Project seeks to ensure Army has adequate radio spectrum

Alion Science and Technology Corp. will provide radio-frequency spectrum modeling, simulation and analysis to the Army Spectrum Management Office under a new $7.8 million contract.

The contract, issued under the Alion-operated Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center contract vehicle, will provide the Army with the services needed to ensure that adequate radio spectrum is available for current and future Army platforms.

The analysis is needed because the commercial sector’s use of wireless spectrum is rapidly expanding and competing with the needs of the Army, according to Alion.

“Constraints on real-time access to radio-frequency spectrum are a risk to both warfighters and first responders at home,” said Sue Archer, Alion’s senior vice president and manager of the Operational Solutions Group. “More efficient radio-frequency spectrum use can result in better information assurance and higher rates of information transfer, which ultimately benefits the warfighter.”

Under the contract, Alion will provide a dynamic means to design, test, and certify spectrum-dependent system technology and develop improved software tools to model radio frequency compatibility and availability on the battlefield.

Alion will also help evaluate Wireless Network after Next technology. WNAN can dynamically sense, characterize, react and adapt to changing network conditions. Alion will research and identify radio frequency spectrum management and modeling issues associated with WNAN and make recommendations for addressing these issues.

The contract runs from June 2009 to June 2012.