Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a trusted leading supplier of Tactical Data Link (TDL) software and hardware solutions, has announced that its Tactical Communications Group (TCG) business experienced record attendance at its 16th annual TCG Users Group and Training Seminar (TUG), held June 11-13, 2019 in Burlington, Mass.
The 2019 TUG was the business’s largest and most successful to date, with over 80 TDL community members in attendance, including government, military, testing agency and supplier representatives from around the world. As a leading supplier of software and hardware to the world-wide TDL community, TCG is able to bring together users and experts from around the world to discuss the latest updates to TCG software and Link 16, Link 11, VMF, and related TDL standards and TDL equipment.
The 3-day program included presentations, product line briefings, interactive demonstrations, and comprehensive training opportunities for TDL operations. Because the US military releases a new version of the Link 16 standard every couple of years (as well as numerous ICP updates to the standard in the interim), the annual TUG event provides a unique and valuable forum for users and engineers to review and synthesize those changes. TUG attendees also share their own real-world experiences and best practices for battlefield implementation of Link 16 and other TDLs, in a peer-to-peer review setting, to help improve communications between US and coalition warfighters.
“TCG’s recent Users Group and Training Seminar was the best attended yet, with Link 16 experts from around the world participating and sharing their own unique experiences and solutions for implementing this critical Tactical Data Link,” said Lynn Bamford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Defense and Power. “This annual event, now in its 16th year, has become an essential opportunity for advancing the Link 16 user community, bringing together government, military, vendor and testing agency professionals to ensure that our warfighters are supported with the best and most reliable battlefield communications.”
During the 2019 TUG, attendees were provided with an overview of the latest changes to TCG’s software, including the addition of support for the latest Link 16 messages and MIL-STD-6016F, how TCG’s LinkPRO® and HUNTR™ products are being used operationally, and important usability features that have been recently added to TCG’s software. As the supplier of Battlefield Operations Support System (BOSS®) software, the Link 16 industry’s gold standard for platform testing and certification, TCG presented users and training agencies with updates on the Link 16 certification process. Presentations were also provided on enhancements and best practices for using TCG’s products, including BOSS, the Ground TDL System (GTS) hardware test station, and LinkPro TDL processing software. Overviews of simulation and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) solutions for lowering the cost of Link 16 training were also provided.
2020 TCG Users Group and Training Seminar (TUG)
TCG has scheduled the next TUG for Q2, 2020. In response to feedback from this year’s attendees, the upcoming TUG will feature presentations on Link 22 and cybersecurity, as well as expanded focus on LVC. The 2020 TUG will also feature the popular “Link 16 101” training session, and BOSS training will be expanded to a full day.
About Tactical Communications Group
TCG’s software solutions provide a complete ecosystem for enhancing the value of deployed data link systems. These solutions allow platform integrators to validate their links, provide more valuable data services on their networks, and utilise comprehensive analytics, simulation, scripting, and visualisation of the network data to drive effective training and situational awareness solutions.
Founded in 2001, TCG is a recognised leader in tactical data link software solutions for military communications systems around the world. Their products help to secure and exchange wireless communications, including voice, imagery, text, and command and control messages, between various platforms such as ships, aircraft, weapons, and ground vehicles, and by dismounted soldiers. TCG has broad exposure on high-performance military aircraft and at major defense flight test centers. TCG is headquartered in Tewksbury, Mass.