Lockheed is driving JADC2 information sharing at Northern Edge

WASHINGTON Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor by revenue, said its products were used in an exercise near Alaska to consistently share military information between services and environments.

The tests at Northern Edge, a biennial experiment run by the US Indo-Pacific Command, marked the first time true synchronization had been demonstrated on such a scale, the company said. Joint All-Domain Command and Control.

The department is pursuing JADC2 for billions of dollars to maintain an edge over China and Russia, seen as the top threats to national security. One of Lockheed’s offerings is its Diamondshield battle management software, which includes automation for scheduling, battlefield assessment, and tasks much faster.

Defense officials say the ability to share timely and accurate information, regardless of source, location or file size, is critical to defeating tech-savvy forces. At present, data and databases are walled off, putting communications between camps at risk of mistranslation or clumsy delivery.

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Lockheed products have been merged into a preliminary version of what is known as a joint fire network, an INDOPACOM initiative designed to improve coordination between commanders. Navy Adm. INDOPACOM boss John Aquilino described in March 2022 that the network enables any sensor from any platform, including cyber, to send target guidance to any weapon.

amr hussain, a Vice President of C4ISR Lockheed said in a May 23 statement that its company is responding to priority national defense requirements for integrating JADC2 infrastructure with already proven technology. Doing so, he added, will allow the military to secure JADC2 capability years earlier than otherwise expected.

Northern Edge this year involved thousands of US troops, at least five ships and more than 150 aircraft. The United Kingdom and Australia also participated.

Lockheed next plans to participate in the Talisman Saber exercise, which also includes Australia. The country is considered indispensable in the vast Indo-Pacific region, where China is exerting increasing influence.