General Dynamics says it has fixed advanced Rifleman Radio

The contractor developing an advanced radio for soldiers on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq said problems the Army identified last year in the device have been fixed, and it has delivered the first production models this month.

Since 2008, General Dynamics has been developing the Rifleman Radio, a 2.5-pound device that has a projected range of more than a mile and includes a GPS receiver that transmits the position of every soldier to an infantry platoon or squad leader who can pinpoint troops on the battlefield by looking at a wrist-mounted display.

But the radio encountered operational problems, including short battery life and unreliability, during initial tests last year, said J. Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation at the Defense Department, during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee in March.

The Rifleman Radio, part of the Joint Tactical Radio System, now meets all requirements for size, weight, battery life and reliability, said Fran Jacques, a spokeswoman for General Dynamics C4 Systems.

The committee cut this month the fiscal 20111 JTRS budget by $10.2 million, to $199.4 million, because development of the Rifleman Radio had been delayed for more than a year. Jacques said changes requested by the JTRS program office to fix problems identified in the April 2009 test caused the delay.

To fix the Rifleman Radio, General Dynamics used components from other JTRS radios it is developing such as those designed to fit into unmanned systems as well as backpack versions, she said.

The JTRS program office plans to test the Rifleman Radio through June to verify the problems have been fixed, followed by a formal operational test in November.