Skydweller Aero, in partnership with Nokia Federal Solutions Inc., has been awarded a U.S. Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to demonstrate an airborne 5G communication hub capable of delivering secure, resilient networks in contested environments.
The initiative, officially titled ‘Intelligent Radio Access Network for Beyond 5G Resilient Tactical Networks’, will leverage Skydweller’s Perpetual Flight solar-powered autonomous aircraft to host a reconfigurable communication system. In practical terms, the effort aims to provide a deployable 5G cellular Network-in-a-Box – an airborne private network that can supply robust, low-latency connectivity wherever infrastructure is limited or denied.
“Increasingly, the remote locations where the US must project force will lack the infrastructure to support modern communications,” said Robert Miller, CEO of Skydweller Aero. “This programme demonstrates how Skydweller’s autonomous, perpetual aircraft can deliver ‘instantaneous infrastructure’ – giving our customers faster, more flexible connectivity while reducing cost and complexity compared with traditional solutions.”
In an upcoming demonstration, Nokia Federal will provide its Banshee Flex Radio – a ruggedised 5G private wireless solution originally built for tactical missions and now successfully adapted for airborne operations. “By combining Nokia’s state-of-the-art 5G technology with Skydweller’s solar-powered, long-endurance aircraft, we’re unlocking secure, resilient, and high-speed tactical communications from ground to air,” said Scott Ferguson, Chief Revenue Officer, Nokia Federal Solutions.
The Navy contract will explore how this combined solution can enable adaptive, resilient tactical networks to support both manned and unmanned systems in contested environments within the service’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) concept. This solution may also demonstrate alignment to the Department of Defence’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) initiatives.
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Centre – Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) awarded this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract with a period of performance from November 2025 to November 2026. The contract’s value was not disclosed.
