General Dynamics rolls forward with WIN-T

General Dynamics Corp. has won $921 million worth of new business to improve Army battlefield communications.

The contract covers the second and third increments of the Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program, known as WIN-T. The company's primary subcontractor on the project is Lockheed Martin Corp.

The General Dynamics-led team will develop initial WIN-T capabilities and field technologies for the second increment. The team also will continue developing WIN-T components to expand their capacity, security and mobility for the third increment.

In the contracts awarded this week, the portion that covers the second increment is valued at $126 million and is for development of an initial mobile broadband network of satellite and radio links and early fielding of the capability beginning in 2009.

The portion that covers the third increment is worth $795 million and covers additional development of network components to augment their capacity, security and mobility, with user testing scheduled to start in 2011. The third increment also includes development of the WIN-T components that will be carried aboard the Army's Future Combat Systems vehicles and meet the size, weight, power and cooling limit requirements of the planned combat vehicles.

General Dynamics ranks No. 7 on Washington Technology's 2007 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.

John Rendleman writes for Government Computer News, an 1105 Government Information Group publication.