Lockheed Martin demonstrated new command-and-control capabilities during Valiant Shield 2026, connecting multiple systems used by US and coalition forces.
Held in the Indo-Pacific, the exercise covered integrated air and missile defense, long-range targeting, and converged fires.
Lockheed Martin used its CommandIQ-powered battle management application to combine live and simulated data from several systems, including C2BMC, Aegis Guam, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, the Integrated Battle Command System, and the Air Base Air Defense System Missile Defense.
AI evaluated response options and recommended how participating weapon systems could engage threats while preserving available munitions.
Another demonstration focused on bringing commercial sensor data into military targeting workflows. Working with HawkEye 360, Lockheed Martin integrated commercially generated unclassified tracks and distributed the information across the joint force.
Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin Mission’s vice president for Integration Command and Control, said the exercises “highlight the power of integration to create operational advantage.”
“When we combine that operational experience with modern software and digital technologies, we can move faster from innovation to mission impact,” he said.
US Pushes Digital C2
Lockheed Martin’s demonstration comes as the US military moves to replace disconnected command systems with software-driven networks.
In June, the service extended its partnership with software company Air to support efforts to improve how battlefield data is shared and used across the force under the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) initiative.
The same month, the army selected Anduril to provide NGC2’s common data baseline through its Lattice platform, creating a shared software architecture that allows systems from different vendors to exchange information across the same network.
The service also tapped Gentex Corporation to provide communication headsets and integrated soldier systems for experimentation ahead of Project Convergence Capstone 6.
Earlier, in May, the US Army tested a low-cost, radar-agnostic drone interceptor designed to connect with existing command-and-control networks as part of a broader NATO effort to strengthen defenses along Europe’s eastern flank.
