U.S. Army to Test 100 Future Technologies in Division-Scale Combat During Project Convergence.

The U.S. Army will launch Project Convergence-Capstone 6 (PC-C6) at Fort Irwin, California, from July 20 to 29, 2026, using the 4th Infantry Division to evaluate more than 100 emerging technologies in realistic combat scenarios. The exercise marks the Army's largest operational validation yet of its Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) architecture, a key step toward faster battlefield decision-making across joint and allied forces.

The ten-day experiment will integrate the 4th Infantry Division, allied military partners, and advanced command, sensing, communications, and autonomous systems under contested battlefield conditions at the National Training Center. Rather than evaluating individual technologies in isolation, Project Convergence-Capstone 6 will test how they function together across a division-sized force, generating operational data to refine the Army's NGC2 architecture before future fielding decisions.

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U.S. Army launches Project Convergence-Capstone 6 to test 100+ technologies and NGC2 with the 4th Infantry Division. (Picture source: U.S DoD)

PC-C6 will go beyond a series of isolated technology demonstrations. The Army intends to determine whether its NGC2 architecture can support an entire division conducting force-on-force operations while its communications, command posts, sensors, weapons, and logistics networks face realistic operational pressure. The National Training Center will provide an active opposing force and an environment designed to reproduce the disruption expected during large-scale combat.

The U.S. Army announced the exercise on July 15, describing PC-C6 as the largest experiment conducted since Project Convergence began. Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of Army Futures and Concepts Command, will direct the event. According to McCurry, the division-level formation will evaluate more than 100 emerging technologies, although the Army has not yet published a complete inventory of the equipment involved.

The principal confirmed capability is the 4th Infantry Division’s NGC2 prototype, which the formation plans to employ as its primary command-and-control system during PC-C6. The architecture combines four layers covering applications, data, infrastructure and communications transport. It is designed to connect commanders, soldiers, sensors, weapons and logistics elements through a shared digital environment rather than separate systems dedicated to individual warfighting functions.

The NGC2 configuration developed for the 4th Infantry Division is led by Anduril Industries. Its software ecosystem includes Anduril’s Lattice, while Palantir contributes edge-to-cloud data management through Foundry. Raft provides data registries, transformation tools and federation services. The Army has also identified Gaia and Ark among the applications integrated during the preparatory Ivy Sting series.

Tactical Edge Computers, handheld end-user devices and wireless tablets form part of the equipment needed to distribute NGC2 data across the formation. These devices allow soldiers and command teams to access operational maps, targeting information and planning tools away from traditional command posts. The distributed approach is intended to reduce the physical and electromagnetic footprint of headquarters while allowing subordinate units to continue operating when access to the division cloud is disrupted.

Another confirmed element is the Artillery Execution Suite, or AXS, an app-based fires command-and-control system intended eventually to replace the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System. The 4th Infantry Division has prepared a containerized version of AXS integrated into the NGC2 application and data layers for PC-C6. This configuration is intended to support deployable fire direction centers that are not tied to a single vehicle or shelter design.

AXS can receive targeting information from the common data layer, process it, and transmit firing instructions toward artillery units. During the Ivy Sting preparation exercises, soldiers used the software to conduct live-fire missions with M777A2 155 mm howitzers. The system was also connected with Lattice, Gaia and Ark to establish a digital sequence between sensors, commanders and firing units. The Army has not, however, confirmed that the M777A2 itself is among the technologies formally under evaluation at PC-C6.

The experiment is also expected to examine airspace coordination, intelligence fusion, medical support and predictive logistics through the NGC2 environment. Earlier iterations integrated aircraft, unmanned systems, armored vehicles and artillery formations into the division’s operational picture. During Ivy Mass in May 2026, the 4th Infantry Division operated with an armored brigade combat team and a Stryker brigade combat team in the main exercise, supported by another Stryker formation.

Equipment documented during Ivy Mass included M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, M777A2 towed howitzers, Stryker armored vehicles, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and C-100 unmanned aircraft. These systems demonstrate the range of equipment already connected to or employed alongside the developing command architecture. Their participation in Ivy Mass does not automatically confirm that each will be evaluated as one of the more than 100 technologies during PC-C6.

The GOBLIN breaching drone shown in the Army’s announcement must be treated with the same caution. The Ground Obstacle Breaching Lane Neutralizer was photographed during Project Convergence-Capstone 5 in March 2025. Its use as the lead image illustrates the broader experimentation program but does not confirm that GOBLIN will return for PC-C6.

The 4th Infantry Division prepared for the event through five Ivy Sting exercises followed by Ivy Mass across Fort Carson and the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site. Ivy Sting 5 reportedly employed NGC2 across 35 operational mission threads, while Ivy Mass tested the architecture at division scale under simulated cyberattacks, electromagnetic interference and degraded communications. Units demonstrated that they could continue tracking the battle locally after losing access to the division cloud and synchronize their information once connectivity returned.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand will operate alongside the 4th Infantry Division. Their participation will test whether national tactical systems can exchange operational information and maintain a common battlefield picture. The Army has not yet disclosed the participating allied formations or the equipment they will contribute.

PC-C6 will therefore assess more than individual drones, applications or fire-control systems. Its central test is whether a complete division can rely on an interconnected commercial and military technology ecosystem while maneuvering, conducting fires and sustaining itself against an active opposing force. The results will help the Army select which NGC2 components should move from operational prototyping toward wider procurement and determine how the architecture could be extended to additional U.S. and allied formations.

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Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.