The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded RTX’s BBN Technologies a contract to develop breakthrough long-range X-ray imaging capabilities designed to transform battlefield situational awareness.
The award falls under DARPA’s X-ray Extreme-range Non-imaging Analysis (XENA) program. It is an initiative focused on enabling service members to reconstruct the hidden geometry of man-made objects from distances of up to 1 kilometer.
The goal is to provide actionable intelligence in situations where close access is unsafe, impractical, or denied.
RTX’s BBN Technologies is a research and development division of RTX that will lead the effort alongside the Georgia Institute of Technology. Work will be conducted in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Atlanta, Georgia.
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Traditional portable X-ray systems require close proximity to generate high-resolution images. At longer ranges, signals weaken drastically. Motion blur, limited viewing angles, and photon scarcity further degrade image quality, making conventional approaches ineffective.
DARPA’s XENA program seeks to overcome those limitations by rethinking how X-ray data is captured and analyzed.
“Long-range X-ray imaging requires a fundamentally different approach,” said Joshua Fasching, principal investigator at BBN. “We are developing algorithms that turn a small number of grainy snapshots into enough detail for decision-makers to act, whether the mission is assessing potential threats or supporting emergency response operations.”
Instead of relying on large training datasets or high-photon imaging, the system will use advanced mathematical modeling and image reconstruction techniques. By combining a limited number of low-quality views, the software aims to identify shared structural patterns that reveal interior details.
The core innovation lies in advanced computational algorithms that extract meaningful geometry from incomplete or noisy data. BBN’s approach focuses on reconstructing hidden object structures using far fewer photons than conventional imaging methods require.
The team will conduct simulations, build the necessary software architecture, and validate system performance through rigorous testing. The technology can allow service members to assess concealed threats, potential weapons, or structural vulnerabilities from standoff distances previously considered out of reach.
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Such capability would provide commanders with critical insights without exposing personnel to unnecessary risk.
Enhanced long-range X-ray analysis could have wide-ranging implications beyond combat scenarios. Emergency response operations, disaster recovery assessments, and infrastructure security evaluations could also benefit from the ability to analyze hidden internal structures from a safe distance.
By enabling non-imaging analysis at extreme ranges, the XENA program aligns with DARPA’s broader mission of investing in high-risk, high-reward technologies that redefine operational boundaries.
RTX’s BBN Technologies brings decades of innovation to the project. Founded in 1948, BBN has played a pivotal role in landmark technological developments. It includes early internet infrastructure and quantum-secured networking systems. The organization specializes in analytics, machine intelligence, networks and sensors, intelligent software systems, and physical sciences.
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RTX focuses on advancing aviation, integrated defense systems, and next-generation technology solutions.
Amid defense environments, the ability to see and understand what lies beneath the surface from a kilometer away could become a decisive operational advantage.
By leveraging cutting-edge mathematics and computational imaging, DARPA and RTX aim to push X-ray technology far beyond traditional limits. It may usher in a new era of extreme-range sensing, where even sparse, imperfect data can deliver clear, actionable insights.
