Though plagued with starts and stops over recent years, the goal of the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program remains what it has always been: That is, to replace all of the services' legacy radios with a family of SDRs (Software Defined Radios) capable of operating on many frequencies to enhance military interoperability.

The pace of the program may finally be accelerating. In tests performed on December 14, a Multifunctional Information Distribution System-JTRS radio exchanged data and voice messages with a SINGARS [Single Channel Ground-Air Radio System] radio.

In addition a new competitive approach to the JTRS program has persuaded U.S. lawmakers to approve DoD's entire $853-million request, marking a vote of congressional confidence in the lengthy effort to build a do-it-all digital radio. Specifically, the 2008 Defense Authorization Act fully funds the requested research and development plan, which aims to produce JTRS AMF engineering design models by 2010 and begin initial production by 2012.

It is now being said that JTRS is no longer a program in trouble. AMF, the Airborne Maritime Fixed variant, is fully funded and is said to be moving into the system design and development phase (SDD).

Begun last summer and approved a few months later by the JTRS board of directors, the new approach aims to introduce better hand-held and airborne radio technology in stages. The new radios will be compatible with older Single Channel Ground-Air Radio System (SINGGARS) and Enhanced Position Locating Reporting System (EPLRS), but they will be designed to use the new Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) that transfer data much more quickly.

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