Lockheed Uses Verizon 5G For Drone Detection Ahead Of 2027 NetSense Launch
Light Reading reported that Lockheed Martin is preparing NetSense, a subscription airspace-awareness service using Verizon's 5G network, for commercial availability in 2027 after pilots scheduled from late 2026 into early 2027.
Lockheed Martin is moving a drone-detection system from demonstration toward commercial service, using Verizon's 5G network as the sensing layer rather than installing a separate radio system.
Light Reading reported that the defense contractor plans to offer NetSense as an airspace-awareness subscription in 2027 after pilots in the second half of this year and early next year.
The service is meant to detect, identify and track unmanned aircraft for customers such as critical infrastructure operators, stadiums, power plants, schools, hospitals, airports and government agencies.
Its commercial pitch is that existing 5G infrastructure can become part of the detection system while customers keep the workflow inside their security operations.
That scope makes the telecom element operational: mobile infrastructure becomes a shared coverage and sensing asset for sites that already need communications resilience.
NetSense Turns 5G Into A Sensing Layer
NetSense combines Verizon's network with AI-RAN software from ODC, Nvidia's AI Aerial platform, Keysight radio-frequency simulation tools and algorithms from Astris AI, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary formed in December 2024 to commercialize AI systems from the company's defense work.
A live demonstration near Miami last month used Verizon's existing 5G spectrum and did not require changes to the network.
The system alerted the test team to drones in a high-traffic urban area described as important for American protection.
The technical sequence matters for operators because the network is doing more than carrying traffic.
ODC's software uses radio-frequency measurements already collected from the mobile network, Nvidia's platform analyzes signal disturbances in real time, and Lockheed Martin's algorithms interpret those signals for drone awareness.
Commercial Pilots Come Before General Availability
The rollout schedule still leaves NetSense short of a live commercial product.
General availability is planned for 2027, while pilot deployments are expected in late 2026 and early 2027.
Lockheed Martin's rollout chronology puts the NetSense prototype in March.
Lockheed Martin framed the service as a way to respond to cheaper and more available drones by using the established 5G spectrum around a site.
Sarah Hiza, senior vice president for technology and strategic innovation, said in a company statement that airspace-awareness tools need to evolve quickly as drones become more accessible.
Verizon executive Anil Guntupali said the approach applies AI to radio-signal measurement data already moving through the company's 5G infrastructure.
He also wrote on LinkedIn that the network is taking on airspace sensing as a second job for airports, stadiums, utilities and hospitals.
6G Roadmap Stays Future-Tense
NetSense is currently built around Verizon 5G, but Lockheed Martin says the platform can be deployed on any 5G network and may later extend to 6G.
That roadmap points toward integrated sensing and communication while keeping the present deployment claim inside today's 5G network.
The project also extends Lockheed Martin's earlier 5G.MIL work with Verizon and Keysight, which began in late 2021 and has included Nokia Federal Solutions.
The commercial test now shifts that defense-network experience toward a service that security teams could buy without owning a private sensing buildout.
