DEFENSE DEPARTMENT APPROVES JTRS-LIKE RADIO FOR ONE ARMY BRIGADE A top Pentagon official has approved the limited battlefield use of a software-defined communications system, the Harris Corp.-made Falcon III multi-band manpack radio, according to a memo to the services¹ acquisition chiefs.
Ronald Jost -- the deputy assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications, space and spectrum -- is allowing the Army to buy and use the radio, a decision that may provide a toehold for the Harris system in a rivalry with the Joint Tactical Radio System, a congressional source said last week. ³The Army¹s buying these, but they¹re buying them with gritted teeth,² said the congressional source. ³It sets a precedent. If soldiers like them, word spreads and if any other brigade requests this, once they¹ve let this one go, they¹ve opened the floodgates.² According to the congressional source, there are about a half-dozen pending operational needs requests for a JTRS-like system. The Sept. 18 Jost memo responds to such an operational needs statement, filed June 15 for the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. With the memo, Jost approves the Falcon III AN/PRC-1l7G(V)(C), enabled by Harris¹ proprietary Advanced Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2), for the unit. The decision, couched in cautious language, limits use of the radio to the discretion of U.S. Central Command¹s director of command, control, communications and computer systems (J6). ³The Central Command J6 should carefully consider the risks of deploying this waveform due to minimal test and performance data (including network reliability and availability) as well as limited network management capability and interoperability issues,² reads the memo, obtained by Inside the Army. ³In addition, all Services that intend to test the ANW2 waveform shall provide notification prior to testing any ANW2-enabled AN/PRC-l l7G(V)(C) radios and then provide testing results as soon as possible after the test,² the memo continues. ³No Service or Component is authorized to use ANW2 other than for these purposes.² The memo states that no further purchases containing the ANW2 will be authorized until the assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration (ASD NII)/DOD chief information officer makes an assessment. In June, the House Armed Services Committee voted to include new restrictions on Army radio programs in the fiscal year 2009 defense authorization bill. Radios would have to be approved by the JTRS program executive office, satisfy an operational need, be part of an unmanned ground system or belong to a category of commercially available JTRS-compatible systems -- like the Falcon III (ITA, June 22, p1). At the time, Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), voiced support for the JTRS-like radios over JTRS and the legacy Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS), saying, ³There are commercially available radios that do 90 percent of what JTRS does at one-tenth the cost, and it¹s about time we understand it and respond to that reality.² According to an Army official, the JTRS-like radio may provide capability in the short term but it does not meet the services¹ official manpack requirement, set to be filled by the JTRS Handheld Manpack Small Form Fit in FY-11. The requirement is for a two-channel system that weighs 14 pounds, said the official, while the Falcon III is a one channel that weighs 12 pounds with a battery, according to the product specifications. It runs the SINCGARS waveform, among others, but lacks the Soldier Radio Waveform that HMS sets are required to have. ³I am sure it is a good product that has much utility, but it doesn¹t meet the requirement that HMS does,² the official said. According to the congressional source, if the Harris radio is intended as an alternative to the JTRS HMS or Ground Mobile Radio (GMR), it raises questions about the radios¹ comparative costs, how many Falcon IIIs the Army plans to purchase and how all these radios would fit together in the Army¹s larger plans. A Harris spokesman declined to comment on the issue. In his memo, Jost¹s office does not endorse the ANW2 waveform due to ³insufficient technical performance information and test data.² The Defense Department has yet to study the tactical network topology and interoperability of the system, it states. The memo indicates the Air Force made a related application on Sept. 16, which Jost pledged his office would resolve within 30 days of its submission. -- Joe Gould ----------------------------------------------------------- John Scott Director, Open Source Software & Open Integration Mercury Federal Systems (Wash DC) Work 703-413-0781 ex: 5006 cell 240.401.6574 www.mercfed.com < [email protected] > http://powdermonkey.blogs.com < [email protected] > This message is intended only for the designated recipient(s) and may contain confidential or proprietary information of Mercury Federal Systems, Inc. It is solely intended to facilitate business discussions and does not constitute an express or implied offer to sell or purchase any products, services, or support. Any commitments must be made in writing and signed by duly authorized representatives of each party. _______________________________________________ opencpi_dev mailing list [email protected] http://lists.opencpi.org/listinfo.cgi/opencpi_dev-opencpi.org
