Defence Equipment and Support is preparing to compete a contract worth an estimated £4 million for the provision and support of a mobile test facility used to fit and assure tactical data links on maritime and air platforms, according to a pipeline notice published on the Find a Tender service.
The notice, identifier 2026/S 000-074147 and carrying the reference SACC/00123, appeared on 5 August 2026. Estimated total value is put at £4 million excluding VAT, rising to £4.8 million with VAT included. Contract dates are estimated to run from 1 May 2027 to 30 April 2032, with a possible extension to 30 April 2035, giving a maximum term of eight years. A tender notice is expected on or around 26 October 2026.
The project covers the purchase and outfit of a vehicle to be converted into a mobile test facility. According to the notice, the vehicle is to be fitted with three modern workstations along with Link 22 HF and UHF, satellite and Link 16 capabilities, and will employ Battlefield Operations Support System software as a test tool supporting test and assurance activity. The facility is required to be capable of concurrent testing and of operating throughout the United Kingdom.
Test and assurance is described in the notice as a mandatory requirement set by the Royal Navy Command Acquisition Support Programme, and the department states it is essential to maintaining assurance across all tactical data link fitted platforms in the UK.
Tactical data links allow warships, aircraft and ground stations to exchange track and command information in near real time. Link 16, the NATO standard carried by fast jets, maritime patrol aircraft, air defence destroyers and airborne early warning platforms, operates in the L-band and forms the backbone of allied air picture sharing. Link 22 was developed by a multinational programme to replace the older Link 11 in the HF and UHF bands, offering improved throughput and network management for beyond line of sight maritime communications, and has been progressively introduced across NATO navies.
Wow, that’s a lot of money just for sending out a guy with a Nokia 3310.
The ultimate end of the world phone.
Biggest problem with data-links is the way the signal is transmitted. For example the majority of Link-16/22 systems use an omni-directional antenna. Which means that when they transmit, they do it in all directions. Thus not making them very clandestine or hard to detect. A lot of these issues can be solved using active antenna arrays to electronically form the beam as its transmitted. Where the beam can be made much narrower, but also give the beam point-ability. Thus making it much harder for someone to detect and intercept. The prime example for this is the F35, where it uses electronic beaming forming antenna arrays, to transmit its multi-function advanced data-link (MADL). The downside is not everything is equipped to receive MADL, which means the F35 has to fall back on using Link-16 and transmit from an omni-directional antenna. Which means someone could fairly easily triangulate the F35’s position from its Link-16 data-link transmissions. In theory you’d think the F35 could transmit Link-16 via its MADL antenna arrays. But Link-16 uses the lower L-band (960–1215MHz), whilst MADL uses the much higher Ku-band (12 to 18GHz). Meaning the antenna length requirements are very different and I guess space on the F35 is a premium. Making it very difficult to incorporate an antenna array built around matching the antenna length to the 31.23cm to 24.67 cm L-band wavelength.
This also drifts in to the beyond visual range air to air missile (BVRAAM) area. Where the data-link between the missile and platform is becoming an issue. As the data-link transmission over a specific frequency, can alert the target that a missile is on the way. Perhaps enabling the target to deploy countermeasures and evade the incoming missile. This is another benefit where using active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, will have a significant advantage over legacy radars using mechanically scanned planar antenna arrays or ones still using separate data-link antennas. As the AESA will transmit two beams, one to illuminate the target and one to communicate with the missile. But as the beams are much narrower and aimed in specific direction, the target will only be aware of being illuminated if its got the right detection kit, it “shouldn’t” be able to detect the data-link transmission. However, this is only valid if the missile is also using a directional antenna and not an omni-directional one.