Verizon said that the demonstration took place at Lockheed Martin’s 5G test range in Waterton, Colorado
Verizon and Lockheed Martin recently flew 5G-enabled drones to capture and transfer high-speed, real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data from aircraft in flight to geolocate military targets.
In a release, Verizon said that the demonstration took place at Lockheed Martin’s 5G test range in Waterton, Colorado and showcased the ability of millimeter wave 5G networks to move data from aircraft in flight over Lockheed Martin’s multi-site 5G pilot network.
The companies said they demonstrated two key advances in technology that can provide critical applications to the Department of Defense (DoD).
With the aim of providing enhanced situational awareness and command & control for commanders and service members in the field, the first test involved real-time ISR radio frequency (RF) and streaming video data transmitted over 5G millimeter wave links. Verizon explained that this allows advanced signal processing algorithms to occur at the “tactical edge”.
The second test demonstrated the technology’s ability to passively detect and geolocate RF signals that could be used for communications, sensing, or jamming, capabilities that will enable the DoD to detect and target adversarial assets in a military environment.
“To stay ahead of our adversaries, military decision-makers need the timely and accurate information that 5G.MIL delivered in this demonstration,” said Dan Rice, vice president of 5G.MIL Programs at Lockheed Martin. “By blending advanced commercial 5G capabilities with military capabilities using secure, open standards, we are helping to make the DoD’s vision for integrated deterrence a reality.”
Srini Kalapala, SVP for technology and product development at Verizon, said: “By demonstrating the mission critical connectivity that our network provides, we are demonstrating how 5G and edge computing can help the DoD address their strategic priorities and continue to develop advanced solutions.”
For the demonstration, Lockheed Martin flew four rotary wing drones on coordinated ISR missions while linked to two Verizon private network nodes, which enables the secure transfer of ISR data. The companies then securely moved the data captured by the drones between a 5G private network and a surrogate public network. The companies highlighted that ability to use private and public 5G networks is key because it will extend the reach of 5G.MIL technology to a range of military environments where commercial networks may not be available or appropriate.
The drones then successfully located a target in the field that was transmitting a low-power RF signal. The partners noted that the signal was detected because real-time drone sensing data was transmitted over the Verizon network and then processed by advanced signal processing algorithms running on edge compute resources, enabling geolocation of the signal source.
Last year, Verizon and Lockheed Martin had announced a formal partnership focused on the delivery of cutting-edge technologies to the DoD. The companies have already conducted a joint demonstration using a Verizon private 5G network installed at Lockheed Martin Space’s 5G Test Range in Colorado, and future demonstrations will expand ISR test scenarios to include precision geolocation of moving RF emitters and extend experimentation of public-private secure interoperability in 5G.MIL hybrid networks with military data links.
