The Department of Defense has accepted Raytheon's Next Generation Mobile Ad hoc Networking Waveform (NMW) into the government's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) library, strengthening Raytheon's position as a provider of wideband Ground Mobile Radio solutions.

"Including our waveform provides easier access for other companies to port our waveform to their radios, fostering competition and supporting the U.S. Army's Agile Acquisition process," said Jeff Miller, director of Tactical Communication Systems for Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.

"A key aspect of the NMW is that it was specifically designed to run on lower cost, reduced size and lower power consumption radios while still delivering needed capability," he added.

This represents the first time a waveform not developed under JTRS or a legacy program has been accepted into the library.

NMW enables high-speed applications, such as multiple simultaneous live streaming video from drones, real-time situational awareness, and the distribution of vital information to commanders in any environment.

The waveform, which powers the Mobile Ad hoc Interoperability Network GATEway (MAINGATE) radio system, was developed in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency over the last 12 years and is used in the MAINGATE family of high-performance radios.

MAINGATE was developed to meet the Army's need for a high capacity backhaul mobile networking radio solution, as well as to enable interoperability with coalition forces.

MAINGATE, with the NMW waveform, has been in operational use with deployed forces for more than two years. As demonstrated during a Network Integration Evaluation exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, NMW provided significantly higher capacity than other radios.

It far exceeded the requirements stated for the upcoming Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio solicitation, and has been demonstrated as a tested, proven, viable replacement for the canceled JTRS Ground Mobile Radio program.