Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) is the NATO name for the communication component of Link-16

Link 16

Link 16 is a military tactical data exchange network created and used by the United States and adopted by some of its Allies and by NATO. Its specification is part of the family of Tactical Data Links....

.

One commonly used instantiation of an MIDS is the MIDS Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) which has been funded by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and developed by MIDSCO, a joint venture by Thomson CSF, GEC

GEC

The three-letter acronym GEC may mean* Government Engineering College, Delhi, India* Government Engineering College, Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, India* Goa Engineering College, Goa, India* Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Trivandrum...

, Siemens

Siemens

Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

, Italtel, and Enosa. Another such terminal is the MIDS-JTRS (MIDS Joint Tactical Radio System

Joint Tactical Radio System

The Joint Tactical Radio System is planned to be the next-generation voice-and-data radio used by the U.S. military in field operations after 2010...

), which is currently under development by the United States. An older MIDS is the JTIDS (Joint Tactical Information Distribution System). Currently, there are three production lines, which are competitors: ViaSat, Inc

ViaSat, Inc

ViaSat is a communication company based in Carlsbad, California, that provides equipment and services for military and commercial communications, primarily in satellite related technologies...

 (USA), Data Link Solutions LLC

Data Link Solutions LLC

Data Link Solutions is a joint venture entity that was created in 1996 between GEC-Marconi Hazeltine and Rockwell Collins for the purpose of developing, manufacturing and supporting the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System .DLS is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, IA and also has...

 (USA), and EuroMIDS (Europe).

See also

• Joint Tactical Info Distribution System (JTIDS)
• Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)
  Joint Tactical Radio System
  The Joint Tactical Radio System is planned to be the next-generation voice-and-data radio used by the U.S. military in field operations after 2010...
  
  

External links

• GlobalSecurity's Military Aircraft Systems - MIDS Description