TAUNTON, Mass., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. firms General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin have won a $921 million WIN-T development contract.
"The U.S. Army recently awarded the General Dynamics-Lockheed Martin Warfighter Information Network-Tactical -- WIN-T -- team contract modifications valued at up to $921 million to continue development of the WIN-T system and to accelerate delivery of WIN-T capabilities to the current modular force," General Dynamics said in a statement Monday.
"WIN-T will be the Army’s integrating battlefield communications network, providing warfighters fast, secure and mobile access to the U.S. Defense Department’s Global Information Grid," the company said.
“This is great news for warfighters,” said John Martin, vice president of communication networks for General Dynamics C4 Systems, the prime contractor on the program. “We look forward to accelerating the delivery of the broadband, mobile network necessary to enable battle command on-the-move.”
General Dynamics noted that the U.S. Army announced in June 2007 it would "restructure and accelerate the WIN-T program and organized it into four major increments; the $921 million in modifications comprise WIN-T Increment Two and WIN-T Increment Three."
"The former Joint Network Node -- JNN -- is now WIN-T Increment One, which will enhance the existing joint networking and satellite communications capabilities currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. WIN-T Increment Four has not been awarded," the company said.
"WIN-T Increment Two, valued at $126 million, will deliver an initial on-the-move broadband networking capability using satellite and radio links, with fielding scheduled to begin in 2009. Increment Three, valued at $795 million, will continue development of WIN-T components to meet the full range of network capacity, security and fully on-the-move capabilities for the modular force with limited user testing scheduled to begin in 2011," it said.
"Increment Three also addresses the size, weight, power and cooling requirements for systems to be hosted in Future Combat Systems vehicles," the company said.
"WIN-T Increment Four represents the last of the developmental program elements and will provide technology insertions to enable enhanced satellite communications protection and greater throughput afforded by transformational communications satellites," Northrop Grumman said.
