Critical Mission Information at the Crew's Fingertips - Esterline

Critical Mission Information 

at the Crew’s Fingertips 

ANDRÉ CLÉROUX, TACVIEW ® PRODUCT MANAGER 

DR. RAY MURPHY, SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEER 

ABSTRACT 

Electronic Flight Bags (EFB), also called Tactical Flight 

Bags or Electronic Kneeboards, are being deployed to 

military and search and rescue (SAR) aircraft as a means 

to provide flight deck crew with critical information. 

Military, police and SAR aircraft flight deck crew, like civilian 

transport pilots, need access to numerous documents, 

such as charts, plates and checklists, to safely perform 

their flight duties from take-off to landing. Non-civilian 

aircrew use their EFB in the same way as their civilian 

counterparts, to enable paperless cockpit operations, by 

accessing electronic documents and performing calculations 

using automated tools. 

However, missions flown by military and SAR pilots are 

conducted in a very dynamic environment, with objectives 

that may change at a moment’s notice. In this context, the 

role of the EFBs are brought to another level. 

This white paper will demonstrate how EFBs can be 

installed in legacy and forward fit cockpits without significant 

impact to the operational flight program, effectively 

providing a low-cost cockpit upgrade. It will then show 

how EFBs provide pilots with improved situational awareness 

and support their mission planning and execution. 

Finally, there is a briefing about a demonstration project 

in which EFBs were integrated with tactical data links to 

provide real-time mission information to the participating 

crews. 

Bagram Valley, Afghanistan 

Copyright ©—Esterline CMC Electronics Inc. (2012) 

1

Critical Mission Information at the Crew’s Fingertips 

INTRODUCTION 

It’s 0400 hours and the order to commence a combat 

search and rescue (CSAR) operation has been relayed to 

your base. A short while earlier, an F-16 Falcon aircraft 

crashed after reportedly losing power, and it has not been 

heard from since. It went missing in a mountainous region 

approximately 40 km North of Kandahar Air Base (KDH). 

The CSAR mission is quickly dispatched from KDH. 

It includes armed and heavy lift helicopters, two C-130 

Hercules tactical transport and one tanker. The mission is 

receiving additional support from a USAF E-3 AWACS aircraft 

that has been orbiting in support of other operations 

another 200 km to the east of the probable crash site. 

It is a cold winter morning. At the crack of dawn, the 

mission is airborne before any additional information about 

the missing aircraft has become available. The crews 

must quickly reach their objective while avoiding hostile 

installations along the way. 

How can the downed crew be extracted quickly and 

without putting the rescue team at risk 

From military operations in Afghanistan and Libya to disaster 

relief efforts in Thailand and Haiti, air forces around 

the world, required to operate together, are faced with the 

short-term requirement for real-time situational awareness 

and improved intra-theatre communications. This is where 

TacView has been playing a role that goes beyond what 

Electronic Flight Bags are usually used for. In the second 

part of this white paper, we will discuss how an EFB 

can improve mission effectiveness by providing real-time, 

mission critical information to the pilots. But first, we will 

address how EFBs can be installed with negligible impact 

to aircraft systems and minimal investment. 

CMC ELECTRONIC’S 

TACVIEW: 

THE MISSION ENABLER 

The TacView Portable Mission Display 

is an Intel ® based, Microsoft ® Windows 

operating system compatible display designed 

for airborne operation. Its powerful 

processing capabilities, high resolution 

sunlight readable and NVIS compatible 

display enable it to support mission 

execution with a flexibility brought by 

no other airborne mission computer. 

A separate aircraft power/data interface 

unit, called the Expansion Module Unit, 

provides conditioned aircraft power to the 

PMD, as well as functional connectivity to 

other airborne systems through dedicated 

aircraft data and signal interfaces. A custom 

cable allows for high bandwidth connectivity 

between the 2 LRUs and offers a 

hot-pluggable latching mount to allow PMD 

docking and undocking while active. This 

mating system is designed to interface with 

a large selection of off-the-shelf mounting 

hardware, allowing for installation across 

a wide range of aircraft configurations. 

Portable Mission Display 


2


EFB SELECTION AND INSTALLATION 

EFBs have been around for more than 15 years. They 

were first introduced in the cockpit as laptops running 

word processing and spreadsheet applications, but were 

closely followed by dedicated devices. Northstar, a division 

of CMC Electronics, was one of the first companies 

to launch a dedicated EFB device, the CT-1000, in the 

second half of the 90’s. This was targeted to business 

jet owners and operators as well as the general aviation 

market. 

HOW DO EFBs HELP THE MILITARY 

PILOT 

Paperless cockpit 

Reducing reliance on paper is the genesis of the EFB 

system, and differs mainly by the type of operational 

documents required in military-type operations. Thus, the 

EFB system must be able to store and display checklists, 

approach plates, charts, flight and maintenance manuals, 

special operating procedures, foreign clearance guides, 

etc. Weight and Balance (W&B) and Take-Off and Landing 

(TOLD) calculations are applications that are gaining 

ground. These tools will improve mission effectiveness by 

allowing quicker, yet safer departures. 

At first glance, this requirement can be met by any electronic 

device available on the market today. However, the 

device must be installed in a designated cockpit location, 

to be used especially during strong accelerations, such as 

those in take-off, landing and turbulence. Furthermore, in 

many cases, the EFB must be Night Vision Imaging System 

(NVIS) compatible, and it has to permit gloved hand 

operations which can be problematic with some types of 

touchsreens. 

Mission planning 

Military pilots must spend the majority of their efforts determining 

the best way to effectively employ their aircraft 

while decreasing their threat vulnerability. 

In most EFB retrofit installations, the EFB device provides 

a digital map application with terrain elevation information 

showing the pre-planned flight path. The digital 

map application must be compatible with the mission 

planning system in use by the air force, in order for both 

systems to exchange data files containing the flight plan 

and other information related to friendly or enemy topics. 

Mission planning systems, such as the USAF Portable 

Flight Planning System (PFPS), are designed for a desktop 

PC environment running Microsoft Windows ® . The digital 

map derived from PFPS is called FalconView , and also 

operates on Windows. When FalconView is fed in real 

time with aircraft position, altitude and heading (normally 

provided by a GPS receiver), it will display an oriented 

aircraft icon as an overlay at the proper geo-referenced 

location on the map. 

Military tactical operations are extremely demanding on 

the crew, as they perform their tasks in a high workload 

environment. Being able to quickly assess one’s current 

location with respect to the planned route improves mission 

effectiveness and survivability. While a Windowsbased 

application should not be used for actual navigation, 

the EFB digital map application provides a distinct 

real benefit in terms of situational awareness. 

Real Time Information in the Cockpit 

Knowledge of the surroundings is critical to decision-making 

in complex, dynamic environments. Situational awareness 

means being aware of what is happening around 

us, so we can shape our actions to meet our goals and 

objectives, both immediately and in the near future. 


3


When connected to a tactical network via the aircraft 

radio or satellite communication system, the EFB suddenly 

becomes a mission computer that can provide real-time 

information on friendly assets, threats and other types of 

intelligence. This information can be placed in a graphic 

layer over the digital map application, adding to the benefits 

of the EFB system. 

The availability of a tactical data link makes text messaging 

available, allows crews to freely obtain more information 

on assets or threats in their vicinity, and simplifies 

command and control tasks. The use of a standardized 

tactical data link, such as Link 16, also enables multinational 

cooperation. 

To achieve real-time information in the cockpit, the EFB 

system should efficiently interface with the aircraft avionics 

buses to obtain a number of parameters that are 

required to support the moving map application, as well 

as support the outbound transmission of information that 

must be sent to others via the airborne network. It also 

requires the EFB to interface to the communication equipment 

available on-board the aircraft. Because the tactical 

data links are classified, the EFB hardware must meet the 

Information Assurance requirements and provide a means 

for declassification. 

KEYS TO FIT THE MISSION 

EFBs can be installed in legacy and forward fit cockpits. 

To meet their promise of providing a low cost cockpit upgrade, 

operators need to consider the following key selection 

requirements. 

Hardware Characteristics 

• Size — While large screen displays are desirable, cockpit 

real-estate is extremely limited, and the EFB display 

size should be as compact as possible. Limited real 

estate is not just applicable to display space, it applies 

to all other EFB system components such as the aircraft 

interface units. Small size generally translates into smaller 

weight, which facilitates installation. 

• Portability — From a hardware perspective, portable 

EFBs have a leg up over permanent installations. Portable 

EFBs can be issued to every pilot, allowing them to develop 

a high level of familiarity with their tools, stored documents 

and the way to access them. Crews can plan their 

mission immediately as they exit the briefing room, and 

update it on the flight line as more information on the mission 

is made available to them. For example, a portable 

EFB can be used for mission planning even if the crew, for 

unforeseen reasons, is diverted to another base. 

The TacView Portable Mission Display (PMD) is being 

deployed with this capability as part of the US Air National 

Guard C-130H Real Time Information in the Cockpit program, 

the USAF C-130J and C-17 Mobility Air Force Dynamic 

Re-tasking Capability (MAF DRC) program, and on 

the US Coast Guard MH-65 used in air interdiction roles. 

• Mount — In a cockpit retrofit application, the biggest 

challenge is to identify a mount location that will allow 

the use of the EFB without hindering visibility to standby 

instruments, the primary flight display and navigation/multifunction 

displays. The mount location should be as close 

as possible to the primary field of view. Furthermore, the 

EFB installation must not obstruct egress paths, such as 

window escape, and it must not impede access and handling 

of key controls. For the operator, higher savings will 

accrue if one EFB system can be used across a wide fleet 


4


of diverse aircraft, due to the reduction in training and support 

costs, which requires the selection of an EFB system 

with a variety of mounting options. 

For example, mount solutions allow the TacView Portable 

Mission Display to be installed on side panels, front 

panels, yokes, and standard Dzus mounting rails. Where 

aircraft mounting is impossible, such as on the US Coast 

Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a kneeboard solution is 

available. 

• Data Interfaces — The objective of a low-cost EFB network 

integration is to get as much data as possible from 

the existing aircraft avionics and sensors, without impacting 

the operational flight program. The software contained 

in the navigation, flight or weapons management systems 

should be essentially untouched. From a hardware perspective, 

this means that the EFB should provide a wide 

array of interfaces to receive data from the avionics busses, 

electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and other key 

aircraft sub-systems without disrupting the bus integrity 

even in case of EFB failure. It should also be capable of 

interfacing with the on-board radios or communication 

terminals and Ethernet networks. The aircraft interface 

unit should also provide space for growth as user needs 

typically grow in the years following the initial fielding of the 

equipment. 

• User Interface — As an information management 

device, one cannot overlook the EFB user interfaces. The 

availability of backlit line select keys around the display 

allows the pilots to select menu options in all flight conditions, 

including high dynamic manoeuvres and turbulence. 

In the same manner, a distinct and backlit keyboard with 

tactile feedback will provide pilots with a trustworthy interface 

and can be used with gloved hands to speed up data 

entry and text messaging. A touchscreen interface will 

also provide flexibility when interacting with applications in 

non-critical flight conditions. 

Display readability under all lighting conditions is essential. 

Sunlight readability must be measured by contrast ratio 

measured under full sunlight conditions. An integrated 

NVIS compatible display will provide a seamless integration 

with other cockpit equipment. It is true that NVIS film 

overlays do exist to convert PEDs into night vision goggle 

compatible devices, but these require handling, can be 

lost, and normal wear will degrade display readability over 

time. 

Other considerations 

• Obsolescence — Personal Electronic Devices rapidly 

evolve, and usually within a year’s time the previous model 

has become obsolete and is no longer being sold. This 

presents a very difficult problem to the aviation community 

working to keep systems standardized across the fleet 

and properly configured with mission software. The selection 

of an aviation grade product such as TacView greatly 

mitigates this obsolescence issue, as it has a designed life 

of 10 years or more. With supported repair capability and 

the ability to upgrade the product at a very cost-effective 

price, such a system provides a solid solution to ensure 

a standardized system for an entire Air Force fleet while 

reducing total lifecycle costs. 

• Standardized, open architecture — The use of a Microsoft 

Windows operating system allows user customization, 

while products that are widely adopted by operators 

and military forces provide the assurance that applications 

will be developed to enhance users’ operations. 


5


FOR THE MILITARY PILOT, A DIFFERENT 

REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT 

power and installed in a mounting device for use during 

normal aircraft operation (from take-off to landing). Class 

2 EFBs can interface with other aircraft sub-systems, allowing 

them to run applications requiring inputs such as 

real-time aircraft position, video camera feeds or network 

connections to a satellite communication system. Their 

associated applications are designated Type B. However, 

according to the FAA, a Class 2 EFB cannot display the 

aircraft’s own ship position, except on an airport moving 

map . 

Because early EFB adopters operated aircraft in controlled 

airspace, civil aviation authorities issued regulations to 

provide guidance on the certification, airworthiness and 

operational approval of EFB systems. The vocabulary 

developed under these regulations is widely used today, 

and in some cases poses challenges to those not required 

to abide by civil aviation airworthiness standards. 

Under these regulations, such as the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 120-76A, EFB 

hardware is defined in three “Classes”, with capabilities to 

operate one to three “Types” of application: 

• Class 1 devices are known as “Personal Electronic 

Devices” (PED), and can be anything from a laptop to a 

tablet, a personal digital assistant or smart phone. PEDs 

are usually mass-produced devices that are not permanently 

mounted and not connected to the aircraft. These 

devices are allowed to operate Type A applications, which 

are static in nature. An example would be an application 

for displaying documents. Class 1 devices must be 

stowed during take-off and landing. 

• Class 2 devices can be PED or electronic equipment 

specifically designed for airborne use. These devices are 

portable, and they will normally be connected to aircraft 

• Class 3 devices are permanently installed equipment 

that must be maintained under strict avionics hardware 

and software design control. In general, but not always, 

these devices are designed with an operating system and 

a suite of applications capable of meeting higher design 

assurance levels than commercial-off-the-shelf systems, 

and may be integrated with other airborne equipment and 

the aircraft operational flight program. Such a Class 3 

EFB can be used, for example, as a Multi-Function Display, 

and it can present information that can be used by 

the aircrew for navigation. Specifically, it can display the 

aircraft’s own ship position on a chart. 

In the context of military, paramilitary and search and 

rescue operations, an EFB is not limited to “Flight Bag” 

enhancement functionalities. Viewed in a broad context, 

an EFB is a computing device (hardware), designed to execute 

one or many computer programs (software), in order 

to provide benefits to the pilot. Said differently, an EFB is 

a Mission Computer (MC) with a display, and this is exactly 

why the TacView is called a “Portable Mission Display”. 

With the aim of ensuring air safety, the hardware installation 

requirements should be similar to those of comparable 

hardware devices installed on the aircraft. Thus, 

the EFB must meet the environmental requirements it 

is meant to operate in, must not interfere with other onboard 

equipment, and its installation must not impact 


6


aircraft integrity and crew safety. This explains the very 

low cost of Class 1 equipment when compared with the 

extremely high cost of Class 3 equipment procurement 

and integration. 

Civil aviation certification rules regarding software approvals 

are not adapted to military and paramilitary operations. 

Military pilots operate in difficult mission environments 

where the presence of threats, obstacles and a 

quickly-evolving tactical situation increase their workload 

and act to reduce their mission effectiveness. Mission 

planning and tactical data link software applications facilitate 

critical information processing by pilots, so that they 

can achieve mission success and reduce their exposure 

to very real threats. The military needs to recognize the 

value of using these applications that have been thoroughly 

tested, but are not developed to design assurance 

levels typical for aviation systems. The US Air Force 

(USAF) did so, and allowed the use of digital maps with 

the own ship information as a situational awareness aid. 

Taking exception to civil aviation certification requirements 

is possible because air forces perform their own aircraft 

and system airworthiness approval. 

From the standpoint of the EFB equipment classes 

listed above, the TacView falls into its own special category. 

From a cost and heritage point of view, it is a Class 

2 device, but based on its special hardware-level design 

upgrades, ruggedizing and qualification, it is closer to a 

Class 3 device. At CMC, we therefore like to consider the 

TacView as a very affordable “Class 2.5” EFB especially 

suited for military and para-military aviation. 

SUCCESSFUL 

NETWORKING WITH 

L-3 C2S2’S JET 

Network-centric operation seeks to translate 

an information advantage into a competitive 

advantage through the robust networking 

of geographically dispersed forces. During 

CWID and CWIX 2011, L-3 Communications 

Command and Control Systems & Software 

(C2S2) Division JET was the cornerstone application 

to enable such capability. L-3 Services’ 

JET – or JRE Enabled TacView - combines 

two powerful applications together. 

At the core is L-3’s Joint Range Extension 

(JRE), a multi-protocol router and gateway 

application designed to support short and 

long-haul communications data exchange 

and to serve as a communications relay 

platform connecting different radios and 

communication protocols. It can interface 

with, and control Multifunctional Information 

Distribution System (MIDS) and Joint 

Tactical Information Distribution System 

(JTIDS), SADL (Situational Awareness Data 

Link) HF radios and satellite radios. JRE is 

capable of bridging Link 16, SADL, Variable 

Message Format (VMF) and other tactical 

network architectures. With the ability to 

support J-series Command and Control 

(C2) messages, free text messaging, image 

and video transfers, JRE facilitates digital 

taking operations and robust information 

exchange between participating C2 nodes, 

airborne, maritime and land based platforms. 

A powerful edge-to-edge moving map 

application complements JRE. Designed 

for pilots, it makes use of the TacView PMD 

line select keys to provide quick access 

to mission assignments, text messaging 

or imagery. The real-time tactical information 

(friend, foe and unidentified assets), 

along with threat rings, rendezvous pairing 

lines, range and bearing, can be displayed 

as overlays, to provide accurate real-time 

situational awareness to the aircraft crew. 


7


ENHANCING THE VALUE OF THE 

TACVIEW IN THE COCKPIT 

For the military crews engaged in the CSAR mission north 

of Kandahar, TacView can have a value much greater than 

that of a conventional EFB. Equipped with the right software 

and interfaces to radios and data links, TacView can 

also function as a network-connected terminal, displaying 

whatever tactical information is available and filtered 

through the application. It provides an entire new dimension 

of capability to the mission team because each pilot 

is now equipped with a data terminal transmitting, receiving 

and displaying important mission information in real 

time. Every member of the team experiences a valuable 

enhancement to their effectiveness in: 

• Workload reduction 

• Improved situational awareness 

• Improved mission effectiveness 

In the summer of 2011, CMC supplied “JETs” (JRE Enabled 

TacView, where TacView PMDs are integrated with 

L-3 Communication’s Joint Range Extension gateway software 

and digital map), ancillary equipment and technical 

support for a project in the Coalition Warrior Interoperability 

Demonstration (CWID). This is an annual US Department 

of Defense (DoD) Joint Chiefs of Staff led exercise 

that seeks to identify technical solutions that fill identified 

capability gaps in US, Canadian, NATO, and allied armed 

forces. The goal of CMC’s CWID project was to demonstrate 

the usefulness of the JET in “fog of war” conditions. 

Over the 9 days of the CWID demonstrations, Canadian 

Air Force pilots flew simulated CSAR operations from KDH 

both with and without the Link 16 functionality enabled on 

their TacView PMDs. Each crew flew their own sorties using 

an independent flight simulator. In fact, they were 

actually based at different sites internationally. The CWID 

JET demonstration crews performed their coordinated 

mission from Ottawa (Shirley’s Bay Canadian Forces 

Warfare Centre), Quebec City (Defence Research and 

Development Canada - Valcartier), Boston, Massachusetts 

(Hanscom Air Force Base C4ISR Enterprise Integration 

Facility), and Bydgoszcz, Poland (NATO Joint Force Training 

Center). The mission commander for the exercise was 

based at Hanscom AFB. 

The trial missions in the CWID project were constructed 

with varying degrees of Link 16 information communicated 

between the aircraft and the mission commander. 

At one extreme, all communications and transmission of 

data (such as present position, heading and altitude of the 

search aircraft) were limited to voice transmissions. At the 

other extreme, all positional data and most mission-related 

communications were transmitted graphically or as text 

messages. When Link 16 was enabled for every participant, 

everyone could immediately see the entire evolving 

mission picture, displayed in overlays on their TacView 

moving map. 


8


WORKLOAD REDUCTION 

JET (JRE Enabled TacView®) 

courtesy of L-3 Services Inc. 

The participants in the demonstration clearly indicated 

that the JET reduced their workload during the simulated 

CSAR missions. In response to a question on the effectiveness 

of the JET, one of the pilots had this to say: 

“The JET provides a quick way to see potential hazards on 

the flight route. [It] provides a sense of confidence when 

flying in hostile territory by maintaining an up-to-date picture 

of a volatile situation. [The] JET absolutely reduces 

the workload and provides crucial up-to-date information. 

It drastically reduces the amount of radio transmission required 

to acquire the same information.” 

Similarly, another pilot reported, 

“When [the Link 16] information was removed for a short 

period, the workload increased dramatically.” 

The pilots were asked if the JET simplified flight route 

planning and navigation compared with using paper 

charts. Their simple answer was “Always”: 

“Paper charts are big and cumbersome and do not dynamically 

display the ‘own ship’ position. TacView provides this 

information and as such decreases the workload of in-flight 

flight planning.”“Paper charts are useful during the planning 

phase in the office. When airborne, the JET quickly became 

‘the’ source of information.” 

“With JET operational, no voice communications other 

than that between the flying and nonflying pilot needed to 

occur.” 

and 

“[The JET] creates a quick reference of the mission and 

messages. The bezel keys provide a quick way to reply to 

a mission order.” 

Asked if compared to receiving voice instructions, did 

the JET reduce the workload to receive, acknowledge, 

remember, and execute orders and instructions, the response 

was a clear “Yes”: 


9


IMPROVED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS 

It goes without saying that situational awareness is the 

area that Link 16 connectivity makes the greatest contribution 

to operational improvement in executing CSAR 

missions. The CWID demonstrations were indeed constructed 

around this premise, with the various simulated 

aircraft present position data, threat targets and other 

points of interest being transmitted “manually” by voice 

radio on the one hand (and having to be copied manually 

in each cockpit and “read back” over the voice channel for 

confirmation), and alternatively, transmitted automatically 

by Link 16 and immediately displayed (in graphical overlays) 

to the entire mission team. 

“Always. We tried [both] high level and low level transits, 

avoiding all mountains and hostile targets.” 

“Did the JET present the data in ways that allowed you 

to appreciate the current “big picture” tactical situation as 

it involved not only your own aircraft, but also allied, hostile, 

and unknown assets, as well as the location and route 

to the mission target” 

“[The JET was] very effective. It provided a great picture of 

the situation. We were able to identify the OSC [On-Scene 

Commander] at high altitude and the helicopter extracting 

the downed pilot. Adding “range rings” around hostile areas 

provided [an added degree of] safety to the operation.” 

Here’s what the pilots had to say in response to questions 

about the enhanced situational awareness afforded 

by the JET: 

“Did the moving map increase situational awareness 

compared to a paper map” 

“Yes. We could easily visualize the upcoming terrain on 

our track and plan accordingly. A decision [would then] be 

made to fly low level or stay high level.” 

“Did the JET graphically present the other aircraft positions, 

along with other assets of interest, on a readable 

and intuitive display” 

“Yes. [The JET] displays positions and other information 

about those aircraft. Different graphical options are available. 

We selected the NTDS [Naval Tactical Data Systems] 

graphics. It was easy to identify hostile, neutral and friendly 

contacts.” 

“Did the JET display the tactical information well enough 

to allow you to navigate and fly in a route that allowed the 

aircraft to safely fly to a CSAR target” 

“Are the capabilities of the JET an improvement over the 

current situational awareness capabilities” 

“Better. It is definitely an improvement. Presently, the SA 

is accurate until we go airborne. JET provides an up-todate 

SA that improves the decision making process of the 

pilots.” 

The pilots in the demonstration considered the JET’s 

ability to receive images a significant advantage. While 

in flight, they received on their PMDs images transmitted 

from the mission commander. As one explained, 

“During a SAR mission, having a picture of the person/aircraft/boat 

is very useful to locate and identify the distressed 

object/person. A picture is seldom available prior to takeoff.” 

The JET improved the situational awareness picture for 

the crew as a whole. Both pilots in an aircraft took in the 

same information at the same time, and therefore synthesized 

together a common understanding of the battlefield. 

As one explained, 

“[Without the JET], both pilots had to talk to each other 

a lot more to maintain a clear picture of the battle field.” 


10


IMPROVED MISSION EFFECTIVENESS 

JET (JRE Enabled TacView®) 

courtesy of L-3 Services Inc. 

It was clear from the responses of the CWID participants 

that JET (with Link 16 enabled) can play a key role in 

improving mission effectiveness. Here is the response 

to the simple question posed to the CWID participants, 

“Comparing tasks such as enemy avoidance, was it more 

effective to have the JET with Link 16 enabled than when 

Link 16 was not available” 

“More effective. The two cannot be compared. The ease 

of threat avoidance with Link 16 up allows extreme appreciation 

of the technology. TacView simplifies the complex 

task of using paper maps and as such keeps both pilots 

focused on the mission and engaged in the battle.” 

“Was the mission objective, the CSAR crash site, clearly 

visible during the preparation phase” 

“Yes. With the Link 16, the crash site was visible. We were 

able to analyse the terrain around the crash site quickly.” 

One of the JET’s greatest advantages is its ability to improve 

the fidelity and accuracy of communications. With 

the Link 16 features disabled, the mission commander 

instructed the pilots over a voice communications channel. 

They were required to read back coordinates, and 

the CWID JET Trial Lead observed that the read back was 

incorrect (requiring the mission commander’s corrective 

action) for nearly 20% of all MC-issued coordinates. This 

was in the part of the demonstration where the pilots either 

used paper maps, or used the JET as a basic moving 

map (with no other overlays enabled) in responding to the 

MC’s commands. 

Using the Link 16 JET, aircrew read the coordinates off 

the JET screen, and could then return to the JET display 

any time to review a historical record of mission command 

messages and coordinates. The pilots spent less time 

writing down, reading back, and discussing coordinates 

and mission commands when using the Link 16 JET. 

The Link 16 JET also proved especially useful in rendezvous 

(RV) maneuvers, including mid-air refueling. In 

these circumstances, both aircraft’s crew observed pairing 

(vector) lines that enabled each crew to visualize and 

constantly update where their own aircraft was in relation 

to the other. Not only did the JET reduce mistakes and 

minimize wasted time in RVs, but it also enabled the crews 

to anticipate and negotiate the best orientation when approaching 

each other’s aircraft to optimize mission performance. 

The pilots were asked if the JET displayed tactical 

information well enough to allow them to navigate and fly 

in a route that allowed the aircraft to safely rendezvous 

with another aircraft. The response, 


11


“Always. [We] tried this out several times, and without 

much communication, were able to successfully perform 

this task 100% of the time.” 

Finally, the JET increased mission efficiency and effectiveness 

simply through increased situational awareness. 

As pilot explained, 

“We were able to avoid multiple threats, and the other units 

were also guiding us to avoid their threats. It is more effective 

to have JET with Link 16 enabled. It provides a clear 

picture of the situation, and we can anticipate and plan an 

evasive route during low level flying in hostile territory. During 

a CSAR mission, we can plan an evasive route in case 

of an emergency while flying at low level.” 

“[The JET let us make] instantaneous and accurate decisions 

that optimized the mission’s success. The picture 

also allowed us to fly very efficient and accurate routes 

around hostiles.” 

When approaching a hot CSAR extraction zone, for 

example, the pilots reported the JET enabled them to immediately 

identify where the On-Scene Commander (OSC) 

was, where the extraction helicopter was, and where the 

nearby threats were located. The JET presented all of this 

information in a single unified picture in relation to their 

own aircraft’s position, together with a depiction of the 

surrounding terrain. They reported that the JET made it 

clear to them what actions they should take next. As one 

explained, 

“The JET provides a quick way to see a situation unfold, 

and provides more flexibility at decision making.” 

“Was the JET effective in clearly identifying threats in a 

way that enabled you to safely navigate around the danger 

area” 

“Very effective. We were able to confidently get as close as 

allowed to a threat and maintain the required separation.” 

CONCLUSION 

In summary, the TacView EFB with a tactical networking 

and display tool incorporated in its software is a very 

important new asset for the military pilot: 

“The JET is a very powerful tool that provides crucial information 

to aircrew. It facilitates communication between 

units and the mission commander. In a volatile situation, 

the aircrew can be reached quickly via mission/free text/imagery. 

JET provides an excellent SA to the pilots of any developing 

situation that might influence their mission. Having 

the TacView available on the Chinook last year, they might 

have been able to avoid the enemy fire.” 

and: 

“The EFB is an overdue tool for the pilots. The pilots will 

have a quick access to all approach plates and checklists 

at their fingertips. I enjoyed working with JET. It was easy 

to learn the basic functions. After using it for a week, I was 

comfortable using the touch screen/bezel keys and access 

the required information. When TacView information was 

removed for a short period, the workload increased drastically.” 

It was clear that it was much more effective to have 

the Link 16 capability enabled. Comparing tasks such as 

enemy avoidance, 

The TacView JET provides, at a relatively low cost, a 

personalized mission network capability for pilots, helping 

them to perform and complete their missions with success 

and efficiency. 


12


EPILOGUE 

It’s 1000 hours and all aircraft involved in the CSAR mission 

have safely returned to base. The recovered injured 

pilot is in stable condition in the base infirmary, awaiting 

transfer to a full-service hospital. 

The aircraft involved in the mission were able to download 

(while in transit) the target aircraft’s track history as 

provided by the AWACS, narrowing their potential search 

zone well after the time they had originally departed KDH. 

Their Link 16 networking permitted multiple independent 

search patterns to be created and flown up to the minute 

the crash site was located. Indications of hostile activity 

detected by one aircraft could be entered (as a location) 

on the TacView moving map, enabling all aircraft to keep 

away from the possible threat. 

CWID AND CWIX EXPLAINED 

The Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (CWID) was a Chairman of the U.S. 

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) led annual exercise that enables combatant commands, military 

services and national civil authorities in the U.S. and its allied countries to investigate and 

assess new technologies (http://www.cwid.org/). CWID provided an operations-side forum 

for demonstrating and assessing Command and Control, communications systems, and ISR 

solutions, all in a simulated mission environment. The program addressed identified capability 

gaps and supports the accelerated and deliberate acquisition of selected technologies. 

Each year, CWID conducted trials to evaluate new and emerging technologies in a realistic 

environment with collaboration from allied countries. International participants and observers 

included Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) member nations, and Partnership for Peace nations. 

CWID interoperability trials were hosted on the world-wide, Combined Federated Battle 

Laboratory Network (CFBLNet) which enabled simulated classified releasable data exchange 

among coalition partners. In the JET trial, the Mission Commander was also connected to 

the network via a Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) terminal transmitting 

to a ViaSat Small Tactical Terminal, which allowed test and evaluation of deployable technology. 

Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), an agency of the Canadian Department 

of National Defence (DND), sponsored the JET interoperability trial. The goal of the trial 

was to evaluate JET benefit to mission effectiveness both as an Electronic Flight Bag and as 

an onboard Link 16 communication device. 


13


CMC wished to create a scenario that was as realistic as possible in which to evaluate the 

JET. To accomplish this, CMC devised a configuration that enabled the JET workstation to 

receive live data feeds exactly as if it were in a real cockpit. In this configuration, two Canadian 

Air Force pilots manned each workstation comprising a flight simulator and a dual JET (one 

for each pilot) installation. Each flight simulator reported its own position, speed and heading 

on the JET, and to every other flight simulator in the trial. In this way, not only did each simulator 

know its own aircraft’s position, it also knew the position of every other simulated aircraft. 

A pilot flying a simulated aircraft trailing a lead aircraft, for example, could look out the front 

windscreen of the simulated aircraft, and actually see the lead aircraft. This created a very 

realistic environment when role players were required, for example, to fly in formation or to 

refuel in mid-flight. 

JET Trial Architecture (Courtesy of DRDC) 

At a pre-defined time in each day’s mission, the Mission Commander remotely disconnected 

the Link 16 capability from the role player’s JETs. In this way, role players were only 

able to use JET as a moving map. They no longer maintained situational awareness of 


14


where their aircraft were with respect to friendly, hostile and neutral assets. They also lost 

the ability to receive mission commands from the Mission Commander via Link 16, and the 

entire mission reverted to voice communications. Because both the Mission Commander 

and JET Trial Lead maintained their common operating picture capability during these 

periods, they were able to observe how well role players executed their missions in the 

degraded environment. 

Since JET was deployed at the NATO Joint Force Training Center in Poland, it took part of 

the Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXploration, eXperimentation, eXamination, eXercise 

(CWIX), a forum designed to support the continuous improvement in interoperability for the 

NATO nations and its allies. While CWID offers an operational scenario, CWIX is designed 

to measure systems maturity levels of integration using test cases. 

The CWIX final report recognized the capabilities JET brings to the warfighter: 

“This was JET’s first participation in CWIX. JRE, as the premier U.S. tactical data link gateway, 

has over a decade of operational experience with BLOS tactical data links. CWIX is a 

great opportunity and we are encouraged to see how well JET was able to interoperate with 

NATO and European systems.” 

During CWIX, JET successfully demonstrated it could interface with Italy’s national Multi 

Data Link Processor, NATO’s Air Command & Control System (ACCS) Level of Capability 

1 (LOC1) Aircraft Control Centre/Recognised Air Picture Production Centre/Sensor Fusion 

Post (ARS), Germany’s Combat ID (CID) Server Combat Identification German Automated 

Request, Response and Relay (CIGAR³), Denmark’s Ballistic Missile Defence BMD-Flex 

and Royal Danish Navy’s C-Flex, and Poland’s PAFLINK 16 C2 national system. Of course, 

JET proved itself as a tactical data link gateway between CWID and CWIX. 

1 

The Electronic Flight Bag: A Multi-Function Tool for the Modern Cockpit, Major Fredric S. Fitzsimmons, USAFR, August 2002 

2 

For example : Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 120-76A, Joint Aviation Authorities TGL-36, Transport Canada PL No. 500-017, etc. 

3 

Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 20-159 


15

Critical Mission Information at the Crew's Fingertips - Esterline

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?