The agreement puts Propagate on PDW's C100 multi-mission sUAS, bringing advanced Software Defined Networking to commercial Android devices.

Ditto, the data platform for unstoppable operations, today announced that Performance Drone Works (PDW) has partnered with Ditto to integrate Propagate software for sensor data distribution on PDW’s C100 Group 2 small Uncrewed Aircraft System (sUAS).

Propagate lets any commercial Android smartphone or tablet route a drone’s sensor data across multiple tactical radio links. That function has always required a custom Android device, such as those fielded by the Army’s Nett Warrior program, which face constrained supply and high cost. Propagate is a patented networking technology encapsulated in a commercial Android app, able to run on any commodity phone or tablet. Propagate makes the ground node as replaceable as the aircraft: a unit that loses or damages a device picks up a commercial phone or tablet the same day, and its Propagate license is re-issued with no new procurement action.

Ditto demonstrated Propagate in a technical experiment run under the U.S. Army’s Program Manager UAS at the Ivy Sting and Lightning Surge exercises. A device running the software received a drone’s ISR sensor payload over a tactical radio link and routed it to a receiving application, operating as a full IP router with no changes to the device’s operating system.

Propagate runs inside the standard Android sandbox with no root access and no modified bootloader, and is designed to preserve a device’s NIAP and Common Criteria validation status. A single device can route between multiple radio interfaces at once, bridging a MANET data link to SATCOM backhaul ensuring video, telemetry and C2 can be disseminated from drone operators to the entire force.

Developed and manufactured by PDW, the C100 is a portable, modular sUAS that puts reconnaissance, communications relay, spectrum awareness, and fires support in operators’ hands through one adaptable aircraft. The C100 is fielded across branches of the U.S. Department of War and has received multiple U.S. Army contracts, including for the Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) Program and the Transformation In Contact Initiative. The system is deployed across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, European Command, and Central Command, as well as with domestic and international public-safety agencies and allied partners.

“The C100 gives operators greater reach, and the information it collects needs to move just as effectively across the force,” said Shawn Hall, PDW’s Chief Revenue Officer. “Pairing Propagate with the C100’s modular, adaptable design gives operators a streamlined ability to see farther, understand their environment, relay data, and respond as the mission demands.”

“The move towards data-centric warfare requires distribution and access to the kind of sensor data PDW’s drones produce. Propagate was built to unlock the scale of true COTS End User Devices, and avoid the high cost of custom phones and network switching boxes,” said Eric Hanft, SVP of Public Sector at Ditto. “With PDW’s program of record, Propagate has a real operational footprint, and Soldiers get the benefit of Software-based capability enhancement, just like we’re all used to on our personal smart phones and tablets.”

About Ditto

Ditto is the data platform for unstoppable operations. It keeps data consistent and reconciled across every device, with or without a network, so mission-critical work never stops — for the U.S. military and the most operationally demanding commercial enterprises in the world. Ditto is dual-use by design, with production deployments across retail, aviation, rail, and defense, including programs with SOCOM, the U.S. Army, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force. For more information, visit ditto.com.

About Performance Drone Works

Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, Performance Drone Works (PDW) is an American defense technology company developing multi-mission aerial robotic systems and advanced manufacturing capabilities for defense, government, public safety, and allied customers. From Drone Factory 01, its integrated U.S. engineering and manufacturing headquarters, PDW is strengthening the domestic industrial base through resilient supply chains and the production of mission-critical technologies and components. Its systems are shaped by real-world deployments and built to perform under pressure, with a mission to put decisive airpower in the hands of every operator.

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