Lockheed Martin uses 5G networks for drone detection

Lockheed Martin, in collaboration with Verizon and Nvidia, has demonstrated that existing 5G networks can function as radar systems to detect and track drones. The solution, known as NetSense Airspace Awareness-as-a-Service, utilizes the radio frequency perturbations caused by flying objects to identify and monitor unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

The technology relies on Nvidia AI Aerial, an AI platform for 5G and 6G networks, to analyze real-time signal disturbances. These data points are then processed by Lockheed Martin’s NetSense algorithms to predict and follow the trajectory of detected drones. This capability anticipates the Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) features expected in future 6G standards, proving that advanced sensing can be implemented on current 5G infrastructure.