Ultra I&C leads live, all-digital kill chain demonstration with U.S. Marine Corps
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultra I&C led a live, multi-company demonstration showcasing a fully digital sensor-to-effector kill chain, from threat detection to classification to engagement recommendation, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).
Conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), the demonstration directly supported the Marine Corps' Force Design modernization efforts and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Command and Control (MAGTF C2) prototype.
The demonstration executed a fully digital, end-to-end kill chain. Typical manual operator tasks, including threat detection, classification, and engagement recommendation, were performed entirely by AI/ML software, with humans in the loop for final decision authority. The result: significantly enhanced situational awareness, a shortened kill chain and reduced risk to warfighters operating at the tactical edge.
In the live scenario, an aircraft representing an MQ-27 flew over San Diego carrying a signals intelligence (SIGINT) package. Ultra I&C's Rain, an AI/ML-powered sense-making and data fusion platform, detected and tagged a vessel as a potential threat by fusing SIGINT and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data. Rain classified the vessel and assessed threats in near time.
That information was passed to ADSI, the centerpiece of the architecture, which disseminated the threat picture across all nodes and operators and presented a commander with actionable options to address the threat.
"This demonstration was a powerful example of the Department of the Navy's Technology Transfer program in action," said Rohan Kennedy, MCTSSA T2 ORTA Representative. "Our CRADA with Ultra I&C allowed us to build a composite team that could rapidly experiment and learn. What we witnessed was more than just technology; it was a blueprint for how we can leverage our technology transfer authorities and partnerships with industry to inform future capabilities and ensure our Marines maintain a decisive edge."
"No single company solves every challenge the Department of War faces. It takes collaboration," said Mladen Brkic, president of Mission Solutions at Ultra I&C. "Ultra I&C's work in this CRADA is self-funded because we believe out-innovating our adversaries requires that level of commitment. We're leveraging our partnership with MCTSSA to understand Marine Corps needs and deliver capabilities that shorten the decision cycle and reduce risk at the edge."
Ultra I&C's CRADA with MCTSSA provides direct insight into Marine Corps operational requirements, ensuring solutions are purpose-built to meet the force's evolving needs. The demonstration represents a foundational step toward delivering autonomous, AI-enabled command and control capabilities to the Marine Corps.
About Ultra I&C
Ultra I&C is powering decision speed across the multidomain battlespace with resilient tactical communications, mission optimization and encryption technologies. We secure, move, and make sense of data across all domains—delivering real-time, mission-ready intelligence that gives operators at the edge the clarity to act and the speed to win. For decades, global defense forces and allied partners have relied on Ultra I&C to outpace threats and cut through complexity on the battlefield. With more than 700 employees across the global enterprise, we deliver battle-proven technology purpose-built for decision advantage in contested, high-threat environments. For more information, visit https://www.ultra-ic.com.
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