Lockheed Martin has unveiled a C2 prototyping solution designed to speed up the US Golden Dome air and missile defense program, a concept modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome.
Work was conducted at the company’s Center for Innovation in Suffolk, Virginia, within its secure experimentation hub known as “The Lighthouse.” This facility enables joint collaboration between industry, military, and government, hosting live, virtual, and simulated trials, as well as classified exercises, modeling, wargaming, and operational demonstrations.
The newly established platform will evaluate future Golden Dome C2 architectures by leveraging proven multi-domain technologies. Testing will cover battle management systems, sensor tasking capabilities, mission planning tools, threat assessment frameworks, and AI-driven decision aids to address a wide range of modern and emerging threats.
Golden Dome is envisioned as a multi-layered defense system against ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous aerial threats. It will rely on advanced satellites and sensors for early threat detection. The Pentagon’s broader SHIELD program — valued at $151 billion — will fund research and integration across AI-enabled threat detection, advanced weaponry, systems integration, and cybersecurity, with initial deployment targeted within the next three years.
