UK Ministry of Defence and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®..

BLANDFORD, UK, April 30, 2026 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Skunk Works and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) completed an exercise, called Babel Fish, that expands on Project DEIMOS by adding ground-effector integration with the British Army.

What happened

• A synthetic environment simulated data share between an F-35 into the UK MOD’s NEXUS Command and Control (C2) environment and was instantly routed to the British Army ground layer, which leveraged the targeting data from the F-35 to provide commander’s options for closing kill chains at speed.

“The Babel Fish exercise was critical in proving that our ground effectors can directly utilise targeting data from the F‑35. This capability magnifies the value provided by F‑35 and enables us to leverage existing systems to deliver operational advantage today.” — Wing Commander Phillip Harrild, Royal Air Force Military Strategic Headquarters Integrated Air and Missile Defence Directorate

Why it matters

• Expands the F-35 data transfer capability from air to sovereign C2 only to include ground effectors, exercising Multi-Domain Operations with allied, non-U.S. systems.
• Extends Project DEIMOS—which validated F-35 to NEXUS data share—by adding the crucial ground link, a key step toward an integrated allied battlespace.
• Proves the power of Skunk Works open systems technologies architecture, enabling seamless, rapid integration of F-35 data with international partner C2 environments and land-based weapons.

“Our open systems technology serves as the connective tissue that allows the F‑35 to communicate with partner C2 networks and interface with ground assets. This ready‑now capability accelerates coalition Multi‑Domain Operations and reinforces our commitment to interoperability for allied sovereign systems.”

— OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Skunk Works

For additional information, visit our website: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/multi-domain-operations.html

About Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com