Lockheed Martin and Verizon to partner to develop 5G tech for the military

Nov. 15, 2021
The test’s secret sauce is a special Lockheed-made communications gateway that enables the two networks to connect to one another, Marcus Weisgerber reports for American Military News.

BETHESDA, Md. - The world’s largest defense contractor is working with the largest wireless provider in the United States to develop technology for a military 5G mobile network, Marcus Weisgerber reports for American Military News. Continue reading original article.

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

November 15, 2021 - The agreement between Lockheed Martin Corp. and Verizon comes after the two companies linked a commercial 5G mobile wireless network with a military communications network used by fighter jets to send and receive targeting coordinates.

The test’s secret sauce is a special Lockheed-made communications gateway that enables the two networks to connect to one another. In many cases, military weapons use disparate military datalinks, which are specialized modems that cannot connect to one another. The gateway acts as a translator between these different networks.

The Lockheed-Verizon agreement is largely focused on research-and-development, but it could expand in the future.

Related: 5G: speed isn’t everything; DoD, FCC need to work on spectrum

Related: New 5G/6G Intel technology enhances analog and digital systems

Related: What 5G means to the military

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Military Aerospace, create an account today!