Our Free Online Training Events

Registration for the following live online training sessions, along with other useful Tactical Data Link (TDL) resources must be made via our Defence Community Portal.  The sign-up process is free and simple and gives you access to our full inventory of TDL-related downloads, resources, tools, and the online training details.

Delegates should also be aware that in order to join the session via the conference facility, a download of an executable (.exe) installer file is required to open the GoToWebinar interface and join the session.

Our training courses are suitable for personnel with all levels of experience and knowledge, perhaps as either a refresher, or as a start point for your Tactical Data Link education.

The sessions will commence at 0930 British Summer Time (BST) and will run for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes after which we will have around 15 minutes for a question and answer session.

Our courses are subject to United Kingdom (UK) Export Control regulations.  As such, all delegates must have a portal account before registering for any of the courses.

An Introduction to Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS)/Link 16

6th May 2020, 09:30 (BST)

This session will provide a high-level overview of the characteristics of MIDS Link 16, briefly describing the functionality of the MIDS terminal, as well as examining the capabilities provided by the Link 16 message catalogue.

Key topics:

• History – why Link 16 came about
• Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
• MIDS Frequency Hopping
• Relay
• Security
• Link 16 Messages – Surveillance and Weapons

An Introduction to Link 22

20th May 2020, 09:30 (BST)

This session will provide a high-level overview of the characteristics of Link 22, briefly describing the system architecture, as well as examining the capabilities provided by the Link 22 message catalogue.

Key Topics:

• Why do we need Link 22?
• System Hardware
• Media Types
• TDMA – how this differs from MIDS TDMA
• Operational Architecture
• Link 22 Messages – Surveillance and Weapons

An Introduction to Variable Message Format (VMF)

3rd June 2020, 09:30 (BST)

This session will provide a high-level overview of the characteristics of VMF, briefly describing the system components, as well as examining the capabilities provided by the VMF message catalogue.

Key Topics:

• What is VMF?
• Media Types
• VMF Bearer
• VMF Application Header
• VMF Messaging
• Who uses VMF?