Lockheed Martin today introduced several innovative aircraft and ground station configurations that can be tailored to specific customer intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements. Branded the "Dragon" series, these platforms can be customized to support individual military, homeland defense, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance mission needs.
"We developed the Dragon configurations after extensive customer feedback, technical trade studies and real world experimentation using our Airborne Multi-INT Laboratory," said Jim Quinn, Vice President with Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions-Defense. "The AML also allows us to offer customers the ability to 'try before you buy' for each configuration."
In today's complex environment, rarely can a single aircraft meet all customer needs. To help address this, the Dragon configurations extend the corporation's comprehensive ISR expertise into a broad catalogue of single and multi-purpose integrated air and ground intelligence platforms. Lockheed Martin offers a flexible, customer-focused approach with solutions designed to integrate into existing customer ground and air architectures. Modern software and hardware designs provide cost-effective life cycle management.
Extensive simulation capabilities and the flexibility of the AML -- demonstrated at the Avalon Air Show -- allow Lockheed Martin to work cooperatively with customers to provide a quantitative-based analysis of mission and aircraft requirements that supports choosing the appropriate system.
All configurations incorporate a modular "plug and play" architecture for the cost-effective, rapid introduction of new capabilities. Most options have wide and narrow band communication suites as well as dedicated ground processing systems with multi-level security options. Lockheed Martin's Dragon configurations are:
-- Dragon Scout -- Large business jet platforms with full range of ISR systems; ideal for customers with enduring requirements and large geographic areas of interest.
-- Dragon Shield -- Roll-on/roll-off flexible sensor suite for customers who need a platform that can perform multiple missions (airlift and ISR).
-- Dragon Star -- Medium size jet and turboprop platforms with a flexible suite of sensor systems.
-- Dragon Stare -- Smaller platforms: jet, turboprop or podded system, with a flexible sensor suite and communication suite and optional tailored ground system.
-- Dragon Den -- ISR ground processing stations that range in size from a single desktop workstation to multiple workstations in transit cases to a shelter with associated communication suite.
-- Net Dragon -- Contractor owned/contractor operated ISR service that can be used with all other Dragon configurations. Possible solution for those who need ISR products, but do not want to incur the cost of a complete system.
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