MIDS-LVT

Fact Sheet

.....In an era where real time information exchange provides a critical edge in the battlefield, the Multifunctional Information Distribution System - Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) is on track to deliver the goods.

.....MIDS, an advanced, high capacity, jam resistant, digital communication link, is used for the exchange of near real-time secure voice and data information among air, ground and sea elements engaged in tactical operations.

.....As the next generation, Link-16 compliant, command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) system, MIDS is designed to facilitate the exchange of target information between a variety of platforms through the use of surveillance, air control, and fighter-to-fighter networking capabilities. The system is compact and contained in a black box for easy flight-line maintenance.

.....MIDS-LVT is a multi-national cooperative development program to design, develop, and produce a tactical information distribution system equivalent to Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), but in a low-volume, lightweight, compact terminal designed for fighter aircraft, with potential applications in helicopters, ships, and ground sites.  U.S. Navy procurement, limited by available resources, is targeted for F/A-18 Hornet aircraft as the lead aviation platform and surface craft.  MIDS-LVT is a pre-programmed product improvement and replacement for JTIDS, providing identical capabilities at reduced size, weight, and cost.  As a P3I of the JTIDS Class 2 Terminal, the MIDS-LVT will employ the Link-16 (TADIL-J) message standard of U.S. Navy/NATO publications.  MIDS-LVT is fully interoperable with JTIDS and was designed in response to current aircraft, surface ship, submarine, and ground host volume and weight constraints.  The solution variants-MIDS-LVT(1), MIDS-LVT(2), and MIDS-LVT(3)-support U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps., and U.S. Air Force aircraft; U.S. Navy ships; U.S. Army Patriot, THAAD, MEADS and ground-based defense systems; USAF and USMC ground-based Command and Control platforms; and potentially other tactical aircraft and ground-based systems.  MIDS-LVT is an international project partnering the United States with Germany , Spain , Italy , and France.

.....The program recently completed the first part of the Technical Evaluation (TECHEVAL) test phase with flights aboard an F/A-18 during the Joint Combat Identification Evaluation Team (JCIET) exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.