The JTRS program: software-defined radios as a software product line

The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program of the US Department of Defense is an ambitious multiyear initiative aimed at developing a new family of highly capable software programmable radio systems designed around a common software communications architecture (SCA). The procurement and development approaches of the JTRS initiative make it an interesting application of a software product line strategy. In this paper, we (a) provide an overview of the JTRS program, its key technologies, and its development and procurement strategies; (b) highlight the aspects of the JTRS program that make it a clear instance of a software product line; (c) analyze the degrees of success with which product line concepts have been applied within the JTRS initiative, and highlight some ongoing challenges; (d) discuss the significance of the JTRS initiative for the software product lines community