Cost of new battlefield radio program pegged at $1.5 billion

The cost of a new, slimmed down Army program to field tactical broadband radios will run between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion, Army Brig. Gen. Michael Williamson, executive officer for the Joint Tactical Radio System program, said.

On Oct 14 the Defense Department canceled a more than decade old, $15.9 billion Boeing Co. project to develop a broadband Ground Mobile Radio. Gen Williamson said both Defense and the Army want to replace those radios with ones developed by industry. Gen Williamson said the Army wants to spend $150,000 or less per radio and intends to buy between 10,000 and 11,000 of them. Maj. Christopher Kasker, an Army spokesman, said the service wants to run a procurement in 2012, with the new broadband radios fielded in 2014.