In this presentation by Mr Nick Gibbs, Rockwell Collins to the Williams Foundation seminar on air-land integration, the focus was upon the intersection between the role of the JTAC and evolving technologies. The seminar focused on the way ahead with regard to air-land integration. Air Force needs to be capable of delivering air and space power effects to support conventional and special operations in the land domain. Air Force’s Plan Jericho and Army’s Plan Beersheba need to align if there is to be a coordinated approach to integrating air base operations, air mobility, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and rotary wing aviation. To date, little attention has been paid to the integration of technology across service lines, the development of integrated tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and a coherent joint collective training program. Air Force and Army need to remediate existing deficiencies and implement a capability management process that leaves it postured to take advantage of the transformative nature of fifth generation technology. The seminar explored the art of the possible in future Air-Land operations.

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Rockwell Collins Proprietary Information

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What is Changing?
• Precision guided munitions
are here to stay
• Drive towards nil fratricide
• Accuracy in the targeting
process
• Greater access to real-time
information

3. © 2016 Rockwell Collins
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What a JTAC Needs To Do Their Job
• Equipment
– Targeting
– Communications
– Navigation
– Self protection
• Access to real time situational
awareness
– Ground picture
– Air picture

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• Ability to get situational awareness
information from BMS is planned
• Ability to get situational awareness
information from air picture is
planned
How Does the JTAC Get Situational Awareness?
• Australian JTACs use the Digital
Terminal Control System (DTCS)
– Digital Close Air Support and Digital
Call for Fire
– Gets SA from both analog and digital
sources such as AFATDS
But…

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The “Secret Sauce”
• The trick to providing JTACs with
operational Situational Awareness
is the fusion of multiple data
sources
– Air picture via Link-16
– Ground picture via VMF
• BMS and TMS
– Video picture via Video Downlink
Receiver
• Multiple sources with multiple
formats, much of it proprietary

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What the Solution Needs To Do
• Bring disparate information
from numerous sources
together for sharing with
the JTAC
• Collocate with many of the
data sources, e.g. BMS and
TMS
• Receive Link-16 air picture

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The Solution
• The Gateway is the current method of
fusing multiple data sources into a
common standard
“Gateway: a solution that provides
seamless interoperability between two
or more different datalinks. It provides
translation and forwarding to these
networks taking into account the different
speeds of the networks”
• Small, light weight, portable and cost
effective gateways across the battlefield
• Provides the mechanism to collect and
share key information with JTAC as well
as a wider audience

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Networked Tactical Gateway
 Connectivity to Link-16 network
(for air picture)
 Connectivity to V/UHF and EPLRS
network (for ground picture via
BMS/TMS and AFATDS)
 Connectivity to JARN for air support
requests
 Connectivity to SATCOM and HF
network (for BLOS sharing)