Raytheon debuts mini radio

Raytheon Co. has a new software-defined radio that it hopes to integrate into Cluster 5 of the Defense Department's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS).

Raytheon's new one-pound, seven-ounce MicroLight radio can simultaneously support voice, data and blue force tracking in a single radio.

Managed by the Army, Cluster 5 calls for small form-factor radios that operate in the 2-MHz to 2-GHz frequency range.

According to the Army, the cluster will include the first software-defined JTRS radios, which would let the Army quickly and cost-effectively support multiple waveforms for communicating over disparate networks.

The $5.2 million contract is scheduled to be awarded in September, according to research firm Input Inc., Reston, Va.