The Software Communication Architecture specification: Evolution and trends

The software communication architecture (SCA) is the software architecture developed as the top design by the US Military´s joint tactical radio system (JTRS) for the next generation of radio systems. The SCA is designed to facilitate waveform portability and improve software reuse in software defined radio (SDR). The SCA specification is built on the evolving commercial standards, so it keeps evolving since its birth. Below the evolution process of SCA specification there are some hidden rules which are important for related researchers. In this paper the rules are revealed through summarizing the evolution process and comparing the different versions of SCA specification. The trends underlying the evolution process are forecasted too, which will help the researchers to grasp the correct research directions.