Hughes signs U.S. Army CRADA for third phase of Blue Force Tracking program
NewsApril 04, 2019
GERMANTOWN, Md. The U.S. Army and Hughes Network Systems, LLC. entered into a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for the third phase of the Blue Force Tracking (BFT-3) program.
Under the agreement, Hughes and other industry participants will conduct research studies to deliver a series of recommendations for modernizing the BFT system architecture to improve interoperability and resiliency, as part of an Open System Architecture (OSA) consortium working to achieve more flexible network tracking of friendly force locations. Hughes will present recommendations to bolster operational resiliency with emphasis on maintaining communications in contested environments.
The OSA results under the CRADA will include modular network architecture recommendations for the U.S. Army to integrate various military and commercial networks and services using new standardized interfaces. This approach is expected to foster innovation through increased competition, eliminating single-vendor dependence on closed networks and yielding truly best-in-class technology solutions for the military.
