F-35 sends classified combat data mid-flight—Lockheed Martin and Royal Netherlands Air Force achieve historic real-time strike at Ramstein

How did Lockheed Martin and the Royal Netherlands Air Force redefine multi-domain operations?

In a milestone demonstration of allied interoperability and technological innovation, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works successfully executed the first-ever live, in-flight classified data share between an F-35 and a foreign Command and Control (C2) environment during the Ramstein Flag multi-domain operations (MDO) exercise. Conducted out of Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands, this breakthrough represents a pivotal shift in how joint forces coordinate across domains and borders in real-time combat scenarios.

The data transfer was facilitated through Lockheed Martin’s Open Systems Gateway (OSG), allowing Dutch F-35s to transmit sensitive targeting data via Multifunction Advanced Datalink (MADL) into Keystone, the Netherlands’ sovereign C2 system. This enabled a Dutch rocket artillery platform to receive, process, and act upon the targeting information—resulting in a successful strike against a simulated enemy position in an anti-access area denial (A2AD) environment. The entire detection-to-strike sequence occurred within minutes, offering a glimpse into the future of digitally fused coalition warfare.

This marks a foundational development for NATO allies, emphasizing not only technical feasibility but also operational readiness in fusing next-generation air assets like the F-35 with homegrown battle management systems.

What made this F-35 classified data-sharing demonstration significant?

The success of this exercise validated the secure interoperability of the F-35’s vast onboard sensor data with allied, non-U.S. C2 systems for the first time. It showcased a critical combat function—complete kill chain execution—across sovereign platforms in a live setting. More than just a demonstration of connectivity, the exercise proved that advanced targeting data from the F-35 could be securely routed, interpreted, and acted upon by artillery platforms of a NATO partner without U.S. operational intervention.

This was made possible by the Skunk Works’ Open Systems Gateway, which translates proprietary data formats into universally readable protocols, while safeguarding the classified integrity of the originating platform. The MADL served as the bridge for high-throughput, jam-resistant data transfer in a contested communications environment, further proving the value of hardened battlefield networks.

Beyond the technical novelty, the exercise represents a deeper transformation in joint warfare doctrine—one that favors decentralized, high-speed, cross-domain decision-making in a future battlefield increasingly defined by data latency, cyber resilience, and cross-platform awareness.

Why is multi-domain integration critical for future allied air power?

The concept of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) envisions a battlespace where land, sea, air, cyber, and space forces operate in synchrony through shared digital architectures. For NATO members, realizing this vision means integrating national C2 frameworks with a growing array of coalition air assets such as the F-35 Lightning II.

Ramstein Flag offered a practical proof of how this integration can be executed in real time. According to Air Commodore Bert “Vida” de Smit of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the exercise reinforced strategic trust between allies and validated the investment in digital infrastructure capable of enabling MDO. He emphasized that such exercises help future-proof NATO’s integrated air and missile defense architecture by bringing operational agility and precision to alliance-wide combat readiness.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Vice President OJ Sanchez further underscored that this milestone marked a generational leap in data-sharing capabilities, adding that the company’s focus remains on accelerating novel MDO tools that allow for flexible, scalable, and secure integration across national systems.

What is the Open Systems Gateway and why is it central to coalition warfare?

Lockheed Martin’s Open Systems Gateway (OSG) is a modular, plug-and-play interface that enables the secure translation and transmission of sensor data from proprietary platforms into allied C2 environments. Developed by the company’s elite Skunk Works division, the OSG serves as a digital bridge that preserves the fidelity of classified information while ensuring compatibility with NATO command structures.

Its role in the Ramstein Flag exercise demonstrates how the OSG is instrumental in enabling real-time interoperability between aircraft like the F-35 and diverse allied military networks. Importantly, it supports the vision of distributed kill chains—where information from a sensor in the sky can trigger a weapons system on the ground within seconds, even across national lines.

This approach also aligns with NATO’s broader push for digital transformation in defense, emphasizing modular systems, software-defined networks, and rapid upgradability. As more F-35 operators join the alliance, the ability to securely integrate these platforms into local command ecosystems will be vital.

How does this success shape NATO’s digital defense strategy?

The implications of the Ramstein Flag exercise stretch well beyond Dutch airspace. By showcasing real-time kill chain execution between American-built fighters and European C2 assets, the demonstration reaffirms NATO’s trajectory toward agile, interconnected, and digitally resilient warfare. It provides a template for future exercises, training environments, and operational planning for multinational forces.

With European nations increasingly investing in both U.S.-made platforms and sovereign digital command frameworks, such interoperability demonstrations will be critical to ensuring alliance cohesion. As NATO continues to face cyber and kinetic threats from peer adversaries, the ability to instantly share and act upon battlefield intelligence will determine the success or failure of future joint missions.

The Ramstein Flag milestone thus serves not only as a technical achievement, but also as a geopolitical reassurance that allied air forces can operate as one, both tactically and strategically.

What does this breakthrough mean for Lockheed Martin’s market position?

For Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), the successful classified data-sharing demonstration at Ramstein Flag offers strategic validation of its Open Systems Gateway as a market-leading interoperability tool. Investors are closely watching how the company expands its footprint in secure, multi-domain systems integration—a segment poised for substantial growth given increasing demand among NATO allies for interoperable air assets and command platforms.

As of the latest trading data, Lockheed Martin stock is priced around $460, with performance largely steady year-to-date despite wider market volatility. The company maintains a robust defense backlog, buoyed by F-35 production, hypersonic weapons contracts, and missile defense sales. This recent demonstration reinforces investor sentiment that Lockheed Martin is well-positioned to benefit from sustained geopolitical tensions and rising allied defense budgets.

Current market sentiment for Lockheed Martin remains moderately bullish, particularly given its expanding role in defense digitization and classified technology exports. Analysts maintain “Buy” to “Hold” recommendations, highlighting its predictable revenue streams, strong dividend profile, and strategic alignment with NATO’s modernization priorities.

The integration success at Ramstein Flag is expected to serve as a catalyst for follow-on contracts from allied nations seeking to leverage the OSG for their own platforms and networks. It underscores Lockheed’s transition from not just a defense contractor but a systems integrator enabling digital battlefield transformation.

In a future dominated by joint decision-making and real-time cross-border defense coordination, Lockheed Martin’s value lies not only in the platforms it builds, but in the digital glue that holds allied missions together.