ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Demos Next-Gen Multi-Domain?Mission?Autonomy in the United Kingdom
Lockheed?Martin?successfully completed a live demonstration of its suite of?command and control (C2)?and autonomy capabilities in the UK. The demonstration featured the ,?multiple classes of smaller?uncrewed air systems?(UAS),?and?Vigilance?Mission and Sensor?management?system, a?UK-developed?capability.??
The?MDCX? simultaneously commanded a?Group 1?Indago?2?quadcopter and a?Group 2?Stalker fixed?wing UAS,?with?real?time sensor fusion?and display from?the Vigilance system. The exercise proved that secure, multi?vehicle control can be achieved?beyond?naval carrier environments and?in?allied domains, reinforcing international partners¡¯ pathways for future?Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP)?and uncrewed?C2 and autonomy capabilities.
Vigilance provided a mixed live/synthetic environment to?showcase?Multi-UXV and Multi-Sensor Mission Management and Sub-System/Sensor Data Fusion, whilst using its Software Defined Radio Payload aboard an?Indago?2 quadcopter to re-broadcast Sonobuoy data.
This achievement marks a significant step in the evolution of exportable, multi?domain solutions,?showcasing?MDCX?¡¯s ability to integrate uncrewed?vehicle command and control for?international?customers without sacrificing security or performance?and?operate?alongside sovereign capabilities to deliver mission autonomy.
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Open?Systems Architecture at the Core
The?abilities?showcased?are a testament to?³§°ì³Ü²Ô°ì?°Â´Ç°ù°ì²õ¡¯? commitment to Open?Systems Architecture (OSA). MDCX?¡¯s Open?Mission Systems (OMS) foundation, the Universal Command?&? Control Interface (UCI) message set, and Multi-Level-Security (MLS) guarded software?allows for an integration roadmap?with?UK?developed Vigilance suite and allied C2 networks to plug into a single, vendor?neutral command hub. This straightforward, modular approach gives?customers?an option?for a common platform that can control everything from?tactical?quadcopters to?prospective?carrier?based?aircraft, ensuring interoperable, future?proof uncrewed operations for years to come.
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By fusing Vigilance¡¯s?mission and?sensor data with?autonomous flight?control, the solution supplies?timely?situational awareness, dynamic tasking and rapid re?planning across air,?sea?and cyber domains. The result is a networked approach that lets allied forces?rapidly?detect,?track?and respond to emerging threats with coordinated, multi?platform action ¨C a capability that scales as the demand for?uncrewed?system C2 grows worldwide.
"It's fantastic to work with a strategic systems integrator like ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and especially exciting to host Skunk Works? at?Predannack. Developing open architectures like Vigilance and MDCX?, understanding mission autonomy and collaborating early with front-line crews are essential to meeting the needs of the Hybrid Navy and enabling the transformation of Naval Aviation."?said?Captain?James?Hall,?Commanding Officer?of?Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose,?Royal Navy.?¡°What we saw today is truly the tip of the spear. It shows how rapidly we can advance our ability to command, control and understand the maritime battle space. Capabilities like this?don¡¯t?just enhance our mission ¡ª they redefine?what¡¯s?possible.¡±
¡°The MDCX?X and Vigilance demonstration validates a secure, open?systems approach that?enables?uncrewed?operations?across air, sea and cyber domains,¡± said OJ?Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed?Martin Skunk?Works?. ¡°By proving simultaneous control of multiple?types of?UAS?along with a sovereign UK sensor?management system, we reinforce our?commitment to delivering?multi?domain autonomy for carrier?based forces and demonstrate the power of allied partnership.¡±
¡°Vigilance is built on Lockheed?Martin¡¯s 30?year heritage of delivering mission?focused capabilities in the United Kingdom. It is designed and built in the U.K. on the world?class mission system that powers the Royal Navy¡¯s Merlin Mk?2 maritime patrol helicopter, and it is now being delivered under the U.K. Military Flying Training System¡¯s Future Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) rear?crew training?programme,¡± said Tony Tite, business?development director, Lockheed?Martin U.K. ¡°The MDCX?X and Vigilance demonstration shows how U.K.?sovereign capabilities can integrate with U.S. technology to deliver rapid capability insertion. The live/synthetic environment provided for the demonstration?leverages?our ongoing partnership with the U.K.¡¯s small?and?medium?sized?enterprise (SME) network.¡±
Exportability
MDCX? is built on open, standards-based software and protected by an MLS guard, making it?readily exportable?to partner nations that require advanced C2 and autonomy while adhering to?multiple?classification?level?handling. The platform¡¯s vendor?neutral design allows allied partners to integrate their sovereign sensor?fusion?systems, such?as?ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø?UK¡¯s?Vigilance, without?extensive redesign. This ease of integration accelerates fielding for nations preparing to adopt?Autonomous Collaborative Aircraft (ACP)?and carrier?based uncrewed?operations.
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A Suite of Capability
Together,?MDCX? and Vigilance represent Lockheed?Martin¡¯s ¡°suite of?capability¡± for uncrewed?system command and control.?The suite delivers:
Scalable multi-vehicle?control?of?various classes?and assured Mission Management System.
Open?architecture integration?that accepts sovereign software, third?party AI services and sensor packages.
Multi-domain data fusion?through Vigilance,?to provide?a unified picture for air, surface, sub-surface?and cyber operators.
Export?ready configuration?with MLS certification,?that?enables rapid?fielding to allied forces while preserving national security requirements.
As global demand?grows?for autonomous,?distributed and?networked,?uncrewed?systems across?all domains, this ready?to?deliver, tailorable?suite offers partner countries a proven, secure foundation on which to build the next generation of carrier?based and joint?force operations.

