JTRS isn’t cancelled. JTRS is like a Hydra with tentacles into each of the services. Think of it as “Too Big to Fail.” Despite press reporting to the contrary, it just isn’t so.
“Army Kills JTRS, Goes ‘Platform Agnostic’ With Network Plan” AOL Defense
“Boeing Army Radio Program Said to Face Termination for Cost” Bloomberg Business Week
For one thing, the Joint Tactical Radio System is actually several radios, and at least one of those, the Rifleman’s Radio, works.
So, cut the authors of those stories a little slack. I too have meant one thing but said it in a way that could be construed entirely differently. Recently, I said that Nett Warrior was cancelled. This was partially true. The Army isn’t going to buy that beast that we had. Instead, they’re restructuring the program to make it more relevant. So, the Army cancelled that solicitation but they didn’t kill the program. Killing a program is actually much easier said than done due to the hoops that you have to jump through to get a program approved and funded. Never fear, the same thing will happen with JTRS. Some of the segments will be restructured allowing industry to apply Moore’s Law and deliver more at a lower cost.
And, this isn’t the first time the press has said that JTRS is cancelled. That thing is like a cockroach. It will survive us all.
Tags: Nett Warrior