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WIN-T concept
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As the Army’s tactical portion of the USA’s Global Information Grid (GIG) network, WIN-T is designed to help deployed forces tap into that grid and its databases, collectors, and connections to national agencies. At present, this requires multiple private networks, or outright forward deployment of representatives from the agencies in question.

General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies recently received a $119 million modification to an existing delivery order (W15P7T-06-D-L219) to provide satellite communications earth terminals and support services for Increment One of the U.S. Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) program…

Win-T Increment One was formerly known as the Joint Network Node. It provides Internet capability to a small platoon on the ground, which can now communicate with the rest of the world. The node consists of vehicles and shipping containers (the Joint Network Node, the Battalion Command Post Node, the Ku SATCOM trailer and the Hub Node) equipped with systems that provide voice over IP, dynamic IP, videoconferencing and access to the military’s classified and unclassified networks.

Increment One of WIN-T will provide soldiers with these capabilities while stationary; Increment Two, which General Dynamics is also under contract to provide, will enable soldiers to communicate on the move.

The US Army sees value in using commercially available Ku-band satellites via an integrated suite of state-of-the-art baseband, switching and termination equipment. Commercial Ku-band SATCOM offers performance and availability advantages, and the Army can upgrade many of the fielded Ku-band terminals to Ka-band as its Wideband Gapfiller Satellites are launched.

Under the contract, General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies will provide 293 satellite transportable terminals (STT), 6 unit hub SATCOM trucks (UHST) and 534 Ka-band upgrade kits and spares.

General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies’ work is being performed under an existing World Wide Satellite Systems delivery order, managed by the WIN-T program manager’s Commercial Satellite Terminal Program in Ft. Monmouth, NJ. This modification to the existing delivery order brings the contract’s total value to $378 million for 956 STTs and 17 UHSTs, which represent approximately half of the hardware quantities available on the 4-year program.

Additional Readings

• General Dynamics (June 5/09) – General Dynamics to Boost Military Satellite Communications Capacity with $119 Million Army WIN-T Satellite Terminal Award

• Global Security – Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T)

• US Army 2008 Posture Statement, Information Papers – Warfighter Information Network–Tactical

• C4ISR Journal (Sept 1/08) – Incremental improvement: Keeping tabs on U.S. Army’s reborn tactical network

• DID (May 23/06) – Platoon-Level IP: $73M to Datapath for Joint Network Node Support