I've been lurking here for years, so feel free to roast me based on my post count for this question, won't hurt my feelings.

Does anyone know why the F-16 Blk 30 went with the SADL radio vs a Link-16 terminal? I assume it was partially because of the cost difference and partially because of the Air-Ground mission set, similar to the A-10s reasoning. Does anyone have any facts about how this acquisition took place or the reasons for the choice made?

TG

btw, a search for SADL didn't turn up too many viable posts on this forum..I checked.

If I were a bettin man, I'd speculate there's a WIC paper about exactly that.

Maybe the same reason the also are the only ones with a CMSP panel installed.

Thanks. I'll check the .mil-nets soon to find out what the patches had to say.

I'll bite, SADL is an Army radio built well before Link 16, it was available and the ANG decided to buy it due to the active duty waiting for more years for link 16. It works great, Link is a bit better by now, but it is still good. Bottom line, it is an ANG appropriation versus active duty.

You get to say "WOOD SWEET" on the radio.

Makes you wonder why Eagles don't use it.

SADL is easier to load than Link-16 on KC-135's.

/useless fact

Another useless fact but I have to chime in here. I (me and one other guy) installed the very first F-16 SADL. Did the kit proofing for the TCTO that eventually went out to mod all of the jets that got modded. A "kit proofing" is basically after the engineers have designed the system and written the instructions for the installation. They brought the kit to us and said "here ya go, install this". We took the kit and their instructions and did the install with them standing there over our shoulders. We provided them with feedback to make corrections to the final TCTO that went out to the field. Essentially, when problems were encountered, they would tell us that "this is what we want you to do here" and we would say, "well the wording in the instructions should say 'this' if that is what you are wanting". The SADL TCTO was a pretty big/complicated mod for the field to perform. It was pretty cool in the end in that I got a few good TDYs to travel around to help other units out and also got a free ski trip....ahem, I mean "Post kit proofing meeting" at Hill after it was all said and done.

ETA "F-16 SADL"

Edited May 26, 201510 yr by HerkFE

I'm curious to know from you Viper and Hog drivers who have used SADL, how much and how well it works for what it was primarily designed for...to prevent fratricide? After we got the fleet modded it sounded like, from listening to maintenance debriefs, that it was only being used as a new, nice to have, toy that helped with SA in the flight. Even then I was doubtful as to how well it would work when trying to coordinate with grunts. After leaving the F-16 community and going to the Herk and seeing just how damn hard it was to work with the Army to just call them on a two way radio to get drop clearance I am convinced that SADL would never work in the CAS mission.

I'm curious to know from you Viper and Hog drivers who have used SADL, how much and how well it works for what it was primarily designed for.

I've seen it used in both -16s and -10s...with a gateway, it works very well with Link 16 for air to air SA. A/G it is terrific but many times the gnd units are dislocated from the radio set so they still must be tracked via other means.

As for CAS, you'll hear engineers say digital CAS is great via VMF and other means. Most pilots think it sucks. Ok for getting mission info on the way there but once in the AO, I prefer radio comms and old school Com flow.

It's great in the 60 for keeping track of your wingman on low illum nights and for sending/receiving 12.6 or 28.2s. Most ground stuff we just plot on the map.

Forgive my ignorance, but the Block 60 has SADL and not Link-16? I wouldn't have guessed that.

It's great in the 60 for keeping track of your wingman on low illum nights and for sending/receiving 12.6 or 28.2s. Most ground stuff we just plot on the map.

it's also great when the A-10 is trying to tell you where a TIC is and they don't have the time to get coords and pass those over the radio... or to pass a ARCP to the tanker during a TEXACO.

Forgive my ignorance, but the Block 60 has SADL and not Link-16? I wouldn't have guessed that.

Based on Breckey's avatar...I'm guessing he means the HH-60.

Aaah, tracking.