The idea of having a single software standard for military radios
is laudable and would make sense in many ways, said Maj. Gen. Robert
L. Nabors, head of the Army Communications and Electronics Command.
The trick, however, is “how to implement that idea,”
he said in an interview during an Army conference in Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla. Nabors supports the so-called “joint tactical radio system,”
a Defense Department effort to consolidate the development of the
myriad military radio programs that exist today. “If a single
radio can operate across the spectrum, it simplifies logistics,”
he said. Under the JTRS concept, the “hardware is throwaway,
the software is the keeper.”
The JTRS program office selected the Raytheon Co., in Fort Wayne,
Ind., to develop the software communications architecture, which
would become the standard for every military tactical radio. The
company received a $4.6 million contract in January to continue
working on JTRS.
One factor that complicates the execution of the JTRS is the dual-hatted
role of Raytheon as the lead contractor to the JTRS program office
for the software architecture and as a major manufacturer of radios.
There are questions in many people’s minds about whether Raytheon
can serve as an honest broker in determining whether other companies’
radios are JTRS compliant and meet the standards. “Trust is
a big issue in this program,” said an industry source.
“The Army is concerned about the system coming together as
envisioned,” said the source. “It has never bought a
radio that way before.”
The answers to these questions all come back to the procurement
strategy, said Felix Boccadoro, business development director for
Thales Communications, in Rockville, Md. The company is responsible
for developing a JTRS hand-held radio prototype.
The money at stake in the JTRS program is significant. The goal
is to buy 177,000 grounds systems and at least 5,000 airborne systems.
Boccadoro said it is premature to predict whether Raytheon’s
dual role as the architecture developer and as a radio supplier
will undermine its credibility. “It all depends on how the
acquisition goes,” he said. There are ongoing discussions
about whether the program office should select a “systems
integrator” who would be responsible to put the software and
the hardware pieces together and also would select the hardware
from different vendors.
“Software radio is the future,” said Kevin Kane, director
of business development at Harris Corp. RF Communications, in Rochester,
N.Y. The company is under contract to develop a manpack JTRS radio
prototype.
One benefit of software-based radios is that new features can be
added without buying new equipment, Kane said. “JTRS has undergone
several phases to try to reflect new understanding as we go through
validations. It is a huge undertaking. It may take longer than everyone
would like to get to the point where we have effective, cost-efficient
equipment.”
Regarding Raytheon’s role, Kane said, “We have a concern
that they are a competitor to us, as well as in the position to
drive the technology and to evaluate compliance with JTRS specifications.
But we also believe that the Army and the joint program office are
aware of the concern and they are primed to take steps to address
those concerns.”