Boeing

A Boeing (NYSE: BA) -led team has been awarded a 15-month, $54.6 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop system architectures and initial designs for the next iteration of Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) software-defined radios.

Once operational, the radios will be integrated into more than 150 airborne, shipboard and fixed station platforms, enabling maritime and airborne forces to communicate seamlessly and with greater efficiency in the joint battlespace environment. The Airborne, Maritime/Fixed Station (AMF) JTRS program is one of several aimed at satisfying emerging needs for secure, multi-band/multi-mode software programmable digital radios for mobile military users in the air, on the ground and on the sea. The program is under joint U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy oversight, with the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. having the initial lead and the Program Executive Office, C4I & Space providing support.

"We have established a premier team of industry experts with unparalleled qualifications who understand operational requirements; offer a low-risk, affordable approach; and are committed to delivering an innovative design that will take the joint services to the next step in networked communications," said Jake Volkert, vice president, of Battle Management/Command, Control, Communications (BMC 3 ) & Strategic Systems. "Today's announcement marks a significant leap forward in providing transformational communications technologies to military users as they face emerging and more sophisticated threats, and represents another important building block in Boeing's integrated battlespace growth strategy."

A Boeing-led team was awarded a contract in June 2002 to develop the first procurement of JTRS radios for the Army under the Cluster 1 program, and is on track to begin Early Operational Assessment in December 2004. Knowledge gained from Cluster 1, coupled with the AMF JTRS team's combined platform integration experience and methodology, state-of-the art JTRS radio products and technology, high-rate manufacturing capability, and joint mobile networking expertise, will help pave the way for success on AMF JTRS.

The Boeing AMF JTRS team of leading platform integrators, hardware providers and networking experts includes Rockwell Collins' Government Systems division of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Harris Corporation's RF Communications Division of Rochester, N.Y.; L-3 Communications' East, West and Integrated Systems divisions of Camden, N.J., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Greenville, Texas; Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector of Reston, Va.; BBN Technologies of Cambridge, Mass.; and MILCOM Systems Corporation of Virginia Beach, Va.

AMF JTRS program development will be carried out in two phases. The firs t will be a 15 month Pre-System Development and Demonstration with a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) held at month 11. The System Development and Demonstration phase will be full and open competition with contract award anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Under the terms of the pre-SDD contract, Boeing as prime systems integrator will be responsible for program management, systems and software engineering, network architecture development, airborne platform integration and integrated logistics suppo rt. Rockwell and Harris are the two radio houses responsible for development of the JTR and ancillary items. Rockwell will be responsible for radio design, fixed site radio integration and platform integration support. Harris will be responsible for radio design, information assurance, maritime radio system integration and platform integration activities. L-3 will be responsible for maritime platform integration, the control and management subsystem, specific airborne integration and airborne network suppo rt. Northrop Grumman will be responsible for network management. BBN and MILCOM will provide a comprehensive, seamless wireless network architecture and maritime installation support, respectively.