The data transfer was carried out through an AT&T 5G private cellular network and Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL multi-site pilot network.
Lockheed Martin, an aerospace, defense, information security, and Technology Corporation completed a secure and rapid transfer of UH-60M Black Hawk health and usage data in collaboration with AT&T. The data transfer was carried out through an AT&T 5G private cellular network and Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL multi-site pilot network. Lockheed Martin announced that the demonstration was conducted on Aug. 4 at Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut, U.S.
The test successfully demonstrated that wireless 5G technologies on the flight line can support accelerated maintenance operations and improve aircraft readiness to support the service members. It also proved highly secure interoperability between the AT&T millimeter wave 5G private cellular network and the 5G.MIL pilot network.
“These 5G capabilities deployed at scale are expected to enable high-speed, secure-data transfer on virtually any flight line, providing another example of how we’re advancing our 21st Century Security vision by improving customer readiness and operations,” said Dan Rice, vice president of 5G.MIL Programs, Lockheed Martin. “In collaboration with commercial 5G leaders, an interoperable 5G.MIL multi-site, multi-vendor network is another step closer to reality,” he further added.
The Integrated Vehicle Management System (IVHMS) provides monitoring and diagnostic capabilities of the aircraft to ensure more reliability. It monitors, captures and evaluates detailed aircraft-generated data as a result of flight maneuvers. IVHMS also captures aircraft limit exceedances on the airframe and dynamic components and monitors the temperature and vibration of key components on the aircraft. The system is able to do this through hundreds of onboard sensors that report the status of the aircraft by monitoring the airframe, engines, and other dynamic components. Aircraft operators assess these thousands of data points to ensure the aircraft is safe, reliable and ready to fly.
The AT&T 5G millimeter wave private cellular network wirelessly transfers data to the 5G.MIL network through ground support equipment from the Black Hawk’s Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS). The data is then routed to local Sikorsky networks for processing and distribution through the secure Lockheed Martin 5G.MIL pilot network to the Waterton, Colorado, 5G test range site.
Currently, it takes Black Hawk crews about 30 minutes to remove the IVHMS data cartridge from the helicopter, transport it to an operations center and extract the data for analysis. Lockheed Martin used AT&T 5G private cellular technologies to reduce the time required to less than 5 minutes including cartridge removal, demonstrating the potential benefits in time and cost for military and commercial helicopter operations.
“Timely and secure transfer and analysis of mission and operations data are critical to military readiness and effectiveness,” said Lance Spencer, client executive vice president, Defense, AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet. “This is one of many areas of commercial 5G innovation we are exploring to support defense, commercial aviation, and related fields where our 5G-related services can modernize legacy processes and help deliver truly transformational benefits,” he further added.
AT&T’s 5G and private cellular Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) capabilities are deployed together by multiple industrial customers in factories across the U.S. where they enable ultra-fast, highly secure wireless processing and information transfer.
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Future demonstrations are expected to further enhance 5G wireless technology communications solutions for flight lines. The aim is to continually shorten aircraft turnaround times to reduce costs and improve military operational readiness. These capabilities deployed at the right scale can support high-speed, secure-data transfer on both commercial and military flight lines. Lockheed Martin and AT&T also are currently working with other leading companies in networking and defense to modernize and transform communications capabilities for defense purposes.
