The Airborne, Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS), a joint Air Force-Navy program, will provide the warfighter with unparalleled capabilities in the network-centric battlespace. It ensures real-time information and more effective communications by integrating air, ground and sea communications systems.

The U. S. Air Force awarded a 15-month, $54 million pre-System Development and Demonstration contract for the next iteration of JTRS software-defined radios (SDR) to a Boeing-led team based in Anaheim, Calif., last September. The 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.

"The power of AMF JTRS lies in its ability to utilize the ad-hoc mobile wireless network of vehicular and airborne platforms using the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) created under JTRS Cluster 1," said Leo Conboy, Boeing AMF JTRS program manager. "In addition to providing new levels of joint interoperability across the services, we're delivering a modular, scalable design that reduces life-cycle costs and enables easy technology insertion."

The radios will be integrated into more than 150 airborne, shipboard and fixed-station platforms, allowing maritime forces and airborne forces to communicate seamlessly in the joint battlespace environment.

"Boeing offers a low-risk, affordable approach and is committed to delivering an innovative design that will take the joint services to the next step in networked communications," added Alex Lopez, director of Boeing's Network Communication Systems."

Difficulties with legacy battlefield communications systems led the Department of Defense to develop JTRS. The legacy radios, which were aging, expensive to maintain, and having incompatibility issues, made battlefield communications problematic.

Software-defined radio technology allows the Department of Defense to resolve those problems. AMF JTRS offers SDR-enabled radios that are programmable, multi-band, multi-mode and are interoperable across the spectrum of operations.

They provide an open system architecture designed to support communications from sea to air. They offer rerouting and retransmission capabilities and increased network situation awareness, which allows rapid access to forces. Improved voice, data and video throughputs not available in current systems, as well as enhanced security through high assurance Internet protocol-based encryption, are also offered.

The Boeing AMF JTRS team of leading platform integrators, hardware providers and networking experts includes: Rockwell Collins, Harris Corporation, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, BBN Technologies, and MILCOM Systems.

The first phase of the program involves a 15-month Pre-System Development and Demonstration with a Preliminary Design Review taking place in the 11th month. The contract for phase two, System Development and Demonstration, is expected to be awarded in late 2005. The program successfully completed its Integrated Baseline Review and System Requirements Review.

Boeing, the prime system integrator for JTRS Cluster 1, has extensive experience in JTRS program management, systems and software engineering, joint mobile networks and airborne platform and fixed station interfaces.

Knowledge gained from the Cluster 1 program - combined with the AMF JTRS team's combined platform integration experience, state-of-the-art JTRS radio products and technology, high rate manufacturing capability, and joint mobile networking expertise - will pave the way for success on AMF JTRS.