JTRS Network Emulator Contract Awarded to Scalable Network Technologies

Developed by Scalable Network Technologies and based on the company’s EXata™ emulation engine, JNE is a virtual laboratory that supports real-time emulation of large-scale communication networks of current and future force radios and associated waveforms. These include, but are not limited to, the Wideband Network Waveform (WNW), the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW), the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), Link-16, Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS), Enhanced Position Location and Reporting System (EPLRS), Internet Controller (INC) and similar components.
JNE has been developed for use in Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) environments that connect units that exist in a constructive simulation model with live and virtual lab-based units to form a “hybrid” large-scale network. These “hybrid” networks created with JNE emulate the intensity and distribution of traffic typical of battlefield deployments, and perform with all the complexity and realism of an actual large-scale network. This high degree of fidelity makes it possible to integrate a JNE network into live exercises using real hardware, real users and real applications connected to operational networks. Thus, JNE can enable testing exercises of large-scale (hundreds to thousands of radios) networks with a few – and in some cases no – live JTRS radios, accelerating development cycle time and reducing costs.
Currently, JNE is being deployed in large-scale operational testing exercises at stages of the program lifecycle where procurement of critical quantities of live JTRS radios is problematic in terms of availability and cost. Additional uses that are part of the DoD’s vision for JNE include warfighter training for JTRS radios, network managers and advanced applications, as well as testing and analysis of emerging software-defined radio and network-centric systems.
According to Rajive Bagrodia, CEO of Scalable Network Technologies, “This contract award is the culmination of years of intense labor and cooperation between the JPEO, the Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC), the Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM), and SNT to develop a solution to support accelerated deployment of robust and predictable net-centric communication technology. As JNE is acquired by DoD programs/agencies for analysis, test and training applications, we anticipate that emulation will prove to be a breakthrough capability for analysis, test, and training of our military’s critical net-centric systems.”
As JTRS and other next generation network technologies evolve, more rigorously tested system integration will contribute to robust and predictable network performance between air, ground, maritime and space platforms.