WASHINGTON \u2014 Lockheed Martin and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command demonstrated an artificial intelligence planning tool paired with the Virtual Aegis Weapon System to conduct joint-service, multi-domain strike operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The demonstration took place during Valiant Shield 2022, a biennial U.S. exercise that rehearses high-end maritime warfare around the Guam area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company used its DIAMONDShield battle management system and four virtual Aegis system nodes to feed precision targeting data to Lockheed-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement systems, according to a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one scenario, DIAMONDShield\u2019s artificial intelligence technology \u201canalyzed operational command-and-control data in real-time during dynamic fires, and provided commanders with decision aids\u201d that recommended which ship, aircraft or ground vehicle should respond to which incoming threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a human operator chose a course of action, the Virtual Aegis system routed relevant targeting data to the rocket launchers. This machine-to-machine interface saved time, eliminated the possibility of human errors while reading coordinates or instructions over the radio, and translated \u201cdigital force orders\u201d into the right wording and doctrine for the Marine Corps shooters despite the orders coming from a commander in a different service who may be trained to use different phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cReal-time feedback from the operators that live this daily is invaluable,\u201d Andrew Cook, Lockheed Martin\u2019s technical lead supporting Valiant Shield, said in a company news release. \u201cYou see what works well for them, what features they might struggle with, and what we could do to make their jobs easier and faster. As an industry partner, we are constantly trying to understand the most pressing needs, engineer solutions to them, and incorporate feedback on what we built. The faster we can get that feedback, the faster we can turn around new innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company has now participated in five exercises with INDO-PACOM to demonstrate an increasingly capable set of technologies that could enable Joint All-Domain Operations, and lessons learned from Valiant Shield will be fed back into plans for the next demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe recognize our customers\u2019 need to rapidly integrate emerging technologies into mission-focused solutions,\u201d Joe Ferrara, Lockheed Martin\u2019s advanced concepts director supporting the exercise, said in the company news release. \u201cThrough experiments like Valiant Shield, we are learning collaboratively with our customers to advance Joint All Domain Operations, with the intent of delivering capability faster to the warfighter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Navy has used the Aegis Weapon System on its surface combatants since 1983 to manage data from shipboard and offboard sensors and cue offensive and defensive missile launches. Improvements in the Aegis system over time have enabled a launch-on-remote capability, where one ship could prompt another ship in a more advantageous position to fire on a target, even if the second ship can\u2019t yet see the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n