Kristen Smith 
- Lockheed demos NGC2 prototype during Balikatan 2026 exercise
- The prototype enabled real-time coordination across joint and coalition forces
- Army continues scaling NGC2 architecture
Lockheed Martin demonstrated its Next Generation Command and Control prototype during the Balikatan annual military exercise in the Philippines, using a unified data platform to coordinate fires systems, airspace management and battlefield operations across the Indo-Pacific.
The company said Tuesday the Team Lockheed Martin NGC2 prototype enabled cross-domain data sharing and live operational coordination between forces operating in the Philippines, Hawaii and the continental United States.
The demonstration involved the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, the Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the I Marine Expeditionary Force, I Corps, and the 613th Air Operations Center.
Battlefield command and control modernization is among the key topics at the 2026 Army Summit, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club on June 18. Senior Army officials participating in the panel discussion, “Tech Stack After Next: What’s Still Needed to Enable a Hyperconnected Battlefield,” will discuss the technologies, architectures and integration challenges associated with building a more connected operational environment across joint and coalition forces. Register now!
What Capabilities Were Demonstrated at Balikatan 2026?
The prototype provided a live operational picture across a distributed theater while supporting sensor-to-shooter coordination during a counter-landing live-fire exercise.
Apache helicopters, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, mortars and howitzers executed coordinated fires while the system displayed operational data and battle damage assessments in real time.
The prototype also integrated radar and data-link feeds into a shared airspace management interface designed to provide real-time “safe-to-fire” cues for pilots and ground operators.
“During Balikatan, success came down to how well we could integrate across Army units, joint forces and Indo-Pacific partners,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of multi-domain combat systems at Lockheed.
“That ability to operate seamlessly across the coalition is what makes Team Lockheed Martin’s NGC2 prototype real,” she added.
How Does Balikatan Support the Army’s NGC2 Effort?
The exercise marked the first division-level NGC2 demonstration of cross-domain data sharing within the 25th Infantry Division operational environment and was conducted alongside Lightning Surge 3, the third in a series of exercises designed to incrementally scale the NGC2 data layer’s capabilities.
The Army is using Lightning Surge exercises to refine the architecture through rapid iteration and operational soldier feedback. Lockheed said Lightning Surge 4 will focus on logistics mission integration for the 25th Infantry Division.
NGC2 is the Army’s initiative to modernize command and control through a shared data layer and an artificial intelligence-enabled operational environment.
Earlier this month, Brig. Gen. Shane Taylor, capability executive officer for Command and Control Information Network, said the Army plans to field NGC2 capabilities across all 11 divisions during the Future Years Defense Program timeline.
Which Companies Support the NGC2 Prototype?
Lockheed is developing the prototype alongside several technology partners, including Raft, Lyntris, Rune and Amazon Web Services.
Raft CEO Shubhi Mishra, a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, previously said the company is providing the data layer and AI engine supporting battlefield decision-making within the NGC2 architecture.
Previous Lightning Surge demonstrations integrated AI-enabled mission applications from Raft, Accelint and Rune to support voice-driven tasking, logistics forecasting and battlefield visualization.
