Army's upgraded force tracking system heads into the field
New system offers advanced network access, data encryption and situational awareness tools
The Army has launched its next-generation tracking system, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade-and-Below/Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2/BFT), in the field with five brigade combat teams, according to an Army press release.
The Joint Capabilities Release – a reference to the system’s interoperability with the Marine Corps – has advanced network access, data encryption and situational awareness tools, and the interface is simpler to master, though soldier feedback, most of which has been positive thus far, will impact the final design, the release said.
The upgraded JCR, along with the FBCB2’s Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P), will take the place of its predecessor, while using the hardware and units already in the field in an effort to be cost-conscious and to lessen the transition on soldiers, the Army said.
Army's on-the-move connectivity draws closer
WIN-T passes test, driving more interest from developers
The movement to give military forces connectivity to any network node while they’re on the move is advancing rapidly.
The Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) network, which provides continuous network connectivity even as vehicles speed through remote regions, is seeing more interest from developers as it continues to fare well in testing.
As the Defense Department adopts more network-centric operations, WIN-T will provide another method of meeting DOD’s goal of delivering as much information as possible to squads and individual warfighters in the field. The system will pull in signals from many sources, such as satellite communications, line-of-sight and terrestrial signal types.
The latest version of the program, WIN-T Increment 2, is designed to provide high-bandwidth connectivity that can automatically switch between ground-based and satellite connections. When a vehicle is moving rapidly across an area covered only partially by cellular links, it will automatically switch to a satellite connection.
Similarly, when the vehicle enters a city and buildings block line-of-sight signals, it will seamlessly switch to satellite mode. WIN-T Increment 2, which provides such on-the-move capabilities, recently got the go-ahead for continued development.
General Dynamics finished the initial phase of system testing. Pending a successful operational test event and full-rate production decision by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Army intends to begin fielding WIN-T Increment 2 systems in fiscal 2013.
“Fieldings will continue until all 54 maneuver brigades and 10 division elements have been fielded" by the end of fiscal 2018, said Pat DeGroodt, deputy program manager for WIN-T Increments 2/3 at the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO-C3T). Its predecessor, WIN-T Increment 1, is fielded to more than half of the Army and will be fully fielded by mid-2012.
Increment 2 is beginning to see more support from developers, who are addressing many technical aspects of the communications scheme. “The ability to do comms on the move in austere environments — that’s taken some significant legs now in terms of development of things like antennas,” said Army Col. William “Chuck” Hoppe, project manager of the WIN-T system at PEO-C3T.
As deployment gets closer, this increased interest from manufacturers raises the likelihood of further performance improvements and cost reductions. One major focus is antenna technologies.
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