Joint Tactical Information Distribution System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:46, 17 January 2023

Revision as of 19:35, 24 February 2023

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==Origin and history==

JTIDS began with an advanced planning study sponsored by the Air Force [[Electronic Systems Division]] (ESD) Advanced Plans (XR) at L.G. [[Hanscom FieldAir Force Base#Cold_War|Hanscom Air Force Base]]. The study was conducted by the [[MITRE Corporation]] in 1967 and the principal investigators were Vic Desmarines who later became MITRE President and [[Gordon Welchman]] who had been instrumental in breaking the German [[Enigma machine]] code as the head of "[[Hut 6]]" at [[Bletchley Park]], England. Gordon wrote a book titled "The Hut 6 Story" which described his activities and contains some additional information about his work at MITRE. The study concluded that on the battlefield valuable information was available that was not getting to the combat forces that needed it because of fundamental deficiencies in communications architecture. Gordon suggested a radical architecture where elements that had critical information could broadcast it and units that needed the information could selectively process what was of immediate value. This was a significant departure from the circuit-oriented communications architectures then in use and a way to eliminate overcrowding and confusion in the radio nets used to interconnect aircraft and some ground forces. A second recommendation was the need for a consistent and reliable basis for position which was available to all combat elements dubbed a "Common Position Grid". The overall study was called "Control and Surveillance of Friendly Forces" CASOFF.

The advanced planning study was well received both at MITRE and ESD and it was decided to pursue a practical design to see if these ideas could be translated into a usable system. In 1968 MITRE Technical Director John H. Monahan appointed C. Eric Ellingson to head this effort and Ellingson put together a technical team to pursue these ideas. Early on it became apparent that the CASOFF architecture was sufficiently radical that a "proof of concept" activity was needed to better understand and ultimately demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of such an approach. The demonstration system used a synchronized Time Division Multiple Access architecture and incorporated position ___location as an integral part of the communications process. Because funds were extremely limited every effort was made to use already available equipment. Transmitters were surplus AN/APX-25 IFF transponders and data processing was accomplished using surplus IBM 4piTC-2 computers that were obtained from the F-111 terrain avoidance program. The unique components called the Control and Display Units (CDU) were built in the MITRE laboratory.