Events

Training Day will offer its usual high level of courses aimed at a wide range of attendees, from novices to experts. Details about the course on offer can be found at idls2021.com.

Planning is underway and the IDLS2021 website is being updated with relevant information on a regularly basis. For more information please visit please visit the website. Updates on the event and calls for presentations can also be found in our monthly newsletters .

The theme of the meeting will be an overview of what has happened in the world of Tactical Datalinks during the pandemic, aiming at bringing the members up to speed with the current status and ongoing development. Information regarding the meeting have been sent to all listed members. Please contact the chairman Johan Backman Rydberg (johan.rydberg@mil.se) or Magnus Johansson (magnus.k.johansson@combitech.se) if you haven’t received an e-mail with the information or if you would like to share something during the meeting.

Fundamentally Link 16 is about to go through its biggest change since its inauguration in the 1970’s. The introduction of MIDS BU2/MIDS JTRS incorporating new capability/functionality along with more complex detailed standards, will put increased emphasis on establishing accurate comprehensive requirements for the through life management of the respective Platform implementations. Additionally, Link 11 is going through the process of being replaced by Link 22. Although Link 22 is more aligned to Link 16 from a design perspective, there is still going to be heavy reliance on establishing clear defined requirements. For many years TDL’s have been integrated and operated from a stove pipe approach, in recent times emphasis is now more on the overarching communications infrastructure with the end goal of achieving maximum interoperability.

From the outset, Leidos identified the clear requirement for a TDL management process and initiated the iSMART process and developed a supporting toolset, eSMART. Over the last 20+ years Leidos has maintained and enhanced the eSMART toolset capabilities with direct support from the user community. The iSMART process is mandated in the UK and USA and eSMART is the preferred tool of choice in 13 Nations and multiple corporations/manufacturers globally. To that end we would like to provide an overview of the eSMART toolset and the benefits to the TDL community that will provide long term savings in time, resources and budgets for the management of multiple TDLs across all environments.

This data exchange session will focus on data link forwarding and translation in a Digitally Aided Closed Air Support (DACAS) environment. While translation between VMF and Link 16 is possible for nearly all the message sets, it is important to demonstrate how specific message sets fit in DACAS doctrine. Rather than using expensive gateways to translate and forward all possible data, we will discuss how to use a gateway for specific IER support. It is also critical to consider the low data rates and limited tools available in the DACAS kill chain and how to address a complex situation in a simple manner.

Curtiss-Wright will reference its HUNTR gateway software to demonstrate the translation and forwarding capability. Key operational components of HUNTR regarding simplicity will also be demonstrated.

Curtiss-Wright will be able to answer questions related to DACAS ECP 5 and how data link gateways are designed to function within these capabilities.

Chapter Meeting: Chairman’s Address Presentations: Meta Mission Data (MMD) JDLMO Leidos AGM Agenda: Minutes of the Last AGM Matters Arising Treasurers Report Secretary’s Report Election of Officers Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary Events Secretary AOB Arrangements for Next Meeting Seating will be iaw a 1m distance policy and if attendees wish to wear a mask then they may do so. A social event is planned for the evening of 09 Sept. If anyone is willing to stand as an Officer on the Committee, then please contact Tracy Kerley (tracy.a.kerley@leidos.com) Regards, Kevin Farquhar Sec

CESMO is an interoperability method and protocol which uses IP (Internet Protocol) messaging transmitted using existing airto- air and air-to-ground/ground-to-air communications.

CESMO provides a real-time depiction of the location of hostile ground-based air surveillance and fire-control or ground controlled interception radars during air operations.

The ability to determine the exact location of hostile radars in real time, and to share that information with other platforms, is crucial.

One of the clever aspects of CESMO is that it is not needed to devise a new datalink or communications network to share this information. Any already existing link which can handle IP data can handle CESMO traffic.

The key contribution CESMO can make, particularly for the air battle, is providing real-time details of hostile emitters active in the theatre of operations.

This message is to inform you that this year’s Curtiss-Wright’s TCG Users Group (TUG) Meeting has been cancelled due to logistical and scheduling conflicts. While this is disappointing for all of us, we hope you understand that we did not make this decision lightly and remain committed to providing our clients and partners with the best tactical data link (TDL) products, services, and support.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to renewing the event in 2022.

Stay safe, and please contact us if you have any concerns or questions.

More details to follow

Hello from the Technical committee. This year we again have the opportunity to expand on what the expectations are from the international demonstration. As we start planning, we are taking one of the Data Exchange Sessions, which are open to all members, so we can hear what you would like the demonstrations to show. It will be your chance to shape this year’s demonstration and help both the Technical Committee, and the vendors, develop a really useful demonstration.

Although we cannot meet in person, we can focus on the communication pathways that are the focus of the demonstration. We are facing emerging military threats, unstable regimes and the cyber warfare tactics of non-Allied Nations.

This year the international demonstration will provide the participants to push the boundaries of what’s expected. Each vendor will be given one (or more) time slots to showcase capabilities in Link16, Link22, COT, JREAP, Cyber, VMF, and other communication means. We will begin coordination for the demonstration in May, and we look forward to your participation.

This session will open 'The Data Exchange Sessions'. The question of “Where do we start?” has surfaced. The answer is, at the beginning of course. With that in mind, this session will provide brief review and description of current TDL systems as depicted in the IDLSoc tri-fold informational pamphlet. This information will then be referenced in terms of “Where do we go from here?” Stimulate discussion on the past, present and future of TDL systems. Emphasize the need for expertise at the core level, you must know the basics in order to move forward. Discussion regarding the Application of Technology advancements; “Where are we, and where do we want to be in 1, 5, 10+ years?” This session is tailored for all levels of experience, to include new users and experienced TDL personnel.

Much like Viasat's normal in-person event, this year's VDLWG provides you with unique opportunities to connect with the community through informative and interactive presentations as well as a chance to network with fellow attendees and presenters. In these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to stay connected and up to date with other data links professionals. Registration is complimentary but required for participation. Visit the Viasat event website to save your spot https://bit.ly/2M9xXjy

The Swedish Chapter will hold its Annual General Meeting the 18th of February, 16:30h via Skype. For those who are unable to use Skype, it is possible to dial in via telephone.For further information or questions regarding joining instructions, please contact magnus.k.johansson@combitech.se. Välkommen till årsmöte: För att underlätta mötet, kommer vi att genomföra det så kortfattat som möjligt. De formella punkterna för ett årsmöte ska rullas igenom. Förslaget är att hela styrelsen och övriga förtroendevalda väljs om.

Mark Yelsits President of the US Chapter is inviting all US Members of the Society to join him for a catch up meeting on Thursday February 11th.

As you know, we have been working hard to ensure that IDLS2020 could go ahead in Herning later this year. At the July Board of Directors' meeting, we reviewed the current global situation with regards to Covid-19; the government and corporate policies and the restrictions on travel. Following this thorough review, it became clear that it would unfortunately be impossible to run the event. The Secretariat is working hard to contact everyone affected by this decision and the Technical Committee and Events Team are considering whether some form of virtual event may take place. As soon as we have more information we will share it with you. We are bitterly disappointed that we will not get to see our members and delegates in person this year. We are, however, looking forward to welcoming all of you to IDLS2021 which takes place in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada from 1 November to 4 November 2021. 21 July 2020

We are delighted to announce the plans for the IDLSoc 2020 Virtual Event. The event is free to all members of the International Data Links Society – you simply need to register. The event will run during the week that IDLS2020 was scheduled to take place; from the 26th – 30th of October 2020. This will be a virtual event made up of different elements from the live event, it will not be a complete recreation. The IDLSoc Virtual Event will include:

• Technical Presentations Panels
• 2hr long Training Overviews
• 25 minute Capability Overviews
• Annual Meeting of Members
These sessions will all be live. However, each session will be pre-recorded and made available on the virtual platform to all registered attendees for those who are unable to attend. There will be a series of demonstrations by different vendors that will take place throughout the week. These will all be based around a singular scenario, allowing participants to compare capabilities, and note where different vendors’ kit can complement another vendors’ equipment. To register please visit the event site

Training Day will offer its usual high level of courses aimed at a wide range of attendees, from novices to experts.

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The next demo planning call will take place on 26 May 2020 at 17:00hrs. If your organisation is considering joining this years demonstration and have not been invited to the call. Please contact events@idlsocweb.org for the call information.

Due to the current situation, it is with regret that we have taken the decision to cancel the AGM. Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule for later in the year.

The aim of the TDL Interoperability Summit is to inform stakeholders and the wider Defence and Defence Industry community of current and future issues concerning TDL in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The focus of the TDL Interoperability Summit is to bring Defence and Industry together to develop an understanding of the issues and activities currently affecting the TDL community.

Ladies and Gentlemen, at this years IDLS 2019 in Edinburgh from the 29th to the 31st of October the second German/DACH Chapter Meeting will take place on Thursday the 31st October. We would like to invite you to this event to talk about the German, Swiss and Austrian developments in TDL, the potential of cooperation and to contribute and shape the future structure of this meeting. On our first meeting in April 2019 this chapter has established its goals, which include to be a platform to improve the cooperation and understanding of TDL insight German, Austria and Switzerland. The Agenda for our current meeting is not set yet, but we will speak about test events in Germany, upcoming TDL projects, new technologies (like the use of AI in TDL) and new information platforms to get TDL knowledge available to you. We hope to encourage you to participate in this meeting and to see many people at the meeting and IDLS. We’re looking forward to it and wish you all the best. Kind regards Chairmen Kai Thurner and Vice Chairmen Jens Paulzen

Chaired by Mark Johnson Room at EICC - TBC Main discussion points: 1. Matters from last meeting/update. 2. Future meetings. 3. Any specific areas of interest, for presentation/discussion at future meetings.

Event Documents	Download
UK Chapter Meeting - 31 October 2019 - Agenda

IDLS2019 Theme Announced. This year’s theme focuses on the advantage gained through the employment of Tactical Data Links. Today’s operational environment benefits greatly from the compilation of multiple data feeds. These information streams provide unprecedented situation awareness and force application capabilities. The superiority gained through these TDL systems is due in large part to the Interoperability levels achieved by the systems and services you will find at this symposium. The IDLS 2019 event will showcase educational streams, a dedicated training day, guest speakers, main stream presentations from the industry’s leading experts, comprehensive demonstration vignettes, and an exhibition showcase where the latest TDL capabilities will be available for detailed description by the world’s leading TDL system providers. We hope you find the combination of these offerings will help you achieve optimal information superiority! More information is available on the IDLS2019 Website.

Anyone willing to provide a presentation or any ideas for presentations, could they please submit them to the Secretary and Events Sec by 1st Sept. As this is taking place at a Military venue, it is important that you register for the event so all vehicle details can be forwarded onto RAF High Wycombe. Therefore, please register your attendance through the Chapter page on the IDLSoc Site. Arrangements for a post meeting social are still being finalised with High Wycombe.

Event Documents	Download
UK Chapter Meeting-Agenda

The Swedish Chapter of IDLSoc will have their next meeting on September 12 in Stockholm at FLSC, Department for Defence and Security, Systems and Technology. The agenda for the evening contains briefings on FLSC simulation systems and what goes on in the near future. Meeting will start at 1700.

IDLSoc US Chapter meeting Morning session for General Committee members General session from 1200 - 1700

The Tactical Communications Forum 2019 will be held in the beautiful city of Salzburg in Austria. The TCF focus is on providing an environment for presentations and discussions only. The target audience for the TCF is Military, Government and Industry personnel and is open for all attendees to provide useful presentations.

This session is free to IDLSoc members and Australian Government employees. Registration is via the AS/NZ Chapter website under “Training”.

Germany plans to reestablish its German IDLSoc Chapter. To do so our first goal is to get as many people as possible together to discuss the future direction of the Chapter and the key roles to keep this Chapter running.

This is an annual event open to Interoperability Platform Nations, at which TDL experts can share operational, technical and scientific experiences on TDLs.

The agenda for the meeting will be published shortly

The next IDLSoc Swedish Chapter Annual meeting is taking place in FMV, Stockholm on the 7th of Feb 2019. The meeting starts at 17.00.

The annual International Data Links Symposium (IDLS) will be held in San Diego this year. This is unquestionably one of the most significant worldwide locations due to its first class resources, which are focussed on countering all military threats and developing advances in TDL technology. The International Data Links Symposium (IDLS) is a joint international community event, which spans all Data Link related capabilities and aspires to provide a programme that contains relevant, focussed and high-quality stimulus to tackle some of these transformational challenges.

IDLS2018 Theme:
Planning for Transformational Success

The Data Links community continues to work within a world that is rapidly changing, from geopolitical, economic and technological points of view.

We are facing emerging military threats, such as the ever-increasing Ballistic Missile capability of North Korea, and cyber warfare tactics of non-Allied Nations. At the same time, we are moving towards the roll out of next generation Tactical Data Link (TDL) technologies, such as Link 22 and Link 16 capable radio development and expansion. The changes that are in front of us need to be effectively managed, to ensure that we achieve a high level of collaborative interoperability, within the constraints of our individual National defence procurement budgets.

Location: ANSER, Inc.
The Conference Center at Skyline 5275 Leesburg
PikeFalls Church, VA 22041
The Department of Defence Chief Information Officer (DoD CIO) and the U.S. Chapter of the International Data Links Society will host a U.S. Link 16 Working Group meeting on 28 - 30 March 2017
The focus of the WG will be “Managing the Network in the 2022 Timeframe.” For questions and additional information, Ray Munoz (US Chapter President) at: ray.munoz@ultra-ats.com

The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition is a global business event, with total attendances over the four industry-only trade sessions of the 2015 event exceeding 33,000 .

The meeting agenda will include; a presentation from Brigadier General  Anna Eriksson, Chief of C4ISR, a presentation from HQ Gripen Strat. JAS39 Gripen E and the Swedish Chapter Annual Meeting. All members of IDLSoc Swe Chapter are welcome.