Monday, August 17, 2009

Good read: JTRS Update

JTRS Update
JTRS Successfully Demonstrates Wideband Networking Capabilities.
Military Information Technology:
http://www.military-information-technology.com/mit-home/190-mit-2008-vol
ume-13-issue-6/1803-jtrs-update.pdf

During the largest-ever demonstration of its kind, the Wideband
Networking Waveform (WNW) - a critical capability of the Joint Tactical
Radio System (JTRS) - effectively networked 30 mobile nodes and shared
data and video across multiple sub-networks in a challenging forested
and residential environment. The Jun 09 demonstration for senior
government officials took place at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Center Atlantic in Charleston, SC.

"JTRS is no longer just in graphs on PowerPoint demonstrations," said
Howard Pace, deputy program executive officer for JTRS. "We've now
demonstrated that the Wideband Networking Waveform capability
successfully scales to 30 nodes with all the nets and subnets. It's
working and working well." The demonstration showed how, when fielded,
the software-defined radio waveform can overcome many of the mobile
networking challenges soldiers face on the battlefield. Today's forces
use a variety of unique voice and data waveforms to communicate with
each other or with modern Internet Protocol-based networks. These
specialized systems can make it difficult to communicate between joint
forces.

WNW solves that communication challenge. A networking waveform that
enables connections between vehicles, planes and ships utilizing mobile
networking technologies, WNW offers the ability to transit more
information with greater security and provide new capabilities to
seamlessly route and retransmit information. The waveform can transfer
information of different classifications over the same wireless network.

"We are on track to meet joint warfighter requirements to provide a
flexible and pervasive networking capability to address the challenges
of modern battlefields," said Navy CAPT Jeffrey Hoyle, program manager,
JTRS Network Enterprise Domain (NED). "The demonstration location
offered significant opportunities to evaluate multi-path propagation
effects in heavily forested terrain and marsh.

"During the demonstration, WNW performed as expected, and we were able
to validate laboratory performance improvements from recent waveform
algorithm enhancements in the field," added Hoyle. "The ability to
integrate waveform enhancements rapidly while testing in the field
[three times in as many weeks] thoroughly demonstrated a significant
advantage that JTRS provides - the ability to upgrade warfighter
communications and networking capability while deployed through
software-only updates in fielded radios."

Performance results measured during this demonstration indicate a
significant new networking capability that will continue to improve as
the data collected are thoroughly analyzed to enable additional waveform
software upgrades, as well as through processor and power amplifier
improvements inherent with the improved JTRS Ground Mobile Radio (GMR)
engineering development model hardware being delivered now and the
airborne/maritime/fixed station hardware in the future. "The ability to
expand and contract the network while soldiers are mobile is a
mission-critical capability," added Ralph Moslener, Boeing program
director, JTRS GMR and NED. Boeing is developing the WNW for JTRS NED.

"The demonstration proved that WNW will seamlessly connect soldiers and
commanders so that they can trade real-time information and have greater
situational awareness than ever before," Moslener said.

"The demonstration of the Wideband Networking Waveform capability is an
important accomplishment," added Hoyle. "This capability has now been
successfully demonstrated in a field environment, and we can leverage it
as other JTRS systems are developed and implemented."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As long as JTRS fails to adopt commercial standards and methods, it will be an expensive,under performing program. Ultimately, it is providing a negative value in that it has sqelched innovation and progress that could have been achieved if industry was unencumbered by the onerous JTRS architectural requirements. While the military can not build the permanent infrastructure used to support civilian comms, it can adapt the technology.

Chris Dudas said...

First and foremost thank you for visiting.

To me JTRS is nothing more than the US Army's enabler for FCS, without it the whole program would die hence the inability of people to kill the contract.

It is something thqat is being forced upon me and my Force so we will adapt to the platforms we see fit us (HMS and single channel). Beyond that it is business as usual for us.