Northrop, AT&T and SEMPRE Test Aircraft Servicing Tool Built on AR, 5G

Northrop Grumman announced that it worked with telecommunications provider AT&T and Washington, D.C.-based Secure EMP-Resilient Edge to test the secure and rapid transmission of classified military data using an augmented reality headset and 5G connectivity.

The demonstration showed how aircraft servicing time and spending can be reduced through modernized flightline maintenance and sustainment, Northrop said Tuesday.

Conducted between Whiteman Air Force Base and two Northrop sites in California, the test saw an AR headset-equipped aircraft maintainer send large quantities of classified aircraft data using an AT&T 5G commercial network and a SEMPRE 5G private network. Northrop installed an internally developed communication system into the headset.

The companies aim to produce a capability enabling service personnel to perform maintenance and upgrade work using information previously available only at secure locations.

Lance Spencer, AT&T’s client executive vice president of defense and a 4×24 member, said the tested solution will meet the Pentagon’s network requirements for private missions.