US Army authorises GD to start full rate production of WIN-T Inc 2 system

General Dynamics (GD) has received approval from the US Army to begin full rate production of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2 system.

The approval follows an acquisition decision memorandum (ADM) issued by the office of the US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, which authorises the army to proceed to full rate production and deployment of its mobile tactical communications backbone network to all of the remaining army units through 2028.

General Dynamics Mission Systems president Chris Marzilli said: "This is an important milestone and we’ll continue to support the army as it fields this vital mission command and communications system throughout its global force."

The WIN-T Increment 2 provides soldiers with an unprecedented ability to communicate while on patrol, using connectivity competing with that found in a stationary command post.

To date, the company has equipped four army division headquarters and 12 brigade combat teams with the WIN-T Increment 2 system, which is integrated into mine-resistant, ambush-protected, high-mobility, multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, and Stryker vehicles.

The system successfully served army units supporting the Security Force Assistance Brigades in Afghanistan by replacing the fixed communications infrastructure dismantled when the US military closed its operating bases in the country.

In 2014, the system also provided the ‘communications grid’ for humanitarian operations responding to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Production of the WIN-T system is scheduled to take place primarily at GD’s facility in Taunton, Massachusetts, US, and will support hundreds of jobs at the company and supplier locations nationwide.

Available in three increments, the WIN-T is claimed to be the army’s top-tier, mobile command and control system, providing soldiers with mission critical audio, video and data to improve battlefield awareness and support the full spectrum of army operations worldwide.