Boeing, Lockheed vie for deal

Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. will split $105 million in contracts over 15 months while battling it out in the pre-system development and demonstration phase of the Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System, which is jointly managed by the Air Force and Navy.

The program will select one contractor to develop software-programmable radios that offer multichannel voice, data, imagery and video communications under a contract potentially worth more than $1 billion.

The objective of the pre-system development and demonstration phase "is to design for the overall AMF JTRS, and to identify key platform interface requirements that will minimize platform integration, operation and support, and future technology insertion costs," the Defense Department contract announcement said.