The U.S. Navy has awarded a $3.2 million production contract to Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, for new Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) cabinet terminals. The MIDS On-Ship Modernization System (MOS MOD) receives and transmits text and imagery to and from military air, ground, and maritime forces to generate mission scenarios in real-time . It is interoperable with all Link 16 systems, allowing secure data exchange between U.S. and NATO allied nations while enhancing capability with an interchangeable receiver and transmitter and high power amplifier transmission, dual-antenna reception and dual-channel ‘J-voice.’
MOS MOD is field interchangeable between MIDS Low Volume Terminal 4 and MIDS Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), and enables frequency remapping, crypto modernization, enhanced throughput, Concurrent Multi-Netting (CMN) or Concurrent Contention Receive (CCR), as well as three additional waveforms. It is the only shipboard system that provides 1,000-watt output power capability with the MIDS JTRS receiver and transmitter.
These cabinets represent the first full-rate production award as the product migrates from qualification and low rate initial production into fleet fielding. Production will take place at BAE Systems in Wayne, New Jersey and Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Delivery is scheduled to begin in September 2020.
DLS was established in 1996 by two of the world leaders in military communications, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems, to pursue next-generation Link 16 and advanced data link applications. DLS is a leading supplier of Link 16 terminals and software, as well as logistics and support services for air, land, and sea-based platforms. The company has a heritage of more than 30 years of Link 16 design and production experience, with more than 10,000 Link 16 systems delivered worldwide to more than 45 nations.
