Featured:

Air Force upgrading JTAC vehicles

By

Joint Terminal Attack Controllers conduct a mission planning for a close air support mission, Aug 9, 2016, at Rogers City, Mich., during Northern Strike 2016. Northern Strike 16 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting approximately 5,000 Army, Air Force, Marine, and Special Forces service members from 20 states and three coalition countries during the first three weeks of August 2016 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan. The exercise strives to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, and the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Scott Thompson/released)

Mobile tactical networks specialist iGov has been awarded a $53 million delivery order to upgrade the communications systems on Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) vehicles.

The company will modify M1145 Humvees “to provide Tactical Air Control Party users with embedded software and systems for critical voice, data, and video communications,” according to an iGov news release. 

“The mobile communications system effort will allow Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) to control Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft from the safety of an armored vehicle while coordinating and conducting joint CAS missions,” the company said.

About 

Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.