25 August 2022

Lockheed Martin partners on AI training system for Australia

by Jon Grevatt

STELaRLab scientists are pictured testing decision support AI systems using a live, virtual, constructive training system. (Lockheed Martin)

STELaRLab, the research and development (R&D) arm of Lockheed Martin Australia, has collaborated with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the government's Defence Science Technology Group (DSTG), to test a new military command-and-control training system that leverages artificial intelligence (AI).

Lockheed Martin Australia said on 25 August that the test featured a “live, virtual, constructive (LVC) training system” that provided “Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) decision-support capabilities”.

In the exercise – conducted over several weeks – the three parties explored systems that leveraged AI to support “rapid decision making at tactical levels of command-and-control across multiple domains”, said the company.

It said that the LVC system was exercised in conjunction with RAAF air battle managers (ABMs) who provided mission requirements spanning from planning to execution and debrief.

Lockheed Martin added that the technologies featured in the exercise demonstrated the “benefits of providing tasking and tactical recommendations, helping ABMs think through the complexity of challenging environments”.

Kevin McDonald, research engineering manager and IAMD research leader at STELaRLab, said that the exercise enabled researchers to “see first-hand how the AI systems perform, what improvements are needed, which in turn allows our scientists to incorporate the feedback quickly and adjust the AI systems to better align with our customer's mission”.

A spokesperson from Lockheed Martin Australia told Janes that the decision-support systems are being designed to support a range of capability domains including air battle management, air and missile defence, and joint all-domain command-and-control.

STELaRLab, the research and development (R&D) arm of Lockheed Martin Australia, has collaborated wit...

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