|
|
|
|
![1105 Media [purity]](/images/ds1_pntmlogo.gif "1105 Media [purity]") |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
home > September 10, 2007 issue > article
Link 16 comms near transformation
By Caron Golden and Brian Robinson
Special to Defense Systems
On the network-centric battlefield, the imperative is for friendly forces to be able to identify one another quickly and then to seamlessly share information, and there’s no better example of that than the evolution of the venerable Link 16 data exchange technology.
The military first used it in the mid-1970s in the first joint tactical information distribution systems (JTIDS) deployed in command control platforms such as E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, and then in the early 1980s in fighter-sized terminals. The technology is now the core of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) terminals that provide the data communications, real-time navigation and self-identification capabilities for aircraft such as the F/A-18 and F-16 Navy fighter.
Link 16, which is based on the J-Series Message Format, is the lingua franca of NATO interoperability, said James Cooper, defense research analyst at Frost and Coop000er00.
“The mantra of Link 16 proponents across the world is now ‘No-J-No-Play,’ sometimes No-Links-No-Play,” he said. “The truth is that any nation without Link 16 interoperability will be excluded from air combat operations and limited to supply operations within any international coalition.”
“Think of it as a crude Internet in the sky,” said Paul Baca, vice president of tactical networks at ViaSat. “Previously, fighter aircraft in confrontation would use infrared and their own radar to electronically see the battle space around them. With this technology, they can use other sensors so it allows more sharing of tactical information in the battle space.”
The importance of the technology is seen in the ongoing demand for MIDS-Low Volume Terminals (LVT) systems. In July, Data Link Solutions was awarded a $27.6 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for these terminals, while ViaSat was awarded a $44.9 million order that included both air and ground versions.
It’s the eighth lot of such orders for both firms and, Data Link Solutions Director Bob Gabell said, the firms expect as many as 11 orders altogether before transitioning to a new technology that they’re developing jointly, name MIDS- Joint Tactical Radio Systems, which should go into production in 2011 or 2012.
The new MIDS-JTRS technology will transform the functionality of Link 16, Cooper said, allowing for the inclusion of multiple waveforms, such as the Airborne Networking Waveform.
Another waveform that could be included is the Flexible Access Secure Transfer networking waveform that BAE Systems is developing. The Air Force earlier this year selected BAE and SRA International to develop the second spiral of the FAST waveform for inclusion in the MIDS-LVT1 system.
FAST will facilitate real-time exchanges of multimedia communications — including data, voice and video — between all American and coalition forces on the net-centric battlefield. BAE recently concluded a successful test of the capabilities of FAST, following its first flight demonstration at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in March 2006.
Despite the age of the underlying Link 16 technology, the MIDS program has provided a revolutionary ability to extend its capabilities to a wider variety of platforms continues to drive considerable growth in the market, Cooper said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
