Lockheed Martin [LMT] on Wednesday said it and partner Juniper Networks
[JNPR] have successfully demonstrated robust network routing technology that streamlines and prioritizes the flow of critical information from tactical assets in remote, contested environments to commanders worldwide in real-time, another milestone in the development of Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation broadband capability for its defense customers.
The demonstration last November of “mission-aware routing technology” included Lockheed Martin’s Dynamic Data Link Manager, which collected the tactical data from various assets and then passed it to Juniper’s artificial intelligence-powered Session Smart Routing to prioritize the data flow based on pre-determined policy requirements. The resilient network delivered the information through alternate routes.
The combination of the data link manager and the routing system created a hybrid software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN).
“In the face of the 21st Century security challenges, military commanders need access to the most critical information and to trust that it’s going to be delivered securely and on time, no matter the circumstances,” Dan Rice, vice president of 5G.MIL Programs at Lockheed Martin, said in a statement. “By combining our secure 5G.MIL technologies with Juniper’s industry-leading SD-WAN solution and routing capabilities, Lockheed Martin is delivering resilient, intelligent communications that keep our customers ahead of evolving threats.”
The demonstration took place at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Crystal City, Va., and connected 10 sites across the U.S. via the company’s 5G.MIL pilot network and prototype hybrid base stations, including tactical data links. Data was also securely delivered from one Lockheed Martin facility to another over a commercial StarLink satellite connection, “showing secure backhaul operations over untrusted networks,” a Lockheed Martin spokeswoman said.
The demonstration also included hardware that would be flown on DoD operational assets that collected data based on a live mission scenario and distributed over a diverse array of tactical and 5G radio networks, including the company’s 5G.MIL pilot network, she said.
Lockheed Martin said the test demonstrated two key advances in technology for DoD applications. First, it was showing that the technology can deliver prioritized data to commanders securely, over 5G.MIL connectivity and in real time.
Second, it highlighted the resiliency of the overall network in challenging circumstances.
“In the lab environment, the companies cut off primary communication channels, and the solution successfully rerouted the information through secondary links, verifying its resiliency in the face of jamming or other adverse conditions,” Lockheed Martin said.
Lockheed Martin’s work with Juniper aligns with a number of other 5G.MIL-related demonstrations the company has been conducting with other partners for more than a year, all part of its 21st Century Security vision of being able to seamlessly link myriad sensors and platforms throughout the joint all-domain battlespace to generate greater situational awareness and ensure sensor-to-shooter effects inside an enemy’s decision-making loop.
“Our 21st Century Security environment envisions a military ‘internet of things’ where command and control nodes connect to the tactical edge, including military platform of all types,” the spokeswoman said.
Lockheed Martin and Juniper expect to expand their hybrid SD-WAN experimentation from the lab to field exercises with additional network nodes, she said.