Kristen Smith
Lockheed Martin demonstrated command and control technology during Talisman Sabre, a military exercise involving 30,000 personnel from 19 countries across the Indo-Pacific region.
Lockheed said it presented its C2 integration capability through its Next-Generation Fires Application, designed to integrate battalion commanders with Mid-Range Capability units, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System batteries and other applications to enable faster and more effective kill chains, enhancing the U.S. Army’s offensive fires capabilities.
The Next-Gen Fires Application showcased the ability to add advancements that help analyze targets, develop fires plans, disseminate orders and enable joint airspace coordination, Lockheed said on LinkedIn.
Built using open application programming interfaces and a modular and open systems approach, the application offers a more agile and flexible C2 architecture that reduces the Army’s dependence on traditional infrastructure to streamline operations and enhance overall mission effectiveness.
“By leveraging virtualization and modern software-enabled technologies, the U.S. Army can reduce its mission command footprint and increase mobility, lethality and survivability,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager at Lockheed.
Small-Form-Factor System Demonstration
Lockheed Martin scaled Aegis C2 capabilities into small-form-factor systems to support the Next-Generation Fires Application. The demonstration showed the system’s integration with Tactical Link 16, enabling situational awareness and coordination across artillery fires units and deliver a unified battlefield view.
The company also showed how a modified version of the system could enhance digital coordination of fires from the Strategic Fires Battalion and the MRC battery. The configuration supported the Aegis Weapon System capability within the MRC Battery Operations Center and validated interface upgrades, tactics and performance concurrent with a live-fire event.
Commercial Data Integration
Lockheed highlighted how its partnership with HawkEye 360 enables customers to turn commercial radio frequency sensing data into surveillance tracks for use in warfighting systems, streamlining the sensor-to-C2 chain and improving threat tracking.
“With this breakthrough, we’re not only enhancing situational awareness but redefining what’s possible in C6ISR for the warfighter,” said Erika Marshall, vice president for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
F-35 and HIMARS Highlights
The exercise also featured U.S. Air Force pilots flying Australian F-35As for the first time. “Having the added flexibility to put any pilot in any F-35 and generate combat airpower anywhere in the world adds to the F-35 coalition’s lethality,” said Air Force Reserve Maj. Justin Lennon.
A live-fire event involving the HIMARS system demonstrated the strike capabilities being delivered to the Australian Army under the LAND8113 program. During the event, an Australian HIMARS launcher fired a Precision Strike Missile Increment 1 at a target hundreds of kilometers away.
