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A tactical data link (TDL) uses a data link standard in order to provide communication via radio waves or cable. NATO nations use a variety of TDL standards. All military C3 systems use standardized TDL to transmit, relay and receive tactical data.
Multi-TDL network (MTN) refers to the network of similar and dissimilar TDLs integrated through gateways, translators, and correlators to bring the common tactical picture and/or common operational picture together.
The term tactical digital information link (TADIL) was made obsolete (per DISA guidance) and is now more commonly seen as tactical data link (TDL).
TDLs are characterized by their standard message and transmission formats. This is usually written as <Message Format>/<Transmission Format>.
In NATO, tactical data link standards are being developed by the Data Link Working Group (DLWG) of the Information Systems Sub-Committee (ISSC) in line with the appropriate STANAG.
In NATO, there exist tactical data link standards as follows:
Link No | STANAG | Working Title | Final title / description | Communi- cation | Gene- ration | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5501 | NATO data link between Air Defence Main Control Centres | Link 1 – Tactical Data Exchange for Air Defence | Point-to-point | 1st S–Series | Ground Link between NADGE entities limited and not secure |
2 | Radar to Control Centre Data Link | 1st | Cancelled (includes in Link 1) | |||
3 | Control Centre to higher HQ Data Links | SHOC Early Warning System | Point-to-point | 1st | Slow Speed Warning Link from evaluation centres to SHAPE | |
4 | 5504 | Ground to Air Data Link | Link 4 – TDL for the Control of Military aircraft | Point-to-point | 1st C/R–Series | Compatible to US TADIL–C to be operated in NATO UHF (225–400 MHz) RF band |
5 | Fast HF Automatic Link | Broadcast | 1st | Cancelled (see Link 11) | ||
6 | 5506 (Draft) | Missile Base to Control Centre Link | Link 6 – (NADGE Link) SAM Automatic Data Link | Point-to-point | 1st | Draft STANAG (US MBDL, ATDL–1, PADIL) |
7 | 5507 (Draft) | ATC / Defence Link | Link 7 – TDL for ATC | Point-to-point | 1st | |
8 | HF Automatic Link | Broadcast | 1st | Cancelled (see Link 1) | ||
9 | SOC / Airbase Link | 1st | ||||
10 | 5510 | Ship – Ship Link | Link 10 – Maritime Tactical Data Exchange | Broadcast | 2nd M–Series | STANAG cancelled (was used by BE, NL and UK) |
11 | 5511 | Fast HF Automatic Link | Link 11 – Maritime Tactical Data Exchange | Broadcast | 2nd M–Series | Compatible to US TADIL–A to be operated in the HF & NATO UHF RF bands |
11B | 5511 (Vol. II) | Link 11B – Tactical Data Exchange | Point-to-point | 2nd M–Series | Compatible to the US TADIL–B Ground to Ground TDL | |
12 | Fast HF Automatic Link | Cancelled (see Link 11) | ||||
13 | HF Automatic Link | Broadcast | Cancelled (see Link 11) | |||
14 | 5514 | Slow Semi–Automatic Link | Link 14 – Maritime TDL | Broadcast | 1st D/M/S/E–Series | Ship–Ship & Ship–Shore (only few applications) |
15 | Slow Semi–Automatic Link | Ship–Ship, Cancelled | ||||
16 | 5516 | High Capacity, ECM Resistant, Multifunctional, TDMA Link | Link 16 – ECM Resistant Tactical Data Exchange | Broadcast | 3rd J–Series | Compatible to US TADIL–J (STANAG 4175 – Technical Characteristics of MIDS) |
21 | 5521 (Draft) | Link in support of ACCS – (LISA) | Point-to-point | 3rd J–Series | Under development (planned to replace Link 1 and Link 11B) | |
22 | 5522 (Draft) | NATO Improved Link 11 – (NILE) | Link 22 | 3rd J–Series | Under development (planned to replace Link 11) | |
5601 | Standard for Interface of Data Links 1, 11, 11B, and 14 through a buffer | see AdalP 12 | ||||
5602 | Standard Interface for Multiple Platform Link Evaluation (SIMPLE) | Enables transmission of J-Series (TADIL-J) messages over IP-based protocols | ||||
MIL-STD-6020 | 5616 | Standard for data forwarding between tactical data systems employing Links 11/11B and tactical data systems employing Link 16 | MIL-STD-6020, DoD Interoperability Standard: Data Forwarding between TDLs | |||
IJMS | ECM Resistant Communication System (ERCS) | IJMS – Interim JTIDS/MIDS Message Specification | Broadcast | 2nd, M–Series | Interim Data Link Standard to be replaced by Link 16 | |
SADL | Situational Awareness Data Link | SADL – Situational Awareness Data Link | Broadcast | 1st, K-Series 2nd, K/J–Series | Data link adopted from EPLRS to provide A-10s and F-16s data link capability air-to-ground and air-to-air |
Beyond NATO countries, NATO partner countries have also developed some degree of interoperability with these standards since the 2014 Partnership Interoperability Initiative. [1]
Joint Interoperability of Tactical Command and Control Systems or JINTACCS is a program of the United States Department of Defense for the development and maintenance of tactical information exchange configuration items (CIs) and operational procedures. It was originated in 1977 to ensure that the command and control and weapons systems of all US military services and NATO forces would be compatible.
Automatic Link Establishment, commonly known as ALE, is the worldwide de facto standard for digitally initiating and sustaining HF radio communications. ALE is a feature in an HF communications radio transceiver system that enables the radio station to make contact, or initiate a circuit, between itself and another HF radio station or network of stations. The purpose is to provide a reliable rapid method of calling and connecting during constantly changing HF ionospheric propagation, reception interference, and shared spectrum use of busy or congested HF channels.
Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader definition takes into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system-to-system performance.
MIL-STD-188 is a series of U.S. military standards relating to telecommunications.
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), known as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) until 1991, is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency composed of military, federal civilians, and contractors. DISA provides information technology (IT) and communications support to the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, the military services, the combatant commands, and any individual or system contributing to the defense of the United States.
In NATO, a standardization agreement defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO state ratifies a STANAG and implements it within its own military. The purpose is to provide common operational and administrative procedures and logistics, so one member nation's military may use the stores and support of another member's military. STANAGs also form the basis for technical interoperability between a wide variety of communication and information systems (CIS) essential for NATO and Allied operations. The Allied Data Publication 34 (ADatP-34) NATO Interoperability Standards and Profiles which is covered by STANAG 5524, maintains a catalogue of relevant information and communication technology standards.
Project 25 is a suite of standards for interoperable digital two-way radio products. P25 was developed by public safety professionals in North America and has gained acceptance for public safety, security, public service, and commercial applications worldwide. P25 radios are a direct replacement for analog UHF radios, adding the ability to transfer data as well as voice for more natural implementations of encryption and text messaging. P25 radios are commonly implemented by dispatch organizations, such as police, fire, ambulance and emergency rescue service, using vehicle-mounted radios combined with repeaters and handheld walkie-talkie use.
Link 16 is a military tactical data link network used by NATO members and other nations, as allowed by the MIDS International Program Office (IPO). Its specification is part of the family of Tactical Data Links.
TADIL-J refers to the system of standardized J-series messages which are known by NATO as Link 16. These are defined by U.S. military standard (MIL-STD) 6016. It is used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, the NSA, several NATO countries, and Japan as part of the Multi-Tactical Data Link Network, a Tactical Data Link.
TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex tactical data link used by NATO to exchange digital data. It was originally developed by a joint committee including members from the Royal Canadian Navy, US Navy and Royal Navy to pass accurate targeting information between ships. The final standard was signed in Ottawa in November 1957, where the British proposed the name "TIDE" for "Tactical International Data Exchange". It was later made part of the NATO STANAG standardization process.
The Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP) is an effort to deliver an assured capability for information interoperability to support multinational, combined and joint military operations. The goal of the Programm is to support all levels from corps to battalion and focuses on command and control (C2) systems. MIP is a consortium of 27 NATO and Non-NATO nations that meet quarterly to work on the next iteration of its Products. It has standing collaborations with the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the European Defense Agency (EDA).[1][2]
The Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP) enables tactical data messages to be transmitted over long-distance networks, e.g. satellite links, thereby extending the range of Tactical Data Links (TDLs).
S-TADIL J, or Satellite TADIL J, is a real-time Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) Tactical Digital Information Link (TADIL) supporting the exchange of the same J Series message set that is implemented on Link-16 via the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS). S-TADIL J provides for robust continuous connectivity between Navy ships that are beyond JTIDS line-of-sight (LOS) transmission range. S-TADIL J is designed to support and significantly improve long-range TADIL connectivity between widely dispersed fleet operational forces. With the deployment of S-TADIL J, operational units will have three possible data link paths that can be used to support multi-ship data link-coordinated operations. S-TADIL J supports the same levels of surveillance and weapon coordination data exchange provided by Link-11 and Link-16. The TADIL J message standard is implemented on S-TADIL J to provide for the same level of information content as Link-16.
The Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) is a suite of XML-based messaging standards that facilitate emergency information sharing between government entities and the full range of emergency-related organizations. EDXL standardizes messaging formats for communications between these parties. EDXL was developed as a royalty-free standard by the OASIS International Open Standards Consortium.
Link 1 is a computer network standard developed by NATO to provide information exchange for air defence.
ARKONA (ACCS) (German: ARKONA (FüWES)) is an Air Command and Control System of the German Air Force.
The Standard Interface for Multiple Platform Link Evaluation (SIMPLE) is a military communications protocol defined in NATO's Standardization Agreement STANAG 5602.
Link-ZA is a tactical data link system used by the South African National Defence Force. It is the data communication component of the "Combat Net Interoperability Standard" (CNIS). Development began in the early 1990s when South Africa acquired a wide variety of high technology defence equipment such as Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, BAE Hawk lead-in fighter trainers, Valour-class frigates and other weapons systems. Because South Africa was not able to acquire the NATO standard Link-16 system an indigenous system was developed.
UGV Interoperability Profile (UGV IOP), Robotics and Autonomous Systems – Ground IOP (RAS-G IOP) or simply IOP was originally an initiative started by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to organize and maintain open architecture interoperability standards for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). A primary goal of this initiative is to leverage existing and emerging standards within the Unmanned Vehicle (UxV) community such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) AS-4 Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) standard and the Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office IOPs.
Clinical data standards are used to store and communicate information related to healthcare so that its meaning is unambiguous. They are used in clinical practice, in activity analysis and finding, and in research and development.