Boeing JTRS GMR Radio System Advances to Formal Testing Phase

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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., July 8, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and its program teammates have begun formal testing of the Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Radios (JTRS GMR), Boeing announced today. This milestone marks the completion of design activities and moves the program closer to a government decision on low-rate initial production for the U.S. Army.

Tests on JTRS GMR engineering development models will be conducted at the Electronic Systems Center at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and at contractor laboratories across the United States from now through early 2010.

"These tests will validate the system's new, secure, multichannel, on-the-move network communications capabilities for commanders and soldiers," said Army Col. Daniel Hughes, JTRS Ground Domain program manager.

JTRS GMR is a software-defined radio system designed to increase situational awareness through simultaneous communications between new and legacy radios on the battlefield. It will be installed in the Army's Abrams tank, Bradley fighting vehicle, High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and future vehicles. Using JTRS GMR, soldiers will be able to communicate through voice and short text messages, as well as view near real-time footage from other vehicles or platforms through a secure, multichannel ground network not available on the battlefield today.

"Tactical communications is really all about moving significant amounts of data over a network, and the JTRS GMR system delivers unprecedented data-transfer capability to the warfighter," said Ralph Moslener, JTRS GMR program manager for Boeing. "Formal testing will demonstrate how the Boeing-led JTRS GMR team is meeting U.S. Army requirements to develop this new communications system."

The Boeing-led team includes BAE Systems, Rockwell Collins and Northrop Grumman, with support from Harris Corp.