Link-16 terminal equipment MIDS-LVT terminal

In the 1980s, the United States successfully developed the cross-age Link-16 data link. It is a general data distribution system used by various US services and NATO countries. It has most of the functions of the 4A/4C/11 chain and supports Airborne operations, air defense operations, air operations, air reconnaissance and surveillance, airspace control, ground support, anti-submarine operations, ground operations, search and rescue, maritime operations and other tasks.

Link-16 data link is mainly composed of JTIDS terminal, command and control processor and tactical data management system, using KGV-8B secret device encryption, working frequency is 960-1215MHz, identification friend or foe protection The frequency band is 1030-1090MHz, and the communication distance is about 500km. The signal used by Link16 is a spread spectrum signal, which has three spread spectrum methods: direct sequence spread spectrum, frequency hopping and time hopping.

Link16 uses a multi-task time-sharing access method-TDMA, which has four types of terminal types: one is command and control terminals, used for large command aircraft such as E3A and Ticonderoga And ships; the second is various types of tactical aircraft and army data distribution system terminals; the third is small terminals for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground vehicles, small ships and individual combat systems; the fourth is for ground and maritime command and control The center's marine and ground interface terminals.

You are familiar with the name Link16, but you may be confused about MIDS-LVT. MIDS-LVT, which seems inconspicuous, is quite awkward to read. It is called Multifunctional Information Distribution System Small Volume Terminal. The full English name is Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminal-MIDS-LVT. However, its role cannot be underestimated. As Link16's terminal equipment, it is the basis for the joint operations of the three services.

【JTIDS terminal】

The original Link-16 terminal is not MIDS, but JTIDS-Joint Tactical Information Subsystem terminal. Beginning in the 1980s, the U.S. military installed JTIDS Category 1 on the E-3A early warning aircraft, which was used to transmit air information about the Warsaw Pact countries to the ground air defense automated command system. In the 1990s, the U.S. military developed the JTIDS Type 2 terminal, which has three series of 2R, 2H, and 2M, which are used on land, sea, and air combat platforms. Type 2 platforms have improved in function, weight and volume, but the cost, weight, and volume are still relatively large, making it difficult to install on medium and light fighters.

【MIDS-LVT terminal】

In order to solve the problem of not being able to install Link16 terminal equipment on small aircraft, in 1987, the United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Norway The first phase of the MIDS project was launched in 8 countries in the United Kingdom. After repeated projects, Canada, Norway and the United Kingdom withdrew from MIDS. MIDS terminals are developed on the basis of JTIDS Type 2 terminals, but they are smaller and lighter. They can be fully interoperable with the early Link-16 system and JTIDS system, and have multi-country and multi-platform interoperability capabilities. Mass production in 1998.

Compared with JTIDS, MIDS uses the same TDMA technology. MIDS-LVT uses new technologies such as ultra-high-speed integrated circuits and microwave monolithic integrated circuits to achieve the same functions and improve compatibility while the weight, volume and cost are greatly reduced compared with JTIDS. The volume of each MIDS-LVT terminal is 0.01 cubic meters and the weight is only 22.2 kilograms, while JTIDS is as high as 0.03 cubic meters and 57 kilograms. Each MIDS-LVT terminal is 300,000 US dollars, and the cost is only 1/3 of JTIDS nearly 900,000 US dollars about.

MIDS-LVT adopts advanced fast frequency hopping and spread spectrumThe key technology of modulation, error correction coding, formatted information and voice and text transmission has strong anti-interference ability and can effectively prevent detection, eavesdropping and intrusion. The data transfer speed is 115KB/sec, and the enhanced type/2 terminal is as high as 1.2M/sec, which can provide a voice transfer rate of 16KB/sec, and the communication range is close to 500 kilometers. If a relay platform is used, the communication distance can reach 2000 kilometers. MIDS does not have a central node and can support the operation of up to 30 networks. Users in the network use the allocated time slots to send information, and the number of users can exceed 100.

MIDS-LVT (1) series are airborne terminals and can also be used for ground troops. All terminals of this series have basic Link16 function, but other functions supported by different models are different: LVT-1/1 has tactical aviation navigation system and voice function; LVT-1/4 has voice function but not tactical aviation navigation System function; LVT-1/6 has tactical aviation navigation system function but not voice function; LVT-1/7 does not have tactical aviation navigation system and voice function.

MIDS-LVT(2) series are ground terminals, without tactical aviation navigation system and voice function, but can be used for some airborne troops. LVT-2/11 is specially designed for the US Army "Patriot" system information coordination center and artillery company command post, forward area air defense command and control system, land/sea-based missile launches, and the US Air Force air operations center. LVT-2/11 also has a ship-based version, which is mainly used in the US Navy and Allied Navy.

MIDS-LVT terminal can provide safe, high-capacity, anti-jamming digital data and voice communications for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army and Allied platforms. It is widely equipped with the United States and NATO allies. Surface ships, air defense systems, ground command and control systems, etc., and exported to Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and other countries. When the United States sold arms to Taiwan in 2010, there was also such a device, which means that the United States and Taiwan can share data through it.