Written by / Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Harris has been awarded $44 million in orders to provide Joint Tactical Radio System ( JTRS)-approved Falcon III AN/PRC-152(C) handheld radios and accessories to the Air Force. The radios will support the changing communication needs of the entire Air Force enterprise, including security forces, special operations, combat engineers and Air Mobility Command. The Air Force is acquiring AN/PRC-152(C) radios along with vehicle adapter amplifiers, base stations, and repeater systems for use as core elements of a modern adaptive communications system. The system offers mounted and dismounted forces, secure and reliable extended range communications links among team members and back to the mission command post or tactical operations centers. The AN/ PRC-152(C) offers users a wide range of capabilities such as SINCGARS interoperability, APCO P25, UHF ground-to-ground line-of-sight communications, HAVEQUICK II, close-air support and programmable encryption. The AN/PRC-152(C) also serves as the handheld-based transceiver of the Falcon III AN/VRC-110, a high-performance, multiband vehicular system that serves as an improved alternative to legacy SINCGARS radios. The radio has been certified as fully compliant with version 2.2 of the JTRS Software Communications Architecture and certified Type-1 compliant by the National Security Agency.
CITS Order Upgrades Infrastructure at Hickam AFB
NCI has been awarded a task order worth an estimated $3.6 million to support the Air Force’s Combat Information Transport System (CITS) Program Office. The primary place of performance will be at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, with performance expected to begin in August. This competitively awarded task order is new work for NCI and was awarded under the Network-Centric Solutions (NETCENTS) contract vehicle. Under this task order, NCI will provide the CITS program with an integrated, high-bandwidth, information transport capability to support the warfighter’s current and future mission requirements at Hickam AFB and the local Hawaii Air National Guard sites. The Air Force is transforming its networks from MAJCOM-centered islands to secure, unified, consolidated enterprise-centric networks as part of the Air Force’s portion of the Global Information Grid. The CITS work will help the Air Force meet its goals by upgrading and establishing the communications infrastructure for a centralized C2 capability and core IT services.
Norris Connelly:
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Marines Seek Common Robotic Controller
The Marine Corps has awarded QinetiQ North America a two-year, $2 million contract to develop a universal wearable controller to operate a wide variety of unmanned systems, including unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned air vehicles and unattended ground sensors. The Marine Corps uses many types of unmanned systems in combat today, but none of these platforms use the same controller. Marines operating these platforms must contend with unique controllers for each type of system made by various vendors. The Common Robotic Controller resulting from this contract will enable Marines operating unmanned systems to use a single-type controller for varied platforms regardless of manufacturer. The introduction of this common controller will simplify user training, reduce operator work load and combat load weight, simplify maintenance, and lessen overall system procurement and repair costs.
The Common Robotic Controller will not only be lightweight, but will be designed to co-exist with the other items of equipment that Marines must wear and carry. The project will include development of a wearable, integrated set of components including a robust, miniature computer system able to support all the necessary platform software requirements, a reliable power source, a user-friendly touch-sensitive display, a gaming style input device, and much more.
Secure Wireless Bridge Approved for Army Use
The ES520 Secure Wireless Bridge from Fortress Technologies has been added to the Army Information Assurance Approved Products List (Army IA-APL), establishing it as an approved technology for use across the Army. The first fully rugged, tactical wireless solution suitable for outdoor use on the Army IA-APL, Fortress successfully secured product certification and IA compliance through Network Enterprise Technology Command. In order to be placed on the Army IA-APL, Fortress’ Secure Wireless Bridge had to meet the following criteria: Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 Level 2 validation; under National Information Assurance Partnership Common Criteria Level EAL4+ evaluation; Internet Protocol version 6 compliance; and Army Information Systems Engineering Command Technology Integration Center evaluation and recommendation. Fortress’ Secure Wireless Bridges are all-in-one network access devices that combine the features of a wireless access point, bridge, Ethernet switch and FIPS 140-2 validated AES encryption in a small, rugged, weatherized form factor.
Chris Whalen:
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Contract Provides Turn-Key C4I Systems Worldwide
Apptis has been awarded the Project Manager Defense Communications and Army Transmissions Systems (PM DCATS) Command Center Upgrade (CCU) Special Project Office (SPO) contract to provide overall management, engineering, integration and acquisition of turn-key C4I systems worldwide. The total contract is valued at more than $130 million, with one base year and one option year. The PM DCATS CCU SPO organization manages a suite of more than 100 projects that supports joint warfighters, major commands and combatant commanders worldwide. Projects include strategic satellite communications and wideband control systems, long-haul terrestrial microwave and fiber-optic communications systems, tech control facilities, combat service support communications systems, critical power infrastructure, command center upgrades, base radios and combat vehicle intercom systems. Apptis will support these systems with program management, engineering services, integration of enterprise infrastructure, telecommunications engineering, IT system engineering and implementation, operation and maintenance, training support, and integrated logistics support among other services. The Apptis team includes subcontract partners ManTech, SGIS, X-EETO and CSC.
Steve Conway:
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System Supports Information Sharing Between Security Levels
ITT has been awarded a re-compete contract for the continued development, deployment and sustainment of the Information Support Server Environment (ISSE) system. ISSE is a high assurance communications infrastructure component, providing secure information sharing and protection between networks operating at different security levels. ITT has received two delivery orders valued at $9.8 million under the five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract. The contract has a ceiling value of $49.9 million and was awarded through the Air Force Research Lab based in Rome, N.Y. Under ISSE, data and communications exchanged between networks operating at different security levels undergo extremely high levels of scrutiny, ensuring that there are no compromises in the information confidentiality or integrity. ITT will provide systems and security engineering technical expertise for the ISSE system, from ongoing requirement definition and analysis to software research and development, integration, quality control, certification, installation and accreditation. The ISSE product is a critical component of secure data communications throughout the U.S. and its allies, and is integral to operations at intelligence community and Department of Defense sites worldwide.
Army Seeks Mounted Soldier Cordless Communication
Thales Communications has received an award from Army Research, Development and Engineering Command for development and delivery of mounted soldier cordless communication systems. Today’s warfighters require the capability to dismount from their vehicle while maintaining secure communications over the vehicle intercom system and the vehicle’s combat net radio. Current intercoms necessitate the warfighter being tethered to the vehicle by a cable. This results in lost connectivity when transitioning from mounted to dismounted operations. Thales has leveraged the flexibility of the battle-proven AN/PRC-148 JTRS Enhanced Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio to provide a Type 1 secure wireless connection between the dismounted soldier and their VIS, seamlessly extending the reach of the VIS for full crew station functionality. Thales’s Mounted Soldier Cordless Communication System enables warfighters to move freely inside and outside the vehicle without losing critical communications. The core of the Thales system is the AN/PRC-148, the smallest, lightest and most power-efficient multiband, tactical, handheld radio in use today covering the 30–512 MHz frequency range.
Identification Capabilities Aid Federal Security Compliance
Verizon Business is now offering Symark PowerSeries security access-management software and applications, integrating those security capabilities for UNIX/Linux servers and systems into the company’s already robust portfolio of security solutions for government customers. These new services, available under the General Services Administration’s Connections contract, will help federal agencies comply with access control and accountability requirements associated with new stricter Federal Information Security Management Act regulations. The addition of the Symark offering complements and extends Verizon Business’ identification and authentication and identity access management portfolio by enabling organizations to better control access to critical IT systems and information across diverse IT environments using UNIX and Linux data centers and operating systems. ♦