Photo: General Atomics
For the first time, two General Atomics (GA-ASI) Avenger combat drones, each equipped with a Lockheed Martin Legion Pod, demonstrated the ability to deliver air threat data to a ground station.
Developed by Lockheed Martin, the Legion Pod is a multi-function sensor system that uses infrared search and track technology to detect air-to-air targets while remaining hidden from the radar. The data obtained is then combined and shared with allies.
Since it was designed with an open architecture, the Legion Pod sensor can be rapidly and easily integrated into new platforms without making other modifications to the pod or the aircraft that hosts it.
GA-ASI equipped its Avenger combat drones for the first time with the pod in January 2021, proving enhanced autonomous sensing capabilities for unmanned aircraft. Several months later, it used the system on two drones to demonstrate the ability to send air threat data “captured passively and fused by an advanced sensor algorithm” to a ground station.
The demonstration took place last year in November, and it lasted two hours in total. During the exercise, the Avengers flew over the desert area in southern California and identified multiple aircraft in the region with the help of the infrared sensor and advanced data processing tech from the Legion Pod. Then, data from both pods were merged in real-time and sent by the aircraft to the ground station.
Scott Roberson, director of Sensors and Global Sustainment Advanced Programs at Lockheed Martin, said that it was “the first time IRST systems on multiple autonomous aircraft have delivered merged air threat data to users on the ground.” The successful demonstration marked “a big step in developing a common operating picture that boosts situational awareness across domains in joint operations.”
Earlier this year, this fusion tech was previously tested at the bi-annual joint Northern Edge operational exercise on F-15 fighters outfitted with Legion Pods and datalinks. Lockheed Martin plans to test the pods with datalink capability between F-16s as well.
Since it was designed with an open architecture, the Legion Pod sensor can be rapidly and easily integrated into new platforms without making other modifications to the pod or the aircraft that hosts it.
GA-ASI equipped its Avenger combat drones for the first time with the pod in January 2021, proving enhanced autonomous sensing capabilities for unmanned aircraft. Several months later, it used the system on two drones to demonstrate the ability to send air threat data “captured passively and fused by an advanced sensor algorithm” to a ground station.
The demonstration took place last year in November, and it lasted two hours in total. During the exercise, the Avengers flew over the desert area in southern California and identified multiple aircraft in the region with the help of the infrared sensor and advanced data processing tech from the Legion Pod. Then, data from both pods were merged in real-time and sent by the aircraft to the ground station.
Scott Roberson, director of Sensors and Global Sustainment Advanced Programs at Lockheed Martin, said that it was “the first time IRST systems on multiple autonomous aircraft have delivered merged air threat data to users on the ground.” The successful demonstration marked “a big step in developing a common operating picture that boosts situational awareness across domains in joint operations.”
Earlier this year, this fusion tech was previously tested at the bi-annual joint Northern Edge operational exercise on F-15 fighters outfitted with Legion Pods and datalinks. Lockheed Martin plans to test the pods with datalink capability between F-16s as well.
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