Pentagon Upgrading Radio Systems

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon Upgrading Radio Systems
March 29, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Lockheed Martin Corp. beat out Boeing Co. to win a $766.2 million (euro485 million) Pentagon contract to design and build a radio system connecting aircraft, ships and ground stations militarywide.

The deal, announced late Friday, could lead to the installation of tens of thousands of radios and ultimately be worth billions to the company.

The award is a key piece of the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), a major Defense Department program to replace much of the military's existing radio equipment with radios that will let Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine troops communicate. The new system will be able to transmit video and other data and as well as conversations.

"Lockheed Martin is honored and excited to provide affordable, open, network-enabled, communications out to the tactical edge," said John Mengucci, president of Mission & Combat Support Solutions for Lockheed Martins Information Systems & Global Services. "This system is crucial to support information sharing and combat readiness, a must for today's warfighters." According to Loren Thompson, a defense analyst and consultant based in Virginia, different branches of the military purchased so many different radio systems on a haphazard basis that many of the radio systems are not compatible - or "interoperable" - right now. In some cases, he noted, military radios cannot even communicate with other radios inside the same service.

There are at least two dozen types of incompatible radio systems now in the field, Thompson estimated. That often forces troops to carry multiple radios with them, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/pentagon-upgrading-radio-systems.html

[crikkett]

1. so enemies only need get hold of one model to jam radio comms.

[MaryCeleste]

2. No, not really

[NYVet]

3. You are missing the point of the story.

Currently the troops on the ground may have to carry more than 1 radio with them to talk to different units. The space taken up and the weight of those extra radios is now going to removed and group "A" (who may be troops in the middle of nowhere with a broken down truck) will now be able to talk to the helicopter that is flying overhead and also their HQ section at the same time without having to switch radios.

This is a good thing.

[crikkett]

4. Thanks for the explanation.