The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) last Friday awarded Raytheon [RTN] a $21.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and fixed-price contract to develop the generation Network Centric Radio System (NCRS), with additional capabilities and an assured affordable price to the user, the Defense Department said.

Raytheon beat out three other bids for the project, DARPA noted. The award was announced June 26.

DARPA envisions two critical technologies for achieving a backbone radio architecture that enables a versatile IP networks and a radio gateway that enables legacy analog and digital communications systems to be internetworked. As with NCRS, the MAINGATE enables heterogeneous groups of radios to be integrated into a heterogeneous network tolerant to high latency and packet loss. The technology development for the program will permit affordable, tactical, real-time, high fidelity video, data, and voice services to be deployed in a network environment to support tactical operations in either maneuver or dismounted operations, according to DARPA.

A MAINGATE node consists of the gateway hoc network (MANET) IP radio, WAN port, LAN port, and operator console for a recurring production unit cost target (sell price to government) of $ 60,000 (constant FY ’09 dollars) per unit for a volume purchase of 1,000 units after the successful satisfaction of the base program objectives.