BURLINGTON, Mass., May 15 (UPI) -- BAE Systems says it plans to test a suite of wireless tactical network protocols in the field under a U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency initiative.

DARPA selected BAE for the development of new sets of network protocol layers that work together, or protocol stacks, under a phase I contract. BAE's next-generation wireless tactical network protocols are for military mobile ad-hoc networks. Company officials announced plans to field test the network protocols under a $5 million phase II contract.

The tactical network protocols, designed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and CenGen Inc., are an initiative to improve the communications of military units enabling them to stay continuously networked even in the field.

"This technology can allow forward-deployed mobile units to stay networked to each other and to command posts, despite connectivity variations due to terrain and other factors," Nils Sandell, BAE Systems advanced information technologies vice president, said in a statement. "Field trials are the next step in transitioning this technology to our men and women in combat."