STANAG 5066 - flexible software/hardware solution for the new NATO HF-communication protocol

Data transfer via shortwave had previously been implemented by a number of different system solutions. This, however, meant that there was almost no chance of interoperability of the systems. STANAG 5066 now tries to define an international standard for supporting data communication in HF radio networks. The core definition of STANAG 5066 is a data protection protocol serving as a uniform basis for the integration of different applications. It also allows the integration of inexpensive COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) hardware and software. The standard allows individual PCs or PC networks to be connected via shortwave and ensures reliable and error-free data exchange. In particular, services known from Internet communications, such as e-mail or FTP, can be used for the file transfer. With the adoption of STANAG 5066, the prevailing 'babel of languages' in HF data communications is to become a thing of the past.