French DGA tests next-generation L-16 tactical data link on board A400M Atlas.

Now indispensable in coalition military operations, especially within a NATO framework or network, Link 16 (L16) allows for the exchange of complex and encrypted tactical information among multiple units, whether they are airborne, naval, or ground units, as explained by Laurent Lagneau on Opex360.

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This campaign, conducted by the DGA Flight Test and Expertise Center, aims to make the A400M fully interoperable with NATO forces equipped with this new L16 standard and associated cryptography (Picture source: Airbus Military)

Without delving into the details, L16 considers two types of platforms, Laurent Lagneau writes: "C2" (command and control) platforms, such as AWACS aircraft (E-3 Sentry, E-2 Hawkeye, etc.), aircraft carriers, or air defense frigates, and "non-C2" platforms, which form a network of sensors and weapons (such as fighter aircraft). With L16, it's no longer an AWACS considered as a "remote radar" by a fighter aircraft but the other way around. It becomes the responsibility of the AWACS to create a "tactical picture" of a given situation and communicate it to all the platforms involved in an operation.

With an ever-increasing data flow, it became necessary to develop a next-generation L16 according to NATO's STANAG 5516 standard. This requires the installation of new terminals, such as the MIDS-LVT BU2 (Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminal Block Upgrade 2), produced by the EuroMIDS consortium, of which Thales is a member. According to the French manufacturer, this terminal provides high-capacity digital communication links that are resistant to jamming, allowing for the exchange of secure tactical information in real-time on the Link 16 network.

In September 2022, the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) announced that it had qualified the MIDS-LVT BU2 for use on the four E-3F SDCA (Airborne Detection and Command System) aircraft of the French Air and Space Force (AAE). The new generation L16 would be used on the E-3F aircraft starting in the fall as part of the Allied Tactical Leadership Course exercise in the United Arab Emirates, the DGA later indicated.

One year later, the AAE deployed an A400M Atlas transport aircraft in the latest edition of this multinational exercise (ATLC33). According to the French Forces in the United Arab Emirates (FFEAU), this aircraft was involved in precision airdrop training and more. Via Twitter, the DGA indicated its participation in the trials of the new version of the MIDS LVT BU2 terminal on the A400M during Exercise Advanced Tactical Leadership Course 33 in the UAE.

This campaign, conducted by the DGA Flight Test and Expertise Center, aims to make the A400M fully interoperable with NATO forces equipped with this new L16 standard and associated cryptography. "All aircraft of the French Air and Space Force will adopt this hardware and software version of the MIDS LVT."

Integrating L16 on board a transport aircraft is not necessarily straightforward, Laurent Lagneau comments. Moreover, the AAE once supported it as a genuine innovation, expected to make the Atlas the first multi-mission tactical aircraft. This is especially important since this aircraft will be fully integrated into the second circle of the Future Air Combat System (SCAF) due to its ability to interconnect with all relevant actors.

The MIDS LVT BU2 terminal is the new communications terminal allowing the use of the new generation Link 16 L16_NG Stanag NATO 5516 (Picture source: Twitter account of the DGA)