Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Continued Commitment To Air Force OMS Vision

PALMDALE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2014 – In a series of U-2 flight tests, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] integrated multiple Air Force Open Mission Systems (OMS) payloads using the Skunk Works® Enterprise Open Systems Architecture (E-OSA), demonstrating the ability to rapidly modernize the aircraft’s mission systems architecture.

The flight tests conclude a five-month research and development effort that integrated four OMS-compliant sensors – three electronic warfare systems and the U-2 SYERS-2C sensor – along with a modernized Internet Protocol-based data link, all from different suppliers. The team also demonstrated the Lockheed Martin mission management software, including onboard dynamic route planning and sensor fusion.

“This demonstration builds upon our Project Missouri work and further demonstrates our innovative Open Architecture approach to quickly and affordably modernize aircraft like the U-2,” said Rob Weiss, executive vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “Our continued investment to develop E-OSA in support of the Air Force’s OMS goals validates our commitment to provide low cost solutions to meet the needs of the warfighter in the ever changing threat environment.”

The three-week test cycle included on-board contingency planning for no-fly zones, unplanned threats, and no-image zones. Additionally, the OMS-compliant E-OSA computing environment implementation hosted third party applications, maintained mission critical software separation and implemented key critical abstraction layer technologies all in a small form factor that could be used in smaller tactical platforms and larger platforms alike.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works was supported by the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO) and the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center with industry partners L-3 Communications, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego, Raytheon and UTC Aerospace Systems. By leveraging two years of collaborative industry work led by the AFRCO, combined with the emerging OMS-compliant eco-system, the future of aircraft modernization has the potential to be transformed. The AFRCO OMS collaborative working group is comprised of aircraft developers and mission systems providers agreeing to consensus technical solutions for open architecture implementations.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin