• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

SINGLE-CHANNEL GROUND AND AIRBORNE RADIO SYSTEM (SINCGARS)

	Army ACAT II Program 246,845 systems Total Program Cost (TY$) $4622.6M Average unit cost (TY$) $14K Full Rate Production 1QFY85 Prime Contractor International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT)

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

SINCGARS is a very-high-frequency, frequency-modulation combat net radio developed by the Army supporting Joint Vision 2010 operational concepts of dominant maneuver, precision engagement, focused logistics, and full-dimensional protection.. SINCGARS provides secure, jam-resistant communications primarily for units conducting the land battle. It provides secure communications by transmitting tactical voice and data using communications security (COMSEC) and frequency-hopping techniques. SINCGARS can also operate in the single-channel (single-frequency) mode for interoperability with older radios.

Recently the new SINCGARS System Improvement Program (SIP) radio has been used with the Tactical Internet (TI) to support the Army digitization of the battlefield program. The TI is the network of radios and routers which provides connectivity across the battlefield. The TI comprises the Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS), SINCGARS SIP radios, and the Internet Controller router. The Mobile Subscriber Equipment Tactical Packet Network is the data network to which the TI is connected to allow communications with higher headquarters.

The Army began SINCGARS development following approval of a requirements document in December 1974. International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) was awarded in 1983 a contract to produce SINCGARS. ITT produced two versions of the SINCGARS. The current SINCGARS has an integrated communications security (ICOM) module and is designated the SINCGARS ICOM. The original design, the non-ICOM radio, uses existing KY-57 COMSEC devices. The Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council (DSARC) reviewed the program in October 1984 and approved the Army's request to award the first option. The DSARC decision memorandum provided guidance to plan testing of the radio when it was modified for ICOM and to seek a second source. ITT and the second source, General Dynamics, build ICOM radios with different internal designs that are interchangeable in form, fit, and function.

The ITT ICOM IOT&E was conducted from May to June 1990 at Fort Hood, TX.. A SINCGARS follow-on operational experiment (FOEX) was conducted in October 1990 at Fort Hood. The FOEX investigated changes to the ITT radio to improve data message-completion rates during jamming and during mutual interference. The IOT&E and FOEX data supported DAB approval of full-rate production for the ITT ICOM radio.

The SINCGARS second-source IOT&E was conducted at Fort Hood from October 8, 1992, through February 24, 1993. The results of the second-source IOT&E supported a Milestone IIIB full-rate production decision for General Dynamics.

On April 3, 1995, the Army briefed a SINCGARS SIP to the OSD, C3I Committee. The SIP includes several enhancements, such as improved data performance, position locating and reporting (with an external Global Positioning System), reduced weight, simplified operations, and interface to the common user system.

The Force XXI Advanced Warfighting Experiment (AWE) was the only event related to this program occurring in 1997. There has been no formal OT&E activity connected with the SINCGARS or the TI.

The Force XXI AWE in March 1997 at the National Training Center, Fort Erwin, CA, used SINCGARS SIP radios to support TI and applique data requirements. During the AWE, we observed that the new functionality is significant, especially data transmission using the tactical internet, and that the SIP radio's performance characteristics differ from the standard SINCGARS radio. The most apparent difference is the reduced ranges for the SIP radio.

The SINCGARS ICOM radio is operationally effective and suitable for combat use based on data from both the ITT and General Dynamics operational tests. The SINCGARS SIP radio has not been operationally tested, and the performance of the SINCGARS SIP radio supporting the TI has only been investigated in technical tests. The data from the Force XXI AWE indicates that the message completion rate was below expectations, but the Force XXI database is not sufficient to determine whether the SINCGARS SIP, the EPLRS, the routers, or other factors contributed to the low message-completion rate.

The new functionality and changes in performance characteristics very likely warrant independent T&E of the SINCGARS SIP. DOT&E will work with the Army to determine the scope of a T&E program for the SINCGARS SIP.