Lockheed Martin demonstrated the 5G capabilities of the Open Systems Interoperable and Reconfigurable Infrastructure Solution, a.k.a. OSIRIS, during the Steel Knight 2024 exercise of the U.S. Marine Corps in December. Erika Marsall, Lockheed Martin’s C4ISR vice president, called the demo “an important proof point” for the company’s 5G.MIL programs under which OSIRIS is being developed.
“We will continue to invest in commercial technologies, to develop solutions that can be tailored in a variety of ways, and bring the best capabilities to our warfighters,” the Lockheed executive said.
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Stand-Alone 5G Wireless Connection
During the Steel Knight exercise from Dec. 2 to 19, operators of a USMC Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar and a USMC Air Command and Control System tested OSIRIS as a stand-alone 5G wireless communication network for in-flight and tethered unmanned air vehicles.
The system enabled the dispatch and receipt of battlefield data for real-time decision-making in various combat scenarios, according to Lockheed. The company added that insights from the exercise will be valuable when deploying 5G capabilities to support the Marines’ littoral operations in a contested environment and in expeditionary advanced base operations.
Three Configurations Tested
The exercise saw the first use of the integrated access and backhaul configuration of OSIRIS, enabling wider 5G mesh coverage. Two other OSIRIS configurations were demonstrated during the exercise: nomadic tower and mobile relay stand-alone.
Lockheed integrated several 5G subsystems in OSIRIS, including Intel FlexRAN reference software, Intel Xeon processors and Radisys software. The company delivered the initial OSIRIS prototype to USMC in August 2023 after booking a $19.3 million USMC contract in 2021 to prototype the 5G communications network infrastructure testbed.
Join defense and connectivity leaders at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit for more insights on how 5G can support warfighters. Register here for in-person attendance to the event on Feb. 27.