Verizon 5G enables defense drones with real-time response

Verizon and Lockheed Martin partnership uses 5G.MIL network to get real-time RF and video from battlefield quadcopters.

Highly precise, fast-responding drones are at the forefront of one of Verizon’s millimeter wave 5G projects.

In September, Verizon and Lockheed Martin completed the most recent test of their collaboration in flying 5G-enabled drones at the aerospace organization’s test range in Waterton, Colo. over the multi-site, multi-vendor 5G.MIL pilot network. The four quadcopter drones used two Verizon On Site Private Network nodes with real-time ISR radio frequency and streaming video data transmitted over 5G millimeter wave links to demonstrate situational awareness and command & control for the Department of Defense.

The Verizon network’s low latency and reliability enabled advanced signal processing algorithms to work at the network edge. Data from near real time was displayed on a video feed, enabling…