CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, 9 Aug. 2007. Data Link Solutions won a $28 million contract for secure digital data and voice communications equipment from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), San Diego.
The Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVT) provide secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant digital data and voice communications capability for aircraft, ships, and ground applications. This order is for LVT airborne terminals to be used on U.S. platforms and by the governments of Belgium, Japan, and Poland via Foreign Military Sales.
MIDS-LVT was developed by a multinational consortium to provide Link 16 capability at a lower weight, volume, and cost. Link 16 provides real-time data communications, situational awareness and navigation, and in some cases digital voice, all in a jam-resistant, crypto-secured package.
This award is part of a long-term program designed to meet the requirements of U.S. and allied forces for communications among airborne, shipboard, and ground forces. The terminals will be installed on the U.S. Navy F/A-18 and EA-6B, U.S. Air Force F-16, B-1, B-2 and B-52, on shipboard and foreign platforms.
Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed by May 2009. The MIDS program is managed by the U.S. Navy MIDS Program Office in San Diego.