Of the eight experiments being tested at this year’s JEFX, Air Force Special Operations Command has one that it hopes will enable special operations forces to wear computers and communications that will keep them in touch and aid mission management. The system, known as SWIPE, uses existing wireless technology to provide enhancements to four components—special ops tactical network, the remote sensor iridium, the geographic suitability assessment tool, and the command and control mission manager. The four packages will be combined and tested in a Windows-based secure network during JEFX, according to Luis Tirado, the JEFX program manager for AFSOC.
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.
