Royal Navy fits satellite tactical links

The Royal Navy is moving 13 warships onto satellite-backed tactical data links, letting ships swap combat information beyond radio horizon instead of only with units nearby. (des.mod.uk) Defence Equipment and Support said on April 10 that the Maritime Multi Link programme reached the Equipment Delivery Date for Phase 2c. That milestone clears Satellite Tactical Data Link and Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol capability for installation across Type 23 frigates, Type 45 destroyers and the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. (des.mod.uk) A tactical data link is the military’s shared digital picture: one ship’s radar track or warning can appear on another ship’s console in near real time. Link 16 is the best-known version, and BAE Systems says it is a standardized network for exchanging real-time tactical data among participating units. (baesystems.com) Satellites extend that picture past line of sight, which matters when a fleet is spread across hundreds of miles or operating with aircraft and allied ships. A Ministry of Defence statement of work says the United Kingdom Satellite Tactical Data Link uses a satellite bearer for extended-range data links and is being upgraded under Maritime Multi Link for interoperability. (contractsfinder.service.gov.uk) The April 2026 package is not a brand-new network from scratch. Defence Equipment and Support said Phase 2c also updates existing Link 11 and Link 16 message sets, so older and newer links can keep passing a common operating picture across the fleet. (des.mod.uk) The work follows earlier ship-level upgrades. The Royal Navy said frigate HMS Richmond received an integrated Link 16 Crypto Modernised system in April 2025 before an Indo-Pacific deployment, part of a wider push to modernise surface-ship tactical data links. (royalnavy.mod.uk) The programme also sits inside a broader digital overhaul. The Royal Navy’s Digital and Data Plan, published in December 2022, said the service needed a maritime data framework to fix long-running digital and data problems across ships and shore support. (gov.uk) For NATO operations, the practical effect is simpler than the jargon: ships, aircraft and command centers can share the same tracks faster and at longer range. Captain Dave Downie, the Maritime Multi Link senior responsible owner, said last year that the upgrades would improve shared maritime situational awareness and help the Royal Navy work with joint, NATO and coalition partners. (royalnavy.mod.uk) The next step is fitting the hardware and software across the 13 ships now cleared for rollout. The opening milestone was not the end of the programme; it was the point where the Royal Navy could start turning satellite tactical links into fleet equipment. (des.mod.uk)