Lockheed Martin delivers first integrated combat system to US Navy

Under the new model, the Navy and its industry partners will operate on a six-month update and certification cycle, allowing new sensors, weapons integrations and software capabilities to be fielded more rapidly and consistently across ships.

Lockheed Martin said the first delivery represents a foundational step towards a fully integrated combat architecture built for a dynamic maritime threat environment.

“Each baseline upgrade strengthens and extends the proven Aegis air and missile defence capability. This delivery highlights our commitment to accelerating the transition to a common, fully integrated combat system,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Systems at Lockheed Martin.

The initial release, designated BL9.C3.0, is the first to be compiled from Lockheed Martin’s Forge development environment. It introduces a re-architected display layer and a tactical platform-as-a-service framework designed to support containerised software applications and faster capability integration.

The shift enables what the company described as “accelerated capability fielding”, where new functions can be integrated incrementally rather than through large, infrequent system overhauls.

For navies globally, the approach reflects a broader trend towards software-defined warfare at sea, where combat effectiveness is increasingly determined by networked sensors, real-time data fusion and rapid software iteration rather than solely by platform hardware.

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For Australia, these developments are particularly relevant as the Royal Australian Navy transitions towards a more networked and multi-domain force structure under its surface combatant and guided missile destroyer programs.

Australia’s future fleet, including upgraded Hobart Class destroyers and planned next-generation surface combatants, is expected to operate in highly contested Indo-Pacific environments where rapid software refresh cycles and interoperability with US and allied systems will be critical.

A shift towards Integrated Combat System (ICS)-style architectures aligns closely with Australia’s growing emphasis on integrated air and missile defence, distributed maritime operations, and coalition interoperability with the United States and Japan.

In practical terms, a unified combat system model could reduce sustainment complexity for the Australian Defence Force by standardising software baselines across ship classes while also allowing faster integration of emerging capabilities such as new missile systems, electronic warfare suites and uncrewed platforms.

It also supports Australia’s broader strategic requirement for a more agile fleet capable of adapting quickly to evolving regional threats without lengthy acquisition cycles.

The six-month update cadence introduced under the ICS model reflects a shift towards continuous delivery of capability, similar to modern software development practices in commercial technology sectors.

Each cycle is expected to introduce incremental upgrades, including new sensor integrations, weapons compatibility improvements and enhanced data fusion tools, progressively improving fleet-wide performance.

Lockheed Martin said this approach ensures surface combatants remain operationally relevant in a fast-moving warfighting environment while also reducing long-term upgrade costs through shared development across the fleet.

As allied navies, including Australia’s, look to modernise combat systems for the coming decades, architectures that enable common baselines, rapid updates and modular integration are increasingly viewed as central to future maritime superiority.

Stephen Kuper

Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.