On Monday, Lockheed Martin announced the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had awarded it a $4.6 million contract to develop Artificial Intelligence tools for dynamic, airborne missions.
Part of DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program, the 18-month contract would provide AI and Machine Learning techniques to DARPA’s AIR project that would create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments. The AIR program provides advanced modeling and simulation approaches for live, multi-ship beyond visual range missions that are necessary in investing in breakthrough technologies for national security.
“In complex airborne missions, our customers need access to advanced technologies that connect critical systems quickly across all domains. The DARPA AIR program will use state-of-the-art scientific ML technology and Lockheed Martin’s ARISE™ infrastructure to deliver unprecedented amounts of data that service members can use to make faster and more informed decisions,” said Gaylia Campbell, vice president of Engineering and Technology for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This will provide significant cost savings opportunities for the Department of Defense and serve as a foundation for future AI defense solutions, ensuring the U.S. and its allies maintain their competitive advantage no matter the circumstances.”
DARPA’s AIR program will improve on government-provided baseline models’ speed and predictive performance to match how the U.S. Department of Defense’s systems perform in the real world, officials said.
The contract makes use of Lockheed Martin’s history of developing and integrating AI and ML technologies into its products and services, and furthers the company’s goals of building a more advanced, resilient and collaborative defense industry, officials with the company said.