'Dragon Web' Modem Will Enhance U-2 as Communications Relay

Lockheed Martin is upgrading the U.S. Air Force’s U-2S Dragon Lady to provide a satellite communications relay capability. The manufacturer expects to field the “Dragon Web” feature on the surveillance aircraft later this year.

Speaking with reporters during Lockheed Martin’s annual media day on March 15, Scott Winstead, U-2 business development manager, said the satellite relay builds on an earlier Dragon Net modification to the U-2’s data modem. Sought by the U.S. Central Command two years ago as a quick reaction capability, the modification by Lockheed Martin and L-3 Communications supports communications and video relay between Rover (remote operations video enhanced receiver) devices via two line-of-sight radio links. A soldier on the ground with a handheld Rover can view full-motion video from a fighter or other aircraft and use the U-2 as a relay to share imagery with a soldier in the distance.

Dragon Web uses the next-generation L-3 modem to provide beyond line-of-sight communications, allowing a soldier to “reach back” through the network for imagery from other, distributed sensors, as well as to push imagery to intelligence analysts. “It allows you to start being much more interoperable. It allows you to start merging weapons systems,” said Winstead.

While noting that Lockheed Martin is “not fighting” the Air Force’s current plan to retire the U-2 in 2019, Winstead said the Dragon Web modem adds yet another capability to a venerable platform that is rivaled by three variants of the unmanned Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. Four EQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20 aircraft serve as Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) platforms to distribute battlefield communications. The Air Force has 11 AN/ZPY-2 MP-RTIP radar-equipped Global Hawk Block 40s and will eventually have 21 “multi-int” Block 30s with integrated sensor and signals intelligence payloads.

Dragon Net is available on a select number of U-2s. Dragon Web will integrate the communications and video relay capability into the U-2 fleet baseline “and will be employed operationally later this year,” Lockheed Martin said.