Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins, has been contracted to supply multifunctional information distribution system joint tactical radio systems (MIDS JTRS) to the US and coalition forces.
Under the $51.8m contract awarded by the US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), DLS will supply MIDS JTRS radios for use on US platforms and foreign military sales (FMS) customers.
Work on this contract is scheduled to be completed next year and will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Wayne, New Jersey.
DLS director Jack Stevens said: "This contract underscores DLS’s leadership in Link 16 airborne networking and provides the latest in certified, reprogrammable, software-defined radio architecture for tactical data links."
The MIDS JTRS will replace conventional radios, while reducing requirements for an increased spares and logistics support.
The design features a four-channel radio suited to operate in a complex Link 16 waveform and up to three additional communication protocols, including the airborne networking waveform (ANW).
It is incorporated with features such as the navigation system tactical air navigation (TACAN); the current Link 16 waveform and the recent MIDS connector configuration and position.
The MIDS JTRS is said to improve the battlefield communication for joint and coalition personnel by enabling them to communicate by voice, video, and data with a line-of-sight, jam-resistant capability across ground, air, and naval assets without using excess space, weight or power.
The technology is claimed to have the ability to enable the required computer processing to run routing and platform specific applications, allowing for lower cost integration into host platforms.
Last year, DLS was awarded a contract of $478.6m to develop, design and maintain the MIDS JTRS terminals.
Image: A view of the exterior of MIDS JTRS. Photo: courtesy of Data Link Solutions.
