Lockheed Martin and Verizon are experimenting with 5G-enabled drones and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads in an effort that could ultimately enhance U.S. military command and control and in-the-field targeting abilities.
The two companies on Sept. 28 said they were able to securely share and analyze real-time data and other intel captured by
a swarm of drones via fifth-generation wireless networks, both private and public.
The tests, conducted in May and September, and their results have significant battlefield implications, according to Dan Rice, the vice president of 5G.MIL programs at Lockheed.
“We demonstrated that 5G technology can help the DoD better detect and target adversarial assets in a military environment,” he said. “This technology detected and geolocated low-power RF signals that adversaries could use to
communicate, sense or jam.”
Army, Air Force and Pentagon representatives, among others, attended the demonstration in May.
Rice sees the pairing of nimble drones, 5G connectivity
and ISR capabilities as something that could be used in most any fight.
“I think nearly every branch of service is flying drones today and using technologies like this to do electronic support measures and help identify potential targets in their particular domain,” he said. “So I think it’s applicable across all branches of service, the technologies we’ve demonstrated.”