Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Waveforms

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Overview

The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) was designed as a family of software-defined radios (SDRs) to provide seamless and secure voice, video, and data communications across different military and civilian communication networks. It supports a wide range of waveforms, enabling interoperability among different platforms, services, and coalition partners.

Originally planned to operate within a 2 MHz to 2 GHz frequency range, JTRS later expanded to include higher frequencies with the introduction of the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW).

Supported Waveforms

JTRS radios were developed to support a broad set of waveforms to meet military and civilian communication needs. Some key waveforms include:

Tactical and Military Waveforms

1. Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) – Provides secure, ad hoc mobile networking for dismounted soldiers.
2. Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) – Operates at 30–88 MHz with both frequency-hopping and single-frequency modes.
3. HAVE QUICK II – A frequency-hopping AM waveform for military aircraft radios in the 225–400 MHz range.
4. UHF SATCOM (MIL-STD-188-181, -182, -183, -184) – Provides tactical satellite communications in the 225–400 MHz band.
5. Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) – Next-generation UHF satellite communications, with JTRS HMS manpack being the only officially recognized program-of-record terminal for MUOS.
6. Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) – A 420–450 MHz spread-spectrum waveform.
7. Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) – Designed for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), allowing secure and scalable wideband tactical communications.
8. Link-4A, Link-11B, Link-16, Link-22/TADIL – Tactical data link protocols operating in 960–1215 MHz and above.

Civilian and Air Traffic Control Waveforms

9. VHF-AM Civilian Air Traffic Control – Covers 108–137 MHz, supporting both 25 kHz (US) and 8.33 kHz (European) channel spacing.
10. High-Frequency (HF) Communications – 1.5–30 MHz band supporting Independent Sideband (ISB), Automatic Link Establishment (ALE), and air traffic control communications.
11. VHF/UHF-FM Land Mobile Radio (LMR) – Supports multiple bands, including 25–54 MHz, 72–76 MHz, 136–175 MHz, 380–512 MHz, and 764–960 MHz, for public safety and homeland defense operations.
12. Civilian Marine VHF-FM Radio – Operates in the 156 MHz band for maritime communications.

Advanced Secure Communication Waveforms

13. SATURN (Second-Generation Anti-Jam Tactical UHF Radio for NATO) – A 225–400 MHz PSK-based anti-jam waveform for secure communications.
14. Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) – Includes Mark X, Mark XII/A, and Selective Identification Feature (SIF) functionalities, operating at 1030 MHz and 1090 MHz.
15. Digital Wideband Transmission System (DWTS) – A shipborne high-capacity secure and non-secure communication system in the 1350–1850 MHz band.
16. Soldier Radio & Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) – Covers frequencies 1.755–1.850 GHz and 2.450–2.483 GHz, with compatibility for 802.11 standards.

Commercial and Satellite Communication Waveforms

17. Cellular and PCS – Supports various global mobile communication standards, including NSA/NIST Type 1–4 encryption.
18. Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) – Supports Iridium, Globalstar, and other low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites in the 1.61–2.5 GHz range.
19. Integrated Broadcast Service Module (IBS-M) – Consolidates three legacy UHF military broadcasts (TIBS, TDDS, and TRIXS) into a Common Interactive Broadcast (CIB) system.
20. BOWMAN (UK Tri-Service Tactical Communications System) – Integrates HF, VHF, and UHF tactical communication systems for the UK Armed Forces.

Waveforms in JTRS Increments

JTRS was structured into increments, each introducing new capabilities.

Increment 1 (Funded and Deployed Waveforms)

The JTRS Increment 1 program included a set of baseline waveforms officially funded and supported for deployment:

Waveform	Applicable Radios
SRW	Small Form Fit (SFF), Manpack, AMF-Small Airborne, Ground Mobile Radio
WNW	Ground Mobile Radio, AMF-Small Airborne
MUOS	AMF-Small Airborne, AMF-Maritime, Manpack
Link-16	AMF-Small Airborne, MIDS-J
UHF SATCOM DAMA	Manpack, Ground Mobile Radio, AMF-Maritime
SINCGARS ESIP with INC	Ground Mobile Radio
SINCGARS ESIP	Handheld, SFF, Manpack, Ground Mobile Radio
EPLRS	Handheld, SFF, Manpack, Ground Mobile Radio
HF SSB/ISB w/ALE	Ground Mobile Radio
HF SSB w/ALE	Manpack
JAN-TE	MIDS-J

Increment 2 (Planned Waveforms – Unfunded)

Future waveforms were proposed under Increment 2, but funding remained uncertain. The Increment 2 requirements document was still under development at the time of JTRS restructuring.

Challenges and Future of JTRS Waveforms

While JTRS aimed to unify communication systems across multiple domains, it faced technical and budgetary challenges, particularly in integrating software-defined radio (SDR) technologies across a wide range of hardware platforms.

Despite its cancellation as a standalone program, JTRS technologies and waveforms continue to be integrated into modern tactical radios, such as:

• The Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit (HMS) radios, including AN/PRC-155 and AN/PRC-148.
• The AN/PRC-117G and AN/PRC-152A, are widely used by the U.S. military and NATO forces.
• The Link-16 and MUOS integrations into next-generation platforms.

The move towards commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions and continued software-defined radio development ensure that JTRS waveforms will remain a critical part of military communications.

References

1. Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) – The JTNC Seeks Resilient Waveforms Information​
   jtnc.mil
2. DoD Information Systems – Software Defined Radio and Tactical Networking (Archived Resources).
3. U.S. Army PEO C3T – JTRS Waveform Integration Overview.