SE Asian airborne data links have a long way to go

3rd July 2020 - 13:00 GMT | by Chen Chuanren in Singapore

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Despite numerous modernisation programmes in Southeast Asian air forces, their true data link capabilities still have a long way to go to reach Western standards. Limited budgets and mixed fleets have resulted in data link capabilities being handicapped or, at worse, irrelevant.

One exception, however, is the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

The RSAF has the deepest knowledge of network-centric warfare, and it has been exposed to tactical data links (TDLs) since the arrival of E-2C Hawkeyes in 1987. Since the turn of the millennium, its F-16C/D fleet has been fitted with the Israeli Smart Datalink in favour of

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Author

Chen Chuanren

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Chen Chuanren is Shephard’s Singapore correspondent, covering primarily land and sea systems. He served in …

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