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COLUMBIA, Md., July 12, 2004. Spectrum Signal Processing (USA) today announced that Boeing has successfully ported a software-defined version of the COBRA waveform to Spectrum's SDR-3000 platform, including a successful test for interoperability with legacy receivers.
"The COBRA waveform is the first of numerous waveforms which are expected to be ported to Spectrum's SDR-3000 over the next several years," stated a senior manager at the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Joint Program Office Technology Laboratory (JTeL).
"With this significant JTRS milestone we have proven our premise that software defined waveforms developed on one contractor's hardware will work on properly designed radios of other contractors. This proof of waveform portability advances our mandate to provide portable waveforms to all of the U.S. Armed Services. Spectrum provided the hardware set and valuable application engineering services to the government while working closely on-site with Boeing and JTeL personnel in the porting effort."
"We are very proud of our contribution to this Department of Defense success," stated Spectrum USA President James P. Atkins. "This further validates Spectrum's leadership in software defined radio applications and illustrates one of our roles in next generation military communications."
Spectrum's SDR-3000 platform was selected in August, 2003 by the JTRS Joint Program Office (JPO) and its U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Command's Technology Laboratory for independent verification and validation of Department of Defense JTRS waveforms for Software Communications Architecture (SCA) acceptance and compliance.
COBRA is a legacy waveform that has been made JTRS compliant by the Boeing Corporation under a JTRS JPO contract coincident with Boeing's Cluster 1 contract. Cluster 1 is the first of four JTRS Clusters to be tested with the Software Communications Architecture to ensure interoperability and portability across disparate networks.
Joint tactical radios will be multi-mode and multi-band, allowing one radio to communicate with numerous other different radios and will allow over-the-air programming of those sets. The new radios will carry information in real-time to the warfighter in the field, whether it be ground-based, shipborne, or airborne. Once fully implemented, the JTRS is expected to enable the information superiority necessary for more effective military engagements.
The flexComm SDR-3000 comprises a heterogeneous processing platform incorporating Xilinx FPGAs, IBM and Motorola PowerPC processors, and Texas Instruments DSPs. The SDR-3000 platform can also include an integrated radio frequency transceiver and analog input/output modules.
Software development tools include Spectrum's quicComm Hardware Abstraction Layer to facilitate algorithm partitioning and programming, an SCA Core Framework (CF) to enable the set up and teardown of waveforms as mandated by the JTRS JPO for all military communications programs, Spectrum's SCA Board Support Package that enables the SCA CF to identify and manage the platform resources, and a POSIX-compliant real-time operating system.
The JTRS Technology Laboratory is the testing and certification arm of the JTRS JPO, which provides JTeL tasking and direction. JTeL is tasked to:
· Provide JTRS waveform acceptance and SCA-compliance recommendations to the JTRS JPO;
· Provide JTR Set Operating Environment SCA-compliance recommendations to the JTRS JPO;
· Maintain a repository of all certified JTRS Waveforms, waveform documentation, JTeL tools and products, and appropriate security algorithms;
· Support the advancement of the SCA and standardization of application program interface; and,
· Research new technology applicable to software defined radios.
For more information, see www.spectrumsignal.com or http://jtrs.army.mil.
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