| This paper is not about technology development. Instead, it
is about the use and packaging of existing technologies to
bridge a network information gap by providing key communications
capabilities to the War Fighter within the next
year. U.S. Military Transformational Communications
development programs have taken longer than originally
planned. This is primarily due to security certification
complications and the complexity of waveform development.
As a result, the military has been bridging the communications
gap by procuring legacy radios with wellknown
limitations – they cannot supply the key networkcentric
transformational needs for a secure highthroughput
networked terrestrial waveform and a secure
high-throughput networked space-based waveform. BAE
Systems is developing an interim transformational radio as
part of a rapid development program This paper describes
an approach that compromises on initial radio capability
and makes smart tradeoffs to reduce radio development
time from multiple years to just 12 months.. BAE Systems
developed a methodology for rapid software programmable
radio development as part of our ongoing C4ISR
IR&D program. The program was initiated to develop radio
technology for technical insertion into US Army communications
programs. Our first development was the
C4ISR Radio, with above 2 GHz capability, which was
inserted into the WIN-T Program. This paper describes the
C4ISR rapid development methodology and its application
to the C4ISR Radio development. This methodology is also
being applied to the C4ISR Spiral 1 radio - the next generation
of our C4ISR Radio product line. The C4ISR Spiral
1 Radio is being designed to provide an interim software
programmable radio with networked ground and SATCOM
capabilities that can meet warfighter needs while the
major transformational programs mature. |