Defence Notes
Lockheed Martin launches reconfigurable mission package
To accommodate what it sees as a gap in the market, Lockheed Martin is launching its mission equipment package (MEP) concept to rapidly configure aircraft for new missions.
‘What we are addressing is a scenario where an operations commander has been given a new scenario, either because they didn’t see it coming up or they simply didn’t have plans for it,’ Eric Wasson, senior manager international business development, rotary wing sensors and weapon systems,’ told Shephard.
‘The standard option is to go and buy another platform, but the standard response is that there isn’t budget for that so commanders often have to complete the new mission with existing assets. That’s basically rapid mission growth and it usually pops up because there is some urgent requirement,’ he explained.
According to Wasson, in order to perform the mission the commander’s platforms will need a new MEP and currently there are two options – either to go to the aircraft manufacturer and get a fully integrated system that takes both time and money, or to go somewhere else ‘potentially to a mom and pop outfit’ and get a more ad-hoc solution.
In Wasson’s opinion neither solution is ideal and has an impact on either the aircraft’s flight plan or mission capability. Lockheed Martin believes it can offer a third way through its MEP concept.
‘What we can offer is a fully-federated installation. That’s our magic sauce,’ Wasson stated. The Lockheed Martin MEP installation centres on the inclusion of a mission equipment computer that is federated with, but kept separate from, flight critical systems.
‘Nobody else is offering this because it’s not that easy,’ he continued. ‘Lockheed Martin knows how to do this because we are the biggest writer of software code in the world. It’s truly become an area of excellence for the company.’
Wasson said that Lockheed Martin’s solution is completely platform agnostic and non-intrusive with a completely open system architecture. The company has also invested millions of dollars in its system integration laboratory where it can test various MEP configurations before installation.
The company believes its concept will give new mission capability to existing fleets and will offer full installation support, set up, training, and life cycle sustainment as required.
The one major concern is how new Lockheed Martin MEP equipped aircraft would be requalified for flight. However, Wasson insists it would not be a problem and that the company could work with customers or aircraft manufacturers to ensure safety.
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