DSEi 2011: Lockheed Martin breathes new fire into Dragon
Lockheed Martin has modified its 'Dragon' airborne surveillance system in order to satisfy customer demand, a company official has told Shephard.
According to Charles Gulledge, business development for C4ISR systems and strategic programmes, the Dragon Stare solution will now be available as a stand-alone RF sensors and podded systems payload, which can be integrated onto a customer's own aircraft.
First unveiled at the Avalon international airshow in Melbourne, Australia, in February, Lockheed Martin's Dragon series comprises six categories of systems, designed at providing tailor-made solutions for military, homeland security and humanitarian missions.
According to Gulledge, the switch was made in the past two months in an attempt to attract interest from larger programmes as well as providing a cheaper alternative compared to full integration capability.
The Dragon Stare family comprises upgrades for Hawker, King Air and fast-air platforms as well as unmanned assets, Gulledge confirmed. Other families include Dragon Scout, Dragon Shield and Dragon Star which cover airframes from C-130s through to Casa C-295s.
Dragon provides signals intelligence (SIGINT) comprising electronic and communications intelligence; image intelligence (IMINT) comprising EO/IR, SAR/GMTI sensors; interphone communications systems; common and tactical data links; and satellite communications for line-of-sight (LoS) and beyond LoS capabilities. Gulledge said systems could be upgraded in three to 30 months.
A G-3 Dragon Star is currently being prepared for an 'operational environment test' for an undisclosed customer next year. In addition, a Dragon Shield C-295 is expected to make its first flight as part of a Finnish requirement early next year.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training]()
Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
-
![EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI]()
EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
-
![Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker]()
Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
-
![Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend]()
Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend
Persistent Systems has been cleared by National Security Agency (NSA) to transmit sensitive data on commercial networks. The devices are added to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) component list which also includes other companies’ products providing the same security.
-
![UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release]()
UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release
The release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has been long promised as mid-year. It is possible it could be as early as 2 June although the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play its cards close to its chest.
-
![Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)]()
Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)
Intelsat outlines how its multi-orbit SATCOM architecture is enhancing connectivity and resilience for special operations forces operating in degraded and contested environments.
