Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems have announced a strategic partnership at the DSEI defense conference in the UK to jointly develop a series of uncrewed autonomous air systems.
The collaboration involves the advanced research and development divisions of both companies, including Lockheed’s Skunk Works and BAE’s FalconWorks.
The program leverages both companies’ expertise in rapid development, prototyping, and advanced manufacturing to produce a cost-effective and adaptable system for various missions.
Under the initiative, the two firms will develop a modular design for rapid deployment, capable of performing multiple functions, including disruptive operations.
Aimed at complementing crewed combat aircraft, the first phase focuses on electronic warfare and attack capabilities.
The initial system developed within the project will support multiple launch methods, including air drop, ground, maritime, and wide-body aircraft deployment.
Under the partnership, the two firms will be “combining expertise in rapid prototyping and advanced development to deliver game-changing capabilities,” stated OJ Sanchez, VP and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
Dave Holmes, managing director of BAE Systems’ FalconWorks division, said that the project will “deliver disruptive capabilities that can make a real difference to our military customers at pace, enabling them to confront the operational requirements of today’s battlefield.”
Focus on Unmanned Systems
As militaries worldwide are increasingly focusing on uncrewed platforms to boost operational capabilities, Lockheed is expanding its collaborations on drones and unmanned systems.
In June, the US-based firm and Korea Aerospace Industries expanded their partnership to collaborate on drones, rotorcraft, and crewed-uncrewed teaming.
In May, Lockheed also teamed up with Red Hat to accelerate swarm autonomy for unmanned aerial systems.
Using Red Hat’s container-based software and Lockheed’s autonomous swarm systems, tested on the Indago 4 quadcopter, the collaboration aims to enable faster software updates for more adaptive and responsive drone swarms in tactical settings.
