Jane Edwards
Lockheed Martin has worked with several technology companies to demonstrate and test the capability of a hybrid 5G network to deliver advanced communications to warfighters in a multidomain environment.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based defense contractor said Wednesday the 5G.MIL Unified Network Solutions platform achieved Technology Readiness Level 6+ and demonstrated interoperability, security, resilience and other capabilities when tested across mission scenarios to assess its suitability for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control and Joint All-Domain Operations.
Lockheed conducted the 5G.MIL UNS hybrid mesh field demonstration using technologies from Intel, Verizon, Microsoft, Juniper Networks, Keysight and Radisys.
For instance, Intel provided its FlexRAN reference software, while Microsoft offered its Azure Government cloud environment and Azure Orbital Cloud Access platform in support of the field demo.
“To stay ahead of evolving security challenges, military commanders need fast, secure access to critical information for decision superiority, no matter the circumstances,” said Dan Rice, vice president of 5G.MIL programs at Lockheed.
Rice added that working with defense tech companies accelerates Lockheed’s efforts of delivering secure 5G.MIL UNS platforms to drive data-driven decisions across all domains.
The hybrid tactical mesh network deployed during the demo included five hybrid base stations with 5G, space backhaul and tactical datalinks.
Lockheed will continue to collaborate with its commercial partners to achieve initial operating capability for 5G.MIL UNS in 2024.
