Lockheed Martin demonstrates command and control of various unmanned air vehicles from one integrated control system

DENVER, 13 July 2013. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) engineers monitored and controlled multiple types of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from one integrated command and control (C2) system during a NAVAIR demonstration in support of the U.S. Navy's upcoming Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike System (UCLASS) and Common Control System programs.

Lockheed Martin's system integrated with other Navy C2 and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) planning and execution systems to provide operators with one comprehensive mission picture and enable them to controlling both the unmanned air vehicles and their on-board mission system sensors.

"This demonstration is an important step to fulfilling the Navy's requirement for a Common Control System that leverages multiple architectures from varied operational systems," explains Rob Weiss, executive vice president of Advanced Strike and Intelligence and Reconnaissance Systems for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "A combined C2 and ISR capability will be essential as the Navy integrates UAS, beginning with UCLASS, into its ISR enterprise. We believe in their vision and this demonstration is an example of our work to reduce risk and make the Common Control System a reality."

During the demonstration, the Lockheed Martin team integrated C2 and ISR systems to provide mission planning, sensor, and common operational control for multiple UAS platforms, including Lockheed Martin's UCLASS concept. Using an open architecture framework integrated with DreamHammer's Ballista drone control software and Navy-compliant software protocols, a single operator managed multiple UAS platforms simultaneously.

The team also used the new Navy Cloud capability to demonstrate control of the ISR sensors and fully integrate the data into one complete mission picture. The team then used this picture to rapidly re-task and re-route the UAS assets. In addition to using DreamHammer's Ballista drone control software in the UCLASS demonstration, Lockheed Martin teamed with DreamHammer Government Solutions in pursuit of the upcoming Navy Common Control System contract.

"This demonstration underscores the critical role that common command and control systems can play in actual operations by highlighting the ability to enrich the overall ISR picture and increase the speed of decision making," adds Jim Quinn, vice president of C4ISR Systems for Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions. "An integrated battlespace picture emerges when we link the platforms, sensors, and information collected into one enterprise view that will enable the U.S. Navy to better achieve their C2 and ISR missions."