Lockheed Martin's team competing for the Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS) has submitted its proposal for the program's first competitive phase to develop transformational software-defined military radio communications. The system will be integrated on airborne and maritime platforms and fixed ground sites around the world.

The joint AMF JTRS program will be co-managed by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force and has a potential value ranging from $500 million to over $1 billion. The program's first phase, the Pre-System Development and Demonstration (Pre-SDD), will be awarded in early June.

JTRS is a transformational Department of Defense initiative and a flexible new approach to meet diverse military communications needs through software- programmable radio technology. JTRS will provide seamless, assured, real-time communications -- voice, data and video -- among joint and coalition forces. This new approach replaces stove-pipe radio frequency (RF) communications of the past and provides flexible, fully interoperable use of the 2Mhz to 2Ghz RF spectrum and the realization of an internet protocol-based tactical Global Information Grid for network-centric warfare enablement to all platforms in a theater environment.

AMF JTRS capabilities will be integrated onto airborne fixed wing and rotary wing platforms, unmanned aerial vehicles and ships, submarines and fixed ground stations worldwide.

Lockheed Martin has assembled an experienced team of platform integrators and experts in the software-defined radio technology that will power interoperability among joint and coalition forces. The team has significant expertise in the core technologies that will define the mobile, ad hoc networking capabilities essential to meet today's combat challenges. The team will leverage its unique capabilities and platform knowledge to economically integrate the JTRS for air, naval and fixed-site users.

"Our operational modeling has shown the system provides greater situational awareness, enhanced lethality, and higher survivability -- and delivers a decisive warfighting advantage," said Domenic Costa, Lockheed Martin's vice president for JTRS Programs. "It will be interoperable with legacy radio systems, provide greater availability and process more data."

Lockheed Martin has 50 years experience integrating the leading airborne and maritime platforms. "We are reaching across our Corporation to leverage Lockheed Martin's considerable knowledge of airborne and naval systems, and our experience integrating communications systems onto these platforms. We are combining our Corporation's expertise with our teammates' capabilities into a team focused on an open, non-proprietary architecture and economical platform integration across airborne and maritime assets," said Costa.

Major teammates include BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman Space Technology - Radio Systems, Raytheon Integrated Communication Systems, and General Dynamics C4 Systems. They bring significant expertise and unmatched capabilities in architecture development, secure communications, software-programmable radio communications, advanced networking and platform integration, said Costa.

BAE Systems is a leader in advanced software-defined networking communications, and has deep experience with the platform integration of maritime radio communications. Northrop Grumman Space Technology - Radio Systems provides software-defined radios for today's most advanced aircraft, the F/A-22 and the F-35, while Raytheon, also a provider of airborne radios, led development of the JTRS Software Communications Architecture (SCA). General Dynamics C4 Systems is a leader in secure communications and software- defined radio technology systems that are included in today's communication radio rooms and also bring significant security architecture and waveform experience. Others, including Thales, Scientific Research Corp., NOVA Engineering and Cisco Systems, Inc., will provide domain expertise.

"Our team has the technology and integration capabilities to enable the DoD's vision of joint, interoperable, all-platform networking across the services," said Costa.

The AMF JTRS program will be managed by the Air Force Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base. The Pre-SDD award has a 15-month performance period. An award to one contractor team for the SDD phase is expected in October 2005.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2003 sales of $31.8 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin