Lockheed Martin tests ICARUS technology

PALMDALE, Calif., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. company Lockheed Martin says its Intelligent Control and Autonomous Re-planning of Unmanned Systems successfully demonstrated new automation capabilities.

A recent demonstration of the Lockheed Martin ICARUS system to test the technology's autonomous mission management system proved successful at reducing an unmanned system operator's tasks.

Officials say a single operator using the ICARUS system demonstrated the capability to take on the role of a mission manager, which enabled the sharing of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance by all participants.

The demonstration took place as part of the Edge Command and Control/Hybrid Operations exercise and the U.S. Navy Network Warfare Command's annual TRIDENT WARRIOR 08 technology insertion demonstration at the Oceana Naval Air Station, Dam Neck Annex, in Virginia.

"The success of this demonstration further validates our ICARUS autonomous mission management system concept," John Clark, Lockheed Martin ICARUS program manager, said in a statement.

"We have shown that ICARUS decreases unmanned aerial system operator workload while enabling control of a team of unmanned assets performing complex missions in dynamically changing environments."