Weapon Data Link
The Weapon Data Link ( WDL for short ) is a standardized military data link for guided weapons . This enables bidirectional communication with a weapon even after it has been started. Thus, on the one hand, the current status can be queried, and, on the other hand, destinations or waypoints can be changed while in flight. This can be done by any participant in the same network and not just by the launch platform itself as with many earlier data links.
Access is protected from hostile influence and reconnaissance by cryptographic protective measures. The standard was developed by the United States Air Force and several manufacturers offer transmitters for weapon integration. Usually these work in parallel in the UHF - (225 MHz - 400 MHz) and L-Band (960 MHz - 1215 MHz). The latter is of particular importance because it enables a connection to be established to the Link 16 network, which is very common among NATO countries .
Platforms
- AGM-158B JASSM-ER
- AGM-158C LRASM
- AGM-154C-1 JSOW
- AGM-84 Harpoon Block III (project discontinued)
- GBU-53 / B SDB
Individual evidence
- ↑ Network-enabled Precision Guided Munitions (Chapter 3). Center for Strategy and Technology, Air War College, Air University, 2005, accessed December 20, 2015 .