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Space-Based ISR for Troops at Battlefield

Apr 24, 2021

satellite information — Specialist Fourth Class (SPC) Philip Amiot, with the 82nd Airborne Division's Long Range Surveillance Detachment, uses an AN/PSC-5 Spitfire UHF Manpack Terminal and a laptop computer to send still images by satellite, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

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Access to information will be critical in the future operating environment. A new line of military tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) satellites will provide battlefield forces with long-range tracking of moving targets in hostile environments in near-real-time.

Lockheed Martin is addressing the accelerating demand for space-enabled warfighting capabilities. Based on the company’s LM 400 mid-size satellite bus, these refrigerator-sized, solar-powered satellites use an open-architecture design that lends itself to being manufactured in large numbers to increase affordability. .

The software-defined satellite capabilities of Lockheed Martin’s SmartSat platform offer the ability to responsively develop and deploy new mission capabilities on orbit ahead of the pace of evolving threats.

The high-powered LM 400 can also support payloads up to 14 kilowatts and up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of mass, enabling extended operation of a wide range of sensor technologies.

The LM 400-based tactical ISR satellites will play a key role in Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) by allowing tactical warfighters to better employ space-based capabilities, according to the company’s announcement.

JADC2 is the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) concept to connect sensors from all of the military services — Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force — into a single network.