiny, that AI-powered, agnostic data integration can materially accelerate lethal decision cycles in live-fire conditions at the tactical edge.

"In modern combat, weapons systems, battle-tested and emerging, must operate together at the tactical edge under pressure," said Shubhi Mishra, Founder and CEO of Raft. "Raft Data Platform and Raft AI Mission System are the leading agnostic data and AI layers built for the tactical edge that persists when transport degrades, applications change, or environments become contested. Lightning Surge exercises continue to validate exactly this under live fire."

Through the Lightning Surge exercises, the team is validating a modern, open by design command and control architecture that aims to reduce costs, streamline integration and get capability to operators faster. NGC2 is advancing command and control through:

• A MOSA-compliant, hardware- and data-agnostic data layer built for the edge
• AI-powered workflows that operationalize data in real time
• Plug-and-play integration with best-of-breed systems
• Persistent mission capability regardless of network conditions.

"In Lightning Surge 2, targeting data moved from sensor to shooter through Raft's Data Platform and AI Mission System faster than human speed, all under real stress and real operational complexity," said Trey Coleman, Chief Product Officer of Raft. "This fighting prototype was built on the edge, for the edge, by operators and engineers who integrated best-of-breed technologies into a cohesive yet interchangeable stack that works when it matters."

Lightning Surge 3 is scheduled for April 2026 and will emphasize airspace mission threads in support of the 25th Infantry Division.

For more information: www.teamraft.com

About Raft:

Raft is the leader in autonomous data fusion and agentic AI, equipping the Department of War and national security organizations with cutting-edge solutions to drive mission success. Trusted by over 25 federal agencies, we enhance legacy systems and accelerate modernization with limited-language, voice-activated AI, enabling smarter, faster decisions from the tactical edge to headquarters. Our autonomous AI agents, powered by modular machine learning wrappers, deliver greater mission impact without the cost and disruption of full system replacements.

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SOURCE Raft, LLC