Rockwell Collins not overreacting to possible Army R & D cutbacks

As-yet unofficial Army plans to stop funding research and development of a major digital radio program could affect Rockwell Collins.

Bloomberg Business News reported last week that the Army plans to stop funding research and development of digital radios in the Joint Tactical Radio System's Ground Mobile Radio program. Jim Carpenter, networks division chief for the Army, was quoted in the story.

Carpenter told Bloomberg the Army “can't afford to pay $300,000? per radio for the units, and that the Army may ask companies to conduct their own R & D to meet the program's needs.

Chicago-based Boeing is the primary contractor on the Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Radio Team. Rockwell Collins is a member of the Boeing team. That team has completed development of the radio and is working its way through user testing.

The Joint Tactical Radio System was conceived as a secure digital radio system that would work across the different military branches. It would use software-based radio frequencies to carry voice, graphics and data that could be changed when needed without replacing the hardware portion of the radio.

Development costs of the ground mobile radio version of the system built by Boeing have increased 69 percent to $1.69 billion, according to a Government Accountability Office report., and the development phase of the program requires an extra $128 million. The program cost is estimated at a total of $19.1 billion, Bloomberg reported.

Rockwell Collins spokeswoman Pam Tvrdy said the current Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Program “is still the program of record, which we are actively supporting.”

No existing “off-the-shelf” radios meet all of the Joint Tactical Radio System Ground Mobile Radio program requirements, Tvrdy said, referencing statements in the Bloomberg article that the Army may seek “off-the-shelf” technology.

“If the Army changes requirements for this program, we will address it with an appropriate solution,” Tvrdy said.

Tvrdy said Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently indicated that enhancing Army networked communications capabilties is a strategic focus for the military. She said Rockwell Collins has a 75-year history of providing defense communication solutions, and is confident it can provide a solution to meet the military's needs if a new approach is taken.