ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The 461st Air Control Wing’s 52nd Combat Communications Squadron put its capabilities to the test during Exercise Gator Qual at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 7-24, 2026.
During the exercise, Airmen familiarized themselves with and qualified on two next-generation tactical communication systems: the Agile Communications Package and Fly-Away Communications Terminal. They also learned how to rapidly deploy these systems using the Joint Communication Support Element’s Global Enterprise Network.
These compact, highly deployable tactical communications packages offer vital phone, data and internet services downrange. They are designed specifically to support Agile Combat Employment, the Air Force’s strategy of operating quickly and unpredictably from remote or austere locations.
Rather than requiring Airmen to haul heavy, delicate physical hardware, the ACP/FACT kits rely heavily on virtualization, or software that can digitally mimic hardware processes. It’s similar to replacing a large DVD collection with an online streaming service. This technological leap makes the equipment significantly smaller, more agile and versatile than legacy systems.
“The kits are modernizing the way that we're providing communications to the warfighters downrange. The footprint of the kit is a lot smaller,” said Senior Airman Aaron Barnes, 52nd CBCS tactical communications technician. “With virtualization, we don't have to deal with the limits of physical hardware anymore. We're able to spin up multiple virtual machines, expanding our capabilities.”
Utilizing specialized GEN configurations, Airmen can instantly establish secured and unsecured connections using whatever services are available, from commercial internet service providers to military satellite communications systems. This integration gives Airmen robust options for their primary, alternate, contingency and emergency, or PACE, plans, ensuring consistent connectivity in contested or austere environments.
“Before GEN configurations and the ACP/FACT we had to rely on a MILSATCOM connection as our primary, which can get bogged down and be a little slower,” said 1st Lt. Conner Carey, 52nd CBCS Mission Support Flight commander. “Being able to use commercial internet gives us more bandwidth and speed and bolsters our PACE plan by giving us more ways to deliver communications capabilities.”
“It's honestly amazing to have the opportunity to show and bring out this new generation of communications to enable the warfighters,” added Barnes.
Serving as the official pilot unit for this new technology, the 52nd CBCS is providing the blueprint for communications modernization across the Air Force. Over the past three years, the squadron has transitioned these kits from experimental beta-testing in 2023 to fully operational systems that are being used downrange today. The Air Force aims to roll out these kits with the GEN configuration to communications units across the enterprise later this year.
"We are also working to build the Work Center Job Qualification Tasks that they have to perform,” said Carey. “In order to meet our window, we had to do some forward-leaning and get these job qualification tasks done so that we can qualify these guys. Once they are good to go and they know the kit, they're going to go out and perform the job.”
By setting the standard today, the 52nd CBCS ensures the Air Force is ready to deploy lighter, faster and more resilient communications.