Arthur McMiler
Lockheed Martin demonstrated its combined joint all-domain command and control, or CJADC2, capabilities through the Virtualized Aegis Weapon System, or VAWS, during the 10-day U.S.-Japan Keen Sword military exercise that ended Nov. 1.
Erika Marshall, vice president of C4ISR at Lockheed Martin, said in a press release issued Wednesday, “The Keen Sword Technology Observer Demonstration Program allowed Lockheed Martin to share with a senior delegation of military and civilian leaders from the U.S., Japan and Australia how our common, Joint C2 architecture can help achieve their vision for multi-lateral interoperability and integration across domains.”
She added that the company’s capability support “can be deployed with urgency and upgraded swiftly to meet the needs of the mission.”
Flexibility and Digital Features
During Keen Sword held near mainland Japan, the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force depended on VAWS in sending and receiving digital fire coordination signals among ground and naval shooters to hit a land-based target. The system enabled its users to skip manual operations through detailed digital transmissions of fire control orders across military databases for coordinated fires simulation.
“Utilizing VAWS in the exercise demonstrated the scalability of Aegis to support both land and sea-based operations,” said Chandra Marshall, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of multi-domain combat solutions.
“By transmitting fire control orders digitally and including the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, this further enables the CJADC2 vision and saves the user time when seconds matter,” she noted.
Continuous Capability-Building
According to Lockheed, the demo’s results will help its development of future CJADC2 capabilities and open further participation in major multi-lateral exercises.
In May, the company used the U.S. Navy’s VAWS in a live target interception testing for its Patriot Advanced Capability‑3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor. During the biennial Valiant Shield military exercise in June 2022, Lockheed Martin integrated its DIAMONDShield battle management system with four VAWS nodes of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
