Wrangling Radio REQUIREMENTS


Using lessons learned from sof tware-defined radio development, TRADOC and PM Tactical Radios have developed a unified approach to requirements development, informed by feedback from industry and the user community, that evolves requirements and technologies incrementally.


by COL James P. Ross and Mr. Paul Chernek S 36 defined radios


oftware-defined radios are an integral part of the Army’s future mission command network and the way of the future for tactical communications at the lowest echelons. Unlike older non-networking radios, software- transmit


information using high-bandwidth


waveforms, which function like a wireless network to allow Sol- diers to exchange voice, data and video over the air. With this secure waveform software loaded onto radio “boxes,” the radios act as network nodes that can route and retransmit information in austere environments, including around obstacles and beyond line of sight. Together, the radios and waveforms provide digital communications on-the-move down to the Soldier level.


Technical advances to hardware and software, including radios that support multiple waveforms and waveforms that provide more capability and flexibility, have led to significant changes in the Army’s approach to tactical radio procurement and field- ing by enabling the government to manage the waveforms and lean on industry to fill the hardware requirements. Our strong partnership of the Army acquisition community, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and industry is allowing us to adjust and improve tactical radio requirements to support Force 2025 and Beyond.


EARLY JTRS When the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program began in 1997, the concept of a software-defined radio was just begin- ning. Recognizing the technology’s potential, the military at first tried to pack as many features into individual radios as possible. Te thinking was that “software-defined” meant there would be little impact on the hardware. However, one of the lessons learned during this time was that adding numerous capabilities to the radios affected the hardware and did not always yield the best product. For example, original requirements for the two-channel Manpack Radio had it supporting more than two dozen waveforms for various communications features and an outdated internal barometer for positioning. Such requirements made the radio exceedingly large and heavy—and its power requirements rendered it operationally useless.


Working to refine the requirements, the Army eliminated the barometer and reduced the number of waveforms for the Man- pack Radio to three—Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW), Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) and ultra-high frequency Tactical Satellite, with the Mobile User Objective System added when its waveform development was completed. With fewer waveforms, the radio could still fulfill


Army AL&T Magazine


July-September 2015


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