Understanding the Performance of Datalink for Avionic Communications

Link 16 is a standardized data link widely regarded as the de facto standard for secure and reliable communication in avionic applications. This paper presents a comprehensive simulation framework to analyze the error rate performance of Link 16. Initially, we evaluate the performance under the idealized assumption of fully coherent demodulation with perfect synchronization. Building on this, we investigate a non-coherent demodulation strategy based on sequence correlation detection. This alternative approach eliminates the need for complex synchronization schemes and phase recovery, significantly reducing receiver complexity. Extensive simulations assess key performance metrics - including Bit Error Rate (BER), Symbol Error Rate (SER), and Chip Error Rate (CER) - as functions of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). The results provide critical insights into the trade-offs between performance and complexity in Link 16 receiver design and its possible improvements.