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The prime has been tapped to develop a 5G communications testbed for defence experimentation.
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The US Department of Defense (DOD) has signed a US$19.3 million ($26.7 million) Prototype Project Agreement (PPA) with Lockheed Martin for the development of a 5G communications network infrastructure testbed for expeditionary operations experimentation.
The testbed, referred to as the Open Systems Interoperable and Reconfigurable Infrastructure Solution (OSIRIS), will be undertaken for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E) and the US Marine Corps,
The project forms part of Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL programs, which aim to help customers field, scale and integrate 5G technology rapidly and affordably across all operations on land, water, in air, space and cyber.
“OSIRIS will serve as a critical proof point of Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL capabilities,” Deon Viergutz, vice president of spectrum convergence Lockheed Martin.
“We are integrating the technical capabilities of 5G waveforms, software and hardware with higher bandwidth and low-latency data rates into our defence products to enhance their performance for our warfighters.
“We want to ensure that warfighters operating in communications contested and denied environments have resilient access to data to perform their missions anywhere in the world.”
The OSIRIS program is expected to deliver test facilities designed to enable rapid experimentation and dual-use application prototyping.
The testbed is tipped to identify areas for further compatibility between 5G network and DOD platforms, while also allowing for the connection of various 5G-ready user devices, sensors, vehicles and endpoints to explore the military utility of commercial 5G technologies.
This is expected to support future onboarding of new technologies from other OUSD investments while addressing cyber security requirements, advancing DOD’s Joint All Domain Operations concept.
Lockheed Martin is set to work alongside subcontractors DISH Wireless, Intel Corporation, Radisys Corporation and Rampart Communications, Inc., to develop the 5G network testbed infrastructure at US Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The period of performance is scheduled to commence immediately before concluding in September 2024.
[Related: Lockheed Martin Australia donates funds to establish Legacy National Foundation]
