Article Summary: Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, has achieved a major breakthrough with Project Hydra. This initiative successfully enabled seamless, bidirectional communication between F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs, and ground operators by using a U-2 aircraft as a data relay.
Key Point #1 – Traditionally, these stealth fighters operated with incompatible data links, but Hydra now allows real-time sensor and mission data sharing, significantly improving battlespace awareness.
Key Point #2 – This development enhances U.S. military readiness for next-generation warfare, supporting the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command & Control (JADC2) vision for integrated multi-domain operations.
Project Hydra: The Game-Changing Tech That Links F-22s, F-35s, and U.S. Warfighters
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency, developed Project Hydra back in 2021 to tackle communications integration between fifth-generation aircraft.
Traditionally, platforms like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II have utilized distinct, secure data links — Intra-Flight Data Link for the F-22 and Multifunction Advanced Data Link for the F-35 — which was a barrier to direct communities between these two types of aircraft.
Project Hydra aimed not only to bridge that gap but to enhance it greatly.
Testing, Testing for F-22 and F-35
As part of a Project Hydra test, an Open Systems Gateway payload was installed on a U-2 aircraft, which served as a communications node, and allowed a single F-22 to connect with five F-35s, and allowing all six aircraft to share information amongst themselves as well as with elements on the ground.
The data they collected was transmitted directly to the fighter’s pilot displays and avionics, a boon to enhancing situational awareness.
“Project Hydra marks the first time that bi-directional communications were established between 5th Generation aircraft in-flight while also sharing operational and sensor data down to ground operators for real-time capability,” said Jeff Babione, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said in 2021.
“This next-level connectivity reduces the data-to-decision timeline from minutes to seconds, which is critical in fighting today’s adversaries and advanced threats.”
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Division
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division has proven instrumental in the company’s development of radical, cutting-edge aerospace technologies. Established during the Second World War, Skunk Works’ projects are very advanced — and highly secretive. The division’s purpose is to rapidly meet urgent defense needs, and they’re often given great resources to do so.
One of Skunk Work’s more notable achievements was the development of the United States’ first jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star, in 1943 — a mere 143 days after the initial design had been approved.
Though more capable jet designs quickly outclassed the straight-wing aircraft, the project put Skunk Works on the map.
Arguably one of Skunk Works’ crowning achievements was the SR-71 Blackbird, a long-range, high-speed reconnaissance jet developed in the 1960s.
Its purpose was to spy on the Soviet Union, and it relied on great speed to evade Soviet air defenses — and it is still one of the fastest aircraft ever built.
Project Hydra
Project Hydra notched several firsts: it marked the first bidirectional informational communication between fifth-generation aircraft and a reconnaissance platform while in flight. It also shared data gathered by the aircraft’s sensors with ground elements.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor soars above the United Arab Emirates March 16, 2022. The F-22 Raptors were rapidly deployed on order from the U.S. Secretary of Defense in coordination with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and have joined a range of joint, coalition, and allied and partner combat airpower capabilities already based across the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ruano)
Though not as flashy or news-grabbing as, say, a weapon test, the capability was a significant step forward for painting an accurate operational picture of air and ground elements.
A Lockheed Martin informational pamphlet about Project Hydra breaks down what real-time data gathering looks like — in essence, highly detailed, very precise 3D mapping with accurate details and measurements for the identification of various features on the ground.
“Bringing the power of 5th Generation data and exposing new C2 opportunities across multiple domains continues to demonstrate Lockheed Martin’s readiness to provide unmatched battlespace awareness and rapidly field capability today,” Lockheed Martin said in their 2021 statement on Project Hydra.
U.S. Air Force Major Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning ll Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies during sunset over Mathers Airport, Calif., Sept. 24th, 2021, at the California Capital Airshow. The team consists of approximately 15 total Airmen to include the pilot and commander, pilot safety officers, superintendent, team chief, maintenance Airmen, aircrew flight equipment specialists, and public affairs personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Barley)
“This demonstration is another key step forward in Lockheed Martin’s support for the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System and the Army’s Project Convergence, supporting the goal of providing commanders critical tools for the joint all-domain battlespace environment.”
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
