During the exercise, a synthetic environment simulated a data transfer from an F-35 into the UK Ministry of Defence’s NEXUS Command and Control environment, with the data instantly routed to the British Army ground layer. The British Army was then able to leverage the F-35’s targeting data to provide commanders with options for closing kill chains at speed.
The exercise builds directly on Project DEIMOS, which previously validated F-35 to NEXUS data sharing, by adding the crucial ground link to the existing air-to-sovereign command-and-control data transfer capability. The integration demonstrates the ability of Lockheed Martin’s open systems technologies architecture to enable seamless and rapid connection of F-35 data with international partner command-and-control environments and land-based weapons systems.
Wing Commander Phillip Harrild of the Royal Air Force Military Strategic Headquarters Integrated Air and Missile Defence Directorate described the outcome of the exercise as a pivotal demonstration of operational capability. “The Babel Fish exercise was critical in proving that our ground effectors can directly utilise targeting data from the F-35,” he said. “This capability magnifies the value provided by F-35 and enables us to leverage existing systems to deliver operational advantage today,” he added.
OJ Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager of Skunk Works, highlighted the role of open systems architecture in enabling allied interoperability. “Our open systems technology serves as the connective tissue that allows the F-35 to communicate with partner C2 networks and interface with ground assets,” he said. “This ready-now capability accelerates coalition Multi-Domain Operations and reinforces our commitment to interoperability for allied sovereign systems,” he added.
The Babel Fish exercise expands the F-35’s data transfer capability beyond air-to-sovereign command and control to include ground effectors, exercising Multi-Domain Operations with allied, non-U.S. systems for the first time in this configuration. The results are described by Lockheed Martin as proof of the power of its open systems technologies architecture to deliver ready-now interoperability for international partners.
