Lockheed demonstrates new maritime test bed for Navy
Simulated Aegis radar data was integrated with other ISR data to provide increased situational awareness in recent tests.
Capable of simulating at-sea and on-shore conditions, Lockheed Martin’s new maritime software test bed recently demonstrated its ability to assess naval C4ISR technologies.
The test bed, which can mimic various naval environments, will serve as a proving ground for new intelligence, communications and sensor systems before they are made operational, according to a Lockheed Martin release.
For instance, the software test bed’s most recent demonstration involved integrating data gathered from the Navy’ Aegis radar with other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensor data.
Using an open standards software infrastructure, the test bed was able to collect, assess and process the combined data and then distribute it to simulated platforms at sea and on shore. The integration of different sensor data allowed users to gain access to improved battlefield awareness, increasing efficiency and battlefield management.
“The Navy is confronted with unique challenges that require superior, faster intelligence sharing,” said Dr. Rob Smith, vice president of C4ISR for Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Solutions. “The maritime test bed provides a cost-effective, risk-reduction platform that can be used for realistic testing to demonstrate what is possible – with the end goal of providing real-time, decision-quality intelligence for the Navy.”
The test bed is capable of testing highly secretive technologies and can be connected to the Secret Defense Research and Engineering Network and the Defense Research and Engineering Network, which are used to connect users with DOD Super Computing Resource Centers.
Lockheed Martin is willing to use the test bed with all customers that want to test their C4ISR capabilities, the release highlights.
In addition to its new maritime test bed, Lockheed also maintains its Airborne Multi-INT Laboratory – an airborne test bed for validating ISR technologies that features several different configurations, depending on platform size. Lockheed was also responsible for testing the F-35’s avionics suite on the CATBird, a 737 airliner that was equipped with the Joint Strike Fighter’s radar, electronic warfare and communications systems.