Defense sector tasks Rockwell Collins to provide a cross-platform datalink capability for mobile devices
NewsMarch 15, 2017
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) selected Rockwell Collins for the Digitally Aided Close Air Support (DACAS) agreement to provide the Department of Defense (DoD) an open source aggregation framework to enable cross-platform data link communications on mobile devices for Windows and Android.
Officials say, by enabling software engineers to quickly develop and integrate modules that can communicate with close air support platforms and call for fires (artillery) platforms, this framework will increase the military’s ability to coordinate and execute air support, call for fires and greatly enhance situational awareness for troops on the ground.
Phase one of the agreement will focus on the Variable Message Format (VMF) and Cursor On Target (CoT) message formats, in addition to Link 16. Production work will be performed at Rockwell Collins’ facilities in Richardson, Texas.
DIUx increases the DoD's access to the leading-edge technologies and talent that reside in the commercial sector, with the ultimate goal of accelerating innovation into the hands of men and women in uniform.
This new solution will be utilized by all U.S. Government agencies resulting in a decrease of development costs across the DoD enterprise, officials add. This capability will allow various agencies within the DoD to increase and maintain their VMF and CoT messaging capability.
“By using a commercial open source model, the entire DoD will gain synergies in quality, customizability and elimination of ‘from scratch’ development -- thus reducing costs and increasing interoperability,” says Brad Haselhorst, vice president of Business Development, Government Systems for Rockwell Collins.
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