Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop a new family of uncrewed air systems, bringing together two of the defence sector’s most advanced research divisions: Skunk Works and FalconWorks.
The collaboration will focus on a rapidly deployable, modular design that can deliver a range of disruptive effects, including electronic warfare and strike missions. The companies say the system will be cost-effective and adaptable, with options for air drop, ground launch, maritime launch and deployment from wide-body logistic aircraft.
OJ Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said: “We’re pleased to join forces with BAE Systems, combining our expertise in rapid prototyping and advanced development to deliver game-changing capabilities. By working together, we’re unlocking new possibilities for our customers and advancing the future of autonomous systems.”
Dave Holmes, Managing Director of FalconWorks, framed the effort as a response to shifting operational needs. “Through our collaboration with Lockheed we’ll deliver disruptive capabilities that can make a real difference to our military customers at pace, enabling them to confront the operational requirements of today’s battlefield.”
The system will be designed to complement existing frontline aircraft, increasing survivability while providing affordable “combat mass” at a time when many armed forces are moving toward mixed fleets of crewed and uncrewed platforms. Both firms emphasised that their shared focus on modularity and rapid prototyping will allow the design to evolve quickly for different mission sets.
It’s always worth remembering this is BAE Inc so essentially completely firewalled from the UK parent company ( the cost of doing business in the USA).
Except that FalconWorks is based in the U.K., main site being the Warton in Lancashire: other sites involved include Brough, Filton, Prestwick, Samlesbury, and Towceste.
So no, it’s not ‘BAE Inc’ as you call it.
It’s not BAE inc “ as I call it “ it’s BAE inc in reality and legally. Any US work is always undertaken by BAE inc not BAE PLC . It’s how it works the US requires US ip to be firewall in BAE inc.
US Government funded defence work will have to be done by BAE Systems Inc, by Americans, in America. They would need to apply for explicit permission for this work to be done by BAE Systems Plc, FalconWorks.
But it’s not even relevant here this is a private LM project, not DoD funded.
+ falcon works supports all BAE subsidiaries.. so essentially in this case falcon works will be working as part of BAE inc, unless there is an intergovernmental agreement between the UK and US to share Some of their IPs.
The electronic warfare division in the US is but not Falcon Works that is very UK centric.
Hi Jim it’s more about the fact that any work BAE does for or with the US will come under US IP and essentially get moved to BAE inc. it means that if the Uk want it or want to sell its bound to ITAR and one of the key sets of learning for European nations is that ITAR is a geostrategic straitjacket.
So it’s no problem BAE doing this, but from a truely sovereign point of view it’s very limiting around anything it produces. And the one most important thing Ukraine has shown is sovereign capability is all.
You’re talking nonsense.
IP is owned by companies who pay for its development, though of course they can sell the IP to another company. Or alternatively a company can be paid to develop IP for a commissioning company.
This is a collaboration between U.S.A and U.K. companies.
Only US Government funded development comes under tight control over what is done where, by whom, what nationals can be involved. Naturally like a company, if the US Government pays for a company to develop IP for it, then it as the client owns the IP.
You can actually look at the BAE HMG IP agreement.. essentially is profoundly bound in, if any work at all can be traced to any government funding throughout the history of any company that has become part of BAE there is an IP lock in…BAE PLC and BAE inc etc cannot just take what they have learnt from all their government work and them create something new with no IP issue it all tracks back.. And ITAR is not even bound to US government IP if it’s on the US munitions list and there is any U.S. company involvement it’s Under ITAR.
Are we going to need US permission to fire any weapons that we buy from this collaboration?
Anyone have an idea?
We would need US permission to even buy any of the weapons from the collaboration .. but we could fire them as we wanted once we had them.
Wrong.
ITAR includes the technology and knowledge behind the product not just which county is hammering the metal..you cannot avoid ITAR buy building it outside the USA. If a U.S. company (including any employee or resources of BAE inc) are involved in its development it’s covered by ITAR.
Not if they’re manufactured by BAE in the U.K.
Export controls only apply to weapons built in other countries.
Arguably the reason why LM is partnering with BAE is to have a non-USA based manufacturing partner, as Europe is naturally skittish about depending upon purchasing from the USA at the moment.
My understanding was that if US cartographic data was used/present for targeting then the US could veto any use of the weapon. Or if not present weapons could be launched but would have to rely on GPS+INS
Given the current political hokey-cokey in the US I’d rather not be dependant on a US potential veto.
I’m out of date on many aspects of UK defence though and I’m happy to be corrected.
That’s a separate issue, but yes it equally applies to a UK built weapons, and also applies to usage of GPS too.
I assume the Falcon Works is just a rename of the Business Division, or part of it, that resides at BAES Special Projects Site, located at the SE corner of Warton, away from the main production site.
As part of the Special Relationship it’s been reported back to the 60s that the UK and US have collaborated on advanced aerospace tech.
From early RAM to access to the F117 ans sharing of Stealth tech.
Flying Triangle types have been reported flying from Warton, West Freugh, and other places for years, supposedly in collaboration with DARPA. That is very much in the realms of Ufology, but there is a direct crossover between that and the world of “Black” aviation programs.
Which are of course almost entirely American, with their Black Budget being bigger than our Defence budget.
So this isn’t that surprising?
From the team that brought you the F35 😀
Neither of these companies know the meaning of low cost. This will be them simply looking for some more of uncle Sam’s sweet honey.