after completion of dtc data Link Expanded Data Fields

[Comrade Doge]

Greetings readers,

I am most pleased to see Link 16 being improved constantly on the F-16, most recently by the addition of the Primary Datalink Target / PDLT. In my recent readings over publicly available documentation for the F-16, I have stumbled across a feature that would surely be greatly appreciated by the Viper community, if implemented.

I am talking about the Link 16 Expanded Data feature for the HSD and FCR formats. In short, this feature displays informative text about the Link 16 track under the cursors, namely aircraft type, it's airspeed, and in the case of donor members, also ordnance remaining, among many other data. To not be confused with the "Expand Mode", which is just a zoom-in feature on the HSD, as Wags detailed in a video.

This information is available for further study in depth from the publicly available MLU M3 Update Manual, starting with page 160 (same document that described the already implemented PDLT functionality).

If the development team finds this feasible, and time to implement this feature, it would be most appreciated.

All the best and have an easy day!

Edited May 31, 2022 by Comrade Doge

[Comrade Doge]

@BIGNEWYSorry to bother, is this functionality planned for future F-16 updates? You'd help many Viper nerds

[BIGNEWY]

33 minutes ago, Comrade Doge said:

@BIGNEWYSorry to bother, is this functionality planned for future F-16 updates? You'd help many Viper nerds

Hi,

to be determined, for now remains a wish list item. 

thanks

[Comrade Doge]

4 minutes ago, BIGNEWY said:

Hi,

to be determined, for now remains a wish list item. 

thanks

I see, thank you, here's to hope

[AvroLanc]

14 hours ago, BIGNEWY said:

Hi,

to be determined, for now remains a wish list item. 

thanks

The exact same information is available in the Hornet code as you TUC a contact: Abbreviated Callsign, Aircraft Type and Speed. For hostiles, Aircraft type and Speed.

Is there any reason why these can't be added to the F-16 as well? Without this 'Expanded Link 16 data'  It makes the HSD display pretty useless, as you can never tell who anyone is..... It's a MASSIVE glaring omission to your Link 16 depiction.

Hopefully this is more than just a wishlist item. 

[Furiz]

This would be very good addition to Vipers datalink indeed!

[WHOGX5]

Has there been any progress on this point? It still isn't possible to tell who's who on LINK 16 outside of your own team members in the DCS F-16C. Both the DCS A-10C and F/A-18C has had an equivalent feature for ages, I don't see why we can't have it in the DCS F-16C as well?

[BIGNEWY]

4 hours ago, WHOGX5 said:

Has there been any progress on this point? It still isn't possible to tell who's who on LINK 16 outside of your own team members in the DCS F-16C. Both the DCS A-10C and F/A-18C has had an equivalent feature for ages, I don't see why we can't have it in the DCS F-16C as well?

As mentioned previously, expanded data fields on the HSD is still to be determined for future development, so no news to share at the moment.

However, with regard to friendly datalink symbols and comparisons to the F-18 or A-10 functionality, the avionics version that is modelled within DCS: F-16C does not have the capability to see a TNDL STN of a friendly datalink contact by moving the HSD cursor over it.

Thank you 

[WHOGX5]

On 4/25/2024 at 5:25 PM, BIGNEWY said:

As mentioned previously, expanded data fields on the HSD is still to be determined for future development, so no news to share at the moment.

However, with regard to friendly datalink symbols and comparisons to the F-18 or A-10 functionality, the avionics version that is modelled within DCS: F-16C does not have the capability to see a TNDL STN of a friendly datalink contact by moving the HSD cursor over it.

Thank you 

I'm fully aware that you cannot see TNDL STN in the F-16C on the HSD page, but that is not the issue. The issue is that I cannot tell anything about a TNDL track except altitude and identity in the DCS F-16C. The two main issues for me is that I cannot see their callsign and I cannot see their aircraft type. This greatly diminishes situational awareness when flying in huge DCS missions with tonnes of different flights, and being unable to correlate radio calls when trying to build a picture based on the data provided by TNDL. The reason I brought up both the A-10C and the F/A-18C is because they both already have the ability to do this in DCS, so it is obviously not a DCS limitation, or a tech that ED does not have access to as these are both ED modules. I do not understand why ED has chosen for this not to be a feature in the DCS F-16C? The expanded data field is an essential feature of TNDL. The F-16CM-50 M4.2+ of the USAF and ANG circa 2007 had this capability, and it would display a lot more information in the expanded data field than what I've mentioned in this post, including stuff like loadout, fighter channel, etc.

[Chain_1]

On 4/25/2024 at 10:25 AM, BIGNEWY said:

As mentioned previously, expanded data fields on the HSD is still to be determined for future development, so no news to share at the moment.

However, with regard to friendly datalink symbols and comparisons to the F-18 or A-10 functionality, the avionics version that is modelled within DCS: F-16C does not have the capability to see a TNDL STN of a friendly datalink contact by moving the HSD cursor over it.

Thank you 

FWIW, I also hope this is added.  Maybe it could be something added with the DTC, like the planned air-to-air assignments feature.

[Stroke 3]

How is this to be decided, this is a core feature of L-16.

[Stroke 3]

Data link expanded data fields was a feature since the M3 tape version.

[Stroke 3]

@BIGNEWYWill this be added after ea?

[Stroke 3]

@BIGNEWYAny news on this?

[NineLine]

There is nothing new to report right now, priorities such as DTC are currently the focus. Thanks!

[Stroke 3]

13 hours ago, NineLine said:

There is nothing new to report right now, priorities such as DTC are currently the focus. Thanks!

Thankyou.

Does this mean that data Link Expanded Data Fields is planed?

[NineLine]

Thread is tagged as TBD so we are not committing until we are 100% sure. Thanks!

[Spartan111sqn]

Hi all, first of all thanks for reading this topic.

Is planned to have more data in the HSD from the DATA LINK?, I am missing data in HSD like in SA page in Hornet, Link16 in viper also have such data when you put the cursor in the aircraft donated by Link16, it is a big lack in the viper.

 

Thanks in advance for the answer.

[szymixzmb]

I came here just to complain about this but I see somebody did this for me already. @NineLine I see the tag so now we just sit and wait for it being done right?

[Kev2go]

yeah this a core featurea that needed. ITs really lacking that in HSD page we dont see any information on Datalink contacts when cursor is hightling them or when selected in the HMD we are only given altitude and not any distance to target, Like someone pointed out even A10C and F/A18C have such features, so its not even setting a new bench mark by adding a feature never seen before.

[NineLine]

The thread was now tagged as 'after completion of dtc' so it is planned now. Thanks. 

[Spartan111sqn]

On 7/10/2025 at 12:24 AM, NineLine said:

The thread was now tagged as 'after completion of dtc' so it is planned now. Thanks. 

Thanks a lot, will we have in viper MSI like Hornet?

[Tholozor]

2 hours ago, Spartan111sqn said:

Thanks a lot, will we have in viper MSI like Hornet?

The F-16 uses PDLT instead, it doesn't have the same mechanization as MSI.

 

[Spartan111sqn]

22 hours ago, Tholozor said:

The F-16 uses PDLT instead, it doesn't have the same mechanization as MSI.

 

What does it mean?, I cannot believe that same timeline aircraft with similar technology data link, MIDS,..., they do not have similar data integration.

[Tholozor]

Different branches, different requirements.