translations must be automated, supported across multiple TDL types, and provided in context. That means the TDL gateway must fuse information from all data links with previously received information and then send the appropriate information, in context, to the other TDLs. Finally, TDL gateways must be provided in a form factor that is suitable for any location on the tactical edge of the battlefield. For example, a warfighter in the field should be able to run the software on a standard laptop or remotely operate it without a user interface on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can be put in an advantageous position in line-of-sight of the participants for an extended period. Example of a TDL Gateway While the CESMO standard is written by NATO member countries and government agencies, Curtiss-Wright has been invited as an expert contributor to the standard and is heavily involved in testing hypotheses and different aspects of the protocol to ensure they function as defined. Curtiss-Wright’s TCG HUNTR is an intelligent translation gateway for multiple TDLs, including CESMO, Link 16, VMF, CoT, GPS, Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL), and Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP). TCG HUNTR is extremely fast and easy to set up and use at the tactical edge of the battlefield and other military environments with minimal personnel and training, and almost no expertise. This simplicity allows warfighters to reliably communicate and access data in a natural and intuitive way across CESMO, Link 16, and other networks with no need for expert knowledge of the technologies or complexity behind the scenes. It provides every participant with instant access to critical information, at their fingertips, that helps to increase survivability. the gateway, someone has to manually share the critical CESMO information with these warfighters, delaying the data, creating unnecessary distractions, and introducing the risk of errors on each end of the communications. Today, Curtiss-Wright’s TCG HUNTR TDL Hub and Network Translator is the only fielded and operationally-tested CESMO data link gateway available on the market. The process of translating information to and from Link 16 networks and CESMO networks is a complex task. Other gateways implement only certain aspects of the Link 16 and CESMO standards. However, these partial implementations severely limit interoperability. For a cohesive COP, the gateway must provide full, bidirectional interoperability with Link 16 and CESMO networks and devices. Unfortunately, most legacy TDL gateways are a challenge to connect, configure, and use, with some requiring at least half a day to connect and configure, and also require expert assistance from the gateway vendor to set up. To meet warfighters’ needs on the battlefield, TDL gateways must be designed much like an appliance would be, hiding the complexity of TDLs and data translation behind the scenes. The gateway should provide push-button startup so the system is operational within a few seconds and automatically connects to all TDL types. Radios must be automatically configured with no expert input. Even error messages must be easy to understand. This ease of use must carry through all aspects of TDL gateway operation to ensure warfighters can focus on mission tasks rather than the enabling technologies. Also extremely important is the way data translations are presented to warfighters. Warfighters don’t care that communications equipment is sending a CESMO message to a device that communicates using Link 16. They care that the information exchange is successful, fast, and gives them the information they need in an easy-to-understand format. To provide trustworthy translated information that’s easy for warfighters to understand, TDL gateways must translate the concepts being communicated rather than the individual TDL messages. These conceptual Bridging CESMO and Link 16 networks. The TCG HUNTR is an intelligent translation gateway for multiple datalinks. f C4ISR Forum MT 2/2022 · 49
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