Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract to Develop AI for DARPA

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $4.6 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for dynamic, airborne missions as part of its Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program.

This project aims to provide advanced Modeling and Simulation (M&S) approaches and dominant AI agents for live, multi-ship, beyond visual range (BVR) missions. It is a critical step in prioritizing and investing in breakthrough technologies for national security and to meet customers' evolving needs.

DARPA’s AIR program will improve the government-provided baseline models’ speed and predictive performance to match better how the Department of Defense’s systems perform in the real world. During the 18 months of performance, Lockheed Martin will apply AI and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments.

“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 defence solutions, ensuring the U.S. and its allies maintain their competitive advantage no matter the circumstances.”

Lockheed Martin has a long history of successfully developing and integrating AI and ML technologies into its products and services. This is part of our 21st Century Security® vision, which aims to build a more advanced, resilient and collaborative defense industry, so we can deliver more cutting-edge capabilities faster and more affordably to the United States and our allies.