Data Link Solutions, Viasat in Race for UAE Link 16 Terminals Contract

When the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced September 22 that the UAE government had requested a foreign military sales of of 107 MIDS/LVT LINK 16 Terminals for its F-16 aircraft worth $401 million, it did not name the contractor, stating instead that the contractor would be selected during the negotiation process. This puts all the leading manufacturers of MIDS/LVT LINK 16 Terminals in the race to bag the deal. The Multifunctional Information Distribution System Low Volume Terminal (MIDS/LVT) terminal provides at-a-glance portrayal of targets, threats, and friendly forces on an easy-to-understand relative position display. The system increases combat effectiveness while reducing the threat of friendly fire. The system fosters interoperability with the U.S. Air Force and that of NATO. U.S. company Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins, had received an early order from the U.S. Air Force for several hunred MIDS/LVT terminals a few years ago making it the most successful developer of this system which has become a NATO standard for airborne data communication as well as integration with land and sea assets. In fact, just last week Data Link Solutions (DLS) has been awarded a $24 million contract from the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command to provide Link 16 terminals to U.S., Japan and Australia. “DLS has delivered thousands of MIDS terminals over the past 12 years and we’re proud to be able to play a role in providing the U.S., NATO, and our allies with the family of MIDS products.” said DLS Director Michael Beltrani. “DLS is the only qualified supplier of all MIDS and Joint Tactical Information Distribution System configurations. We are committed to providing the warfighter assured, protected access to the time-critical situational awareness required to efficiently complete their missions anywhere in the world”, a DLS press release said. Viasat too is considered a an important player in the Link 16 Terminals manufacture which have now become a standard fitment in most NATO military aircraft, ships and land platforms. Together with Harris and European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), ViaSat is delivering a family of combat-proven, fully qualified, and EMC-Certified Link 16 MIDS terminals to U.S. Forces and Coalition partners under contracts to the Navy MIDS International Program Office (IPO) and other commercial customers, according to a Viasat release.