Pentagon selects Lockheed Martin to develop 5G communications network infrastructure testbed

News, US February 21, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded Lockheed Martin a $19.3 million Prototype Project Agreement to develop a 5G communications network infrastructure testbed for expeditionary operations experimentation for the U.S. Marine Corps and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

According to the Lockheed Martin official release, “The testbed, known as Open Systems Interoperable and Reconfigurable Infrastructure Solution (OSIRIS), is a key initiative of Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL programs which are positioned to help its customers field, scale and integrate 5G technology rapidly and affordably across all operations on land, water, in air, space and cyber.”

Lockheed Martin Spectrum Convergence vice president, Deon Viergutz said, “OSIRIS will serve as a critical proof point of Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL^® capabilities.”

“We are integrating the technical capabilities of 5G waveforms, software and hardware with higher bandwidth and low-latency data rates into our defense 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,” Viergutz added.

“The OSIRIS program will help address the need for test facilities that enable rapid experimentation and dual-use application prototyping. The testbed will identify areas for further compatibility between 5G network and DOD platforms that will enhance customer capabilities,” Lockheed Martin release read.

According to the statement, “The infrastructure will also allow for the connection of various 5G-ready user devices, sensors, vehicles and endpoints to explore the military utility of commercial 5G technologies and pave the way for onboarding of new technologies from other OUSD investments while addressing cybersecurity requirements. This capability will further enable and advance DOD’s Joint All Domain Operations concept.”

*^{A cell tower is being upgraded to handle the new 5G network. (Image Credit: George Frey/AFP)}*

The 5G network testbed infrastructure will be created at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton by the teams from Lockheed Martin, with subcontractors DISH Wireless, Intel Corporation, Radisys Corporation, and Rampart Communications. “The period of performance will begin immediately and conclude in September 2024,” the release added.

Lockheed Martin is also enhancing commercially available 5G technology with military-grade network and transmission security features while leveraging the global reach of 5G to expand access to a worldwide network.