Boeing Delivers Initial JTRS Cluster 1 Units to FCS

Cluster 1 test radio(click to view full) DID has covered the JTRS systems program’s difficulties, including the threatened cancellation of JTRS Cluster 1 back in 2005. Now Boeing Co. and teammates BAE Systems, Rockwell Collins and Northrop Grumman have delivered the first 7 Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 1 (JTRS C1) radios, as scheduled, to the U.S. Army’s $120+ billion Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. The Cluster 1 radios are designed to provide networking capabilities to the battlefield. They provide the warfighter with new, secure capabilities, which include the transmission/receipt of real-time information – both voice and text, the ability to stream live video and audio, draw and share maps, conduct Net-Meetings and use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Note that this is not deployment equipment. Rather, the 50 or so radios to be delivered by mid-summer will begin replacing computer emulators in other FCS projects, so contractors can start testing the passage of information through the radios. Some of the radios will also be used in support of FCS experimentation activities later this year, providing crucial user feedback. When asked about the current state of the JTRS Cluster 1 program, Boeing responded to DID: “Boeing’s JTRS C1 team is […]