MARCH 21, 10:54 EST
TAMPA, Fla. -- Leaders of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) want to hear from industry electronics engineers who believe they can provide commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology for the Joint Tactical Warning System -- otherwise known as JTWS.

The JTWS program seeks to develop a modular, scaleable system of user-defined, integrated, common hardware modules with an interoperable software architecture. This system is to be configurable for use in manpack, unattended, and platform applications at land sites, as well as aboard aircraft, surface ships, and submarines.

The JTWS is to be capable of monitoring communications, direction finding, as well as receiving and correlating near-real-time tactical intelligence broadcasts. JTWS variants passively detect and provide one line of bearing on communications and radar emitters for identification and tracking.

USSOCOM officials are looking for new threat warning solutions that they can integrate into a common operating environment for maritime, air, ground, and unattended Special Operations Forces (SOF) systems.

USSOCOM officials say they plan to conduct tests to determine if improved capabilities exist by comparing existing commercially available technology able to provide advanced passive target detection and identification. Areas of interest include:

-- threat warning receivers for body-worn and man-packable applications;
-- software for rapid detection, signals analysis, and source localization;
-- mobile GSM Monitoring systems;
-- cellular telephones capable of sending digital data from any source;
-- systems to increase the range of cellular telephones without repeaters;
-- monitoring systems for 802.11 wireless local0area networks;
-- lightweight satellite dishes no larger than 1.5 meters in diameter;
-- bi-static radio frequency detection technology; and
-- lightweight portable FAX, PSTN, and radio link monitoring with cellular jamming capability.

Special Operations experts will evaluate all products to determine their effectiveness for integration into the JTWS Component Architecture and Framework (JCAF) associated with all JTWS configurations and systems development.

Components and technology must be able to operate many different geographic locations and extreme climates, and must meet stringent requirements for size, weight, power, and transportability.

Program officials are asking industry representatives to respond by April 2, 2002, to Myron Tanner, contract specialist, by phone at 813-281-0560, ext. 319, by fax at 813-281-2553, by e-mail at tannerm@socom.mil and moree@socom.mil, or by post to U.S. Special Operations Command, ATTN: SOAL-KBA, 5850 West Cypress Boulevard, Tampa, Fla. 33607.

Military & Aerospace Electronics