Air-Space Integration Is Key for Multi-Domain Resiliency

In today’s 21st-century threat environment, the United States and its allies are facing more volatile, fast-paced challenges than ever – and we can’t concentrate our assets in one singular domain when our adversaries have demonstrated their ability and willingness to disable them. A combined air-space approach – Air-Space Integration (ASI) – of technologies linked across domains can provide the resiliency and complexity our forces need to stay ahead.

I recently joined Lockheed Martin Aeronautics President Greg Ulmer and the The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies ' Heather “Lucky” Penney and Charles Galbreath to discuss how ASI can drive a connected network effect across domains on the Aerospace Advantage podcast. I encourage you to take the time to listen, but here are a few of the highlights just in case!

What is the strategic impact of ASI for the warfighter?

Robert Lightfoot (RL): “It’s an and, not an or. The air domain is resilient in some ways, the space domain is resilient in its own way – but together, it’s a tremendous resiliency if we can get the two working together for future conflict.”

Greg Ulmer (GU): “First, it creates a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. For example, space can provide persistent coverage and air assets can be called on when and where needed. So not only does it provide them the sight picture, but it also racks and stacks the order. Secondly, it increases the complexity we present to our adversaries.”

What kind of advantage does ASI provide as a multi-domain network effect?

RL: “We’ve got to unleash the power of connectivity. If we can connect the Space assets to all other assets, you all of a sudden have a huge advantage tactically by ensuring the seamless flow of information – and that’s what’s going to make the difference.”

GU: “[Aircraft] may take off with a certain knowledge base of what the threat environment is, and on the way get informed by Space-based assets, perhaps other air assets, and we re-plan the plan on the way using artificial intelligence, machine learning – and now, we have a multiple-factor advantage related to situational awareness and how to deal with the threat.”

What is Lockheed Martin doing to make ASI a reality?

RL: “We're seeing the ability to leverage each other's capabilities in a way to bring a better mission solution to our customers. The Aeronautics operational analysis team and the Space operational analysis team, in my opinion, together, are second to none. And they're providing a very agnostic view that the customers are asking for from us.”

GU: “Our teams are collaborating to create a resilient kill web by ensuring seamless flow of information across the domains. Within Lockheed Martin, we have an initiative called OneLM in that we don't approach our problem-solving in support of our customers’ mission needs in silos. And we're very focused on updating our digital tool suite and how we do our work. It comes down to model-based simulation engineering, and that will produce a capacity and a throughput. It'll reduce costs. It'll allow us to increase cycle times and development. In the future, we're going to have the ability to get back to timelines where we can design, build, manufacture and fly very rapidly.”

Click here to listen to our full conversation on the Aerospace Advantage – or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts.