DoD buy seems like it will come to pass, but how many handsets?
WAG: 5000 first order with options for more.
A number of DOD agencies, including the Space Battlelab, have been testing Iridium hand-held phones for use by the military. Tests by the Battlelab have been completed and the final report has been sent to Lt. Gen. John L. Woodward Jr., director of the Joint Staff's Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems Directorate (J-6) in Washington according to an AFRL spokesman. An announcement of a DOD decision on whether to use the Iridium service is expected in early April. The tests, done under a project called Commercial Application for Combat Effectiveness (CACE), analyzed user friendliness, voice quality, delays, handset durability, susceptibility to weather, susceptibility to blockage by buildings and foliage, and reliability. Under CACE the Battlelab also developed a plan for integrating commercial systems with existing military systems.
In the last few years DOD has been trying to extend its buying power by fulfilling portions of its communication needs via commercial services. Lt. Gen. Lance Lord, Vice Commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., told SBT that DOD's "intent is to leverage as much of commercial capacity as possible in the future. That way we don't have to produce and buy our own satellites and put them in orbit. If we can make use of commercially available communications that suits the needs, fits the bandwidth requirements and provides the service, we'll probably buy it." (my bold)
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