Lockheed Martin has developed and is fielding a game-changing distributed technology that significantly improves situational awareness for dismounted Warfighters. Called DisOPS, the tool suite enables small unit patrols to share information and coordinate maneuvers with new levels of speed and accuracy.

In the battlefield, small units typically encounter a range of activities -- from peacekeeping to firefights -- but they seldom have the most current intelligence data to avoid gaps in situation awareness, information collection and tactical collaboration. DisOPS, developed by Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, addresses these challenges by maintaining communications in real-time and enabling mission modification on the fly -- all without compromising coordination within the unit and prosecution of the mission objective.

"Following field tests, Soldiers, Marines and Special Operations Forces operators reported that the system significantly expanded their situational awareness and gave them new options for collaborating among themselves," said Brett Breslow, DisOPS program manager. "DisOPS also allowed them to share tracking of local friendly forces and to use land navigation tools for coordinated maneuvering."

The suite consists of rugged laptops running the DisOPS ConnectTM software and locally-networked personal digital assistants (PDAs) running the DisOPS ViewTM software. Together, they enable small units to share information and collaborate from pre-mission planning through mission execution to after-action review.

During a typical mission, PDAs wirelessly connect small units to communicate the latest intelligence, enable grid-based distance calculations, GPS coordinates, photography of people or places of interest and friendly-force tracking -- all while enabling units to silently coordinate their maneuvers. Afterward, squad leaders can use their laptops to replay a comprehensive history of the mission as a tool to improve intelligence gathering and mission execution.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command has requested DisOPS for international field operations. Other military services and law enforcement agencies have expressed interest in using the DisOPS technology.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin