Boeing Delivers JTRS GMRs
By Michael Fabey 
Development of key components of the U.S. military’s beleaguered Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) will be less cash needy from here on it, claims a Boeing official responsible for the JTRS Ground Mobile Radios (GMR) program.
“We definitely are on the down curve,” Boeing JTRS GRM Program Manager Ralph Moslener said March 19 during a press teleconference. Boeing organized the briefing after recent delivery of the first two engineering development models (EDM) of the GRMs to the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.
FCS will use the EDM units for software development, integration and testing. Combined with pre-EDM radios, the EDM units will provide mobile networking capability during this summer’s FCS Spin Out Limited User Test at Fort Bliss, Texas.
“When fielded, JTRS GMR will allow warfighters to communicate and share information over a secure, interoperable tactical radio system,” said Army Col. Daniel Hughes, program manager for JTRS Ground Domain.
But the overall JTRS program has continued to attract undue attention from congressional auditors at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for cost growth.
The GAO gave the Pentagon some more static over JTRS last August, saying the 12-year-old effort suffered from immature technologies, unstable requirements and aggressive schedules. The cost, the GAO noted, had grown to $6 billion from $3.5 billion.
Specifically referencing the GMR, the GAO pointed out the program has slipped five years to 2010.
But in a report released last month, the Pentagon’s Director for Operational Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E) said GRM officials have been addressing DOT&E’s improvement recommendations.
One worry DOT&E had about GRM was funding. “GMR funding shortfalls cold affect radio configuration types (2 versus 4 channels), reduce the number of sets procured under the program, and introduce schedule delays,” DOT&E said.
The program is on track, Boeing’s Moslener said.
Boeing is scheduled to provide additional engineering models to the JTRS Joint Program Executive Office over the next six months for a government-run system integration test scheduled to begin later this year.
Photo: Boeing
