BAE Systems to provide more Network Tactical Common Data Links to the US Navy
NTCDL systems will provide the system and architecture for communications from naval vessels. (Image: BAE Systems)
Network Tactical Common Data Link (NTCDL), a multi-platform modular and scalable solution for all US Navy (USN) Common Data Link (CDL) requirements, has been designed to increase link capacity and embrace waveform evolution.
BAE Systems will deliver NTCDLs to the USN under a US$85 million contract. Building on contracts to install systems on USN aircraft carriers, they will now also be installed on new Constellation-class frigates.
The award modifies an existing BAE Systems contract to extend the programme’s total period of performance by three years.
NTCDL will enable a real-time exchange of voice, data, imagery and full-motion video from a variety of air, surface, subsurface and man-portable sources.
Related Articles
BAE awarded naval data-sharing contract
US Navy contracts BAE Systems for data link production
NTCDL supports multiple, simultaneous, networked operations using currently fielded CDL equipment, as well as next-generation manned and unmanned platforms.
It has been designed to enable operators to simultaneously transmit and receive real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data from multiple sources, as well as exchange command and control information across separate or independent networks.
In August 2022, the USN awarded BAE Systems a contract worth $42.6 million to produce seven NTCDL systems which followed a contract awarded in 2016 worth up to $84.7 million.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Constellation Class - FFG(X) (11-20)
Constellation Class - FFG (1-2) [USN]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement]()
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
![Quantum Systems enters maritime domain with Baltic-focused USV and UUV]()
Quantum Systems enters maritime domain with Baltic-focused USV and UUV
Quantum Systems has launched into the maritime domain with Seavex and Subvex, aiming to close a Baltic Sea ISR gap opened by infrastructure sabotage.
-
![China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities]()
China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities
Competition for critical minerals, and China’s dominance of their processing, is emerging as a decisive factor in future naval procurement programmes.
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
