Wideband Networking Capabilities.
Editor’s Note: This is another in a regular series of updates on the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), as provided by the program’s Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO).
“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 Captain 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.”JTRSvan ♦
