Army's WIN-T program hits key milestone

The lead contracting team responsible for building the $10 billion Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program has demonstrated key technologies to the Army in the system design phase, according to the service.

Army officials said the demonstration, which took place over the summer and featured software-defined radios and cellular, satellite and Internet Protocol capabilities, marks a key milestone in the WIN-T program. General Dynamics Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are the two contractors under the program.

"The WIN-T tests are on track, on time and on schedule," said Col. Angel Colon, the Army's program manager, in a news release yesterday. "These demonstrations show that we're ready for the imminent DT/OT [development test/operational test]." These tests are slated for November.

Last year, the Army revised its WIN-T plan to deploy some capabilities to warfighters ahead of schedule.

The Army plans to make WIN-T its tactical extension of DOD's Global Information Grid. Through the program, the service intends to roll out a high-speed, high-bandwidth infrastructure for wired and wireless voice, data, video and image communications for soldiers on the battlefield.

WIN-T, which will replace the 1970s-era Tri-service Tactical Communications system still used by signal battalions, will be the backbone of the Army's Future Combat Systems initiative to connect weapons and transport systems via a single network.

Dawn Onley is a staff writher with Washington Technology's sister publication Government Computer News.