RAF to enhance tactical air command and control capabilities on the ground through Collins Aerospace FasTAK Gateway.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has selected the Collins Aerospace Systems FasTAK Gateway to advance its tactical data link capabilities on the ground as part of the RAF’s Air Support Operations Squadron Digital Command and Control experimentation program. The FasTAK Gateway makes it possible to share a tactical view to all connected air, ground and maritime units. Collins Aerospace is a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp.

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The FasTAK Gateway is a complete turnkey solution for delivering certified variable message format (VMF), LINK16, Situational Awareness DataLink (SADL) and CoT interoperability (Picture source: Collins Aerospace)

“The FasTAK Gateway provides an affordable, complete Link 16 data link picture to tactical ground users and its modular design and software-driven integration approach enables Collins to reconfigure the system to add new data links in the future,” said Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions for Collins Aerospace.

The FasTAK Gateway features the Collins Aerospace TacNet Tactical Radio Link 16 terminal along with data link processor software, running on mainstream laptop hardware, that manages the data links, radio frequencies and data forwarding for the equipment in a lightweight, transportable container. The ruggedized system transitions from transport to operational in 20 minutes. It delivers certified Link 16, Variable Message Format (VMF), Situational Awareness Data-Link (SADL) and Cursor on Target (CoT) communications with growth to integrate with a future all-domain operational environment.

For more than 20 years, Collins Aerospace has provided data link and integrated system solutions for the U.S., NATO and coalition forces that have improved communication and speed for successful tactical operations.