Lockheed Martin tests pod-to-pod datalink for Legion IRST sensor

Lockheed Martin says it has demonstrated a networking capability that allows two Legion infrared search-and-track sensor pods to exchange data with each other. The flight tests paired two F-16 Fighting Falcons, each carrying a Legion pod fitted with a pre-production version of the HiveLink datalink built by L3Harris.

The aircraft flew from Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona. The U.S. Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Test Center took part.

According to Lockheed Martin, the two pods connected through HiveLink during the tests and shared tracking data, improving the accuracy of the tracks each pod produced. The company said the link also supported near-instantaneous passive ranging against multiple airborne targets.

Legion, previously known as IRST21, is a passive infrared search-and-track system. It detects and tracks airborne targets using infrared sensing rather than active radar emissions, positioning it as an alternative or a complement to conventional radar-based detection.

Lockheed Martin frames the networking capability as a way to give aircrews faster and more precise situational awareness, particularly in radar-denied and contested environments. Passive infrared sensors pick up the thermal signatures of airborne objects without illuminating them, so the target's radar warning receiver is not alerted to the detection.