Jane Edwards
Jim Taiclet, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, said the company plans to work with commercial technology and telecommunications sectors to improve the ability of legacy platforms, like the F-35 fighter jet, to process data and integrate new capabilities through open architecture, the Washington Business Journal reported Monday.
Taiclet said such a move will result in a network effect that will enable platforms to facilitate data sharing.
“The F-35 is a much more valuable platform when you take advantage of the network effect that it can deliver by connecting sensors across domains, adding 5G.mil capability to our comms systems so that we can communicate with satellites directly,” he said.
“You end up getting a whole network effect with a value to the defense enterprise and the deterrent value is going to go up by implementing this across our technology roadmap over the next couple of years,” Taiclet added.
He noted that the company’s move toward the network effect is now underway and is aligned with its open architecture approach.
The Department of Defense is advancing open architectures through the Joint All Domain Command and Control program. Lockheed is one of the awardees on a potential $950 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to build and operate systems across land, air, sea, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum domains in support of JADC2.
The Potomac Officers Club will host a virtual event on JADC2 on Aug. 31. Register here to join POC’s Building the Future Battle: The Keys to JADC2 event and learn more about the fundamental principles and systems needed to advance JADC2 implementation.
