Rockwell Collins demonstrates NCW via HF
Rockwell Collins Australia has demonstrated successfully that HF communications links, in which the ADF has invested heavily, can still support the goal of network centric warfare.
In an Australian first Rockwell Collins Australia (RCA) working with local firm ANZUS Inc and the ADF Tactical Information Exchange Integration Office (TIEIO), have demonstrated the transfer of Variable Message Format (VMF) and Link 16 Messages over live High Frequency (HF) bearers using a combination of military and civilian radios.
The series of live demonstrations showing the tactical information exchange were conducted at Majura Range in Canberra before an audience of ADF decision makers.
During the demonstration, Link 16 messages (J Series) generated by an MLST-3 were transmitted over the HF link to two deployed nodes. Similarly, VMF messages were also passed between the nodes via the HF network. In both cases, the STANAG 5066 protocol was utilised to ensure data integrity over the HF radio link.
The demonstration was evolved from Rockwell Collins UK's Ground Recognised Air
GRAP has one ground based Link 16 terminal within range of a Link 16 network. The ground node transfers the encrypted Link 16 messages to the deployed air defence batteries over HF. The two key advantages of this approach are 1) that deployed batteries can receive Link 16 messages beyond line of site - a key limitation of a Link 16 network; and 2) fewer Link 16 terminals are required.
The ANZUS Rosetta engine is a key technology used in GRAP and was central to the demonstration in Canberra. Rosetta provides the message processing and ANZUS JMMTIDS provides the Command and Control HMI. Rosetta provides the flexibility to change from one tactical data link (TADIL) type to another in a stand alone mode and gateway between different versions of TADIL. It is one of the few products to have been certified by the US Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) for Link 16 to Link 11 as well as Link 16 to VMF conversion. Over 1000 Rosetta based systems have been fielded around the world and are used to gateway between over 40 different data types. Rosetta has been interfaced to a variety of Battle Management Systems including JADOCS, TBMCS, and T-BONE.
Rosetta supported the VMF (version 4), which was used during the demonstration as a link to both the Northrop Grumman C2PC and FBCB2 (recently acquired for the Australian Army's new Abram tanks). Other versions of VMF can be easily accommodated by Rosetta including the latest VMF MIL-STD 6017.
Rockwell Collins' HF Messenger, a STANAG 5066 compliant HF data transfer program that is used in the UK GRAP, was used as the data transfer software providing error free data transfer at 9.6 kilobits per second. HF Messenger was also used to provide each node with an IP address thereby IP enabling non-IP radios. This application will allow legacy radios such as the Australian Army's Raven HF radios, to be used in a Tactical Internet environment.