The Army is barreling toward a production decision on the Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) despite a damning report by the Pentagon’s chief weapon tester that the system doesn’t work.
“MNVR did not meet commanders’ operational need for a mid-tier network solution,” Michael Gilmore wrote in a July 5 memo to senior Defense Department and Army acquisition officials.
The report details the Harris Corp. [HRS] AN/VRC-118 radio’s performance during an operational assessment during the Network Integration Evaluation 16.2 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and limited user test (LUT) conducted in May 2015 during a previous NIE.
At the recent event, at least 85 MNVRs were used to provide voice and data communications from battalion to brigade echelons. Assessments were conducted in a variety of terrain, including wooded areas.
In a final survey, every one of 39 battalion and company commanders and their staff voted against fielding the radio. They concluded MNRV “provided no value added in mitigating the significant impacts to communications and mission execution experienced in a satellite communications-denied environment.”
“Commanders expressed concerns with the radio’s ability to provide consistent and reliable mission command services, to maintain an effective operational range and to be integrated into combat platforms,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore’s report details shortcomings with the MNVR’s range and power output. It also is too large to integrate into frontline combat vehicles, the report said.
That information runs directly counter to characterizations of the radio’s performance by the Army’s command, control and communications-tactical (PEO-C3T) program office.
“On the spot feedback from users indicated that the MNVR enabled mid-tier network provided a critical communications capability during satellite degraded environments,” a PEO-C3T spokesperson told Defense Daily. The Army readily admitted that MNVR has range limitations.
“The MNVR is a line of sight radio and (like any other line of sight radio) will have limitation based on terrain and location.] Additionally it was proved in NIE 15.2 that MNVR well exceeded its range requirement with the use of retransmission vehicles and antennas,” PEO-C3T said.
Based on the radio’s performance at NIE 16.2, which was not a formal program test event, and Limited User Test during NIE 15.2 conducted in October 2015, the Army is pressing forward with a milestone C decision this summer.
“The program will use the Milestone C decision to seek Defense Department permission to proceed with Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the current MNVR radio,” according to PEO-C3T.
MNVR, uses the Army’s Wideband Network Waveform to provide network connectivity among ground vehicles, command posts and, eventually, aircraft. With the WNW, the radio enables Soldiers to talk and chat, collaborate and share reports and send data to battalion and brigade, and provide the mid-tier that links the Lower Tactical Internet with the Upper Tactical Internet.
“NIE 16.2 showed that the MNVR capability provides a vital communications link during times of degraded or denied satellite connectivity,” said PEO-C3T. “With MNVR, Soldiers and leaders were still able to communicate and transmit position locational information to enable command decision making.”
The Army plans to procure up to 999 MNVR radios under LRIP. The radios will be used and fielded continuing to inform waveform, software and radio hardware capability while refining doctrine on how the mid-tier network can be best operationally employed, according to the Army.
Gilmore’s report recognized the importance for a mid-tier communications capability, but suggests the Army find another design that has increased range. Specifically, he advised the Army to consider increasing range with the current waveform and radio by changing the frequency, increasing transmitter power and adding an aerial node that can repeat its signal beyond line of sight.
“The Army may be challenged to meet the operational needs of the maneuver commanders with the current radio without changing the waveform,” Gilmore wrote. “The design is constrained by limits imposed by physics and the current state of technology…Providing mid-tier data communications in a SATCOM-denied environment is clearly an important need. However, test results indicate using MNVR would not fulfill that need, and that the Army should instead consider pursuing a mid-tier communications solution that recognizes commanders’ tactical need for range rather than high data rate transmission.”
MNVR manufacturer Harris Corp. – also builder of the Army’s HMS Manpack and Rifleman radios – stand by its design and its suitability to provide mid-tier communications to deployed units.
“The Mid-tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) has repeatedly proven to be both operationally effective and a critical part of the overall Army Network,” a Harris spokesperson told Defense Daily in an emailed statement. “That is the strong conclusion by PEO-3CT, which actually participated in the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 16.2. Harris Corporation is working with PEO-C3T to continually refine all aspects of MNVR performance to further extend its already requirements-exceeding range and information assurance in a satellite communications denied environment. MNVR has met all requirements and passed all formal tests on a path toward a successful Milestone C decision in the coming months.”