As printed in the July 2006 edition of Military Electronics

Venerable data bus standard MIL-SDT-1553B has received an overhaul.  Edgewater computer Systems, Inc. (www.edgewater.ca) , in conjunction with the US Air Force, announced the release of MIL-STD-1553B Notice 5, an update of the existing MIL-STD-1553 data bus standard for military avionics.  Edgewater, the developer of the bus technology, refers to the upgraded standard as Extended 1553 or E1553 for its improved data rates and capacity.  The company worked with the US Air Force and US Navy to test the new generation of the MIL-STD-1553 standard over the course of three contracts.

In addition to improving performance over the MIL-STD-1553 data bus, the E1553 standard provides support for the newer processors, sensors, and networks.   E1553 increases the data throughput capacity of the MIL-STD-1553 data bus from 1 Mb/s to an uncompressed 200 Mb/x over existing aircraft wiring without impact to existing MIL-STD-1553 data bus, terminals and communications.

Developed in the 1970s, MIL-STD-1553 is the dominant local-area-network (LAN) technology for US Department of Defense (DoD) and allied aircraft.  Because of dramatic improvements in microprocessors and related technologies, the original 1 MB/s speed of the MIL-STD-1553 is now insufficient to handle modem embedded computers, processors, and sensors.  The new E1553 standard enables the increased performance and functionality needed to meet these requirements and also supports the requirements of Network Centric Operations and Warfare(NCOW).

Electromagnetic-compatibility (EMC) testing of E1553 was performed at a US Air Force Research Labs facility, in US Air Force aircraft ground tests, and in numerous US Air Force and US Navy Systems Integration Laboratory tests.  The new bus standard met or exceeded US military requirements for increasing the capacity of the MIL-STD-1553 intra-aircraft network.  Hill Air Force Base in Utah is performing full integration of Edgewater’s E1553 interface cards into F-16 Block 30 line replaceable units (LRUs) in preparation for flight testing later this year.

Because of its sophistication, E1553 falls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations administered by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, under the US Department of State.   Because of this, MIL-STD-1553B Notice 5 was released under Distribution D authority, which limits its distribution to authorized persons and, as such, Edgewater cannot publicly reveal details of the E1553 design.

US Government personnel can obtain copies of MIL-STD-1553B Notice 5 through the Defense Document Automation and Publication Service (DAPS) ASSIST-Online service at http://wwwassist.daps.dia.mil .  Canadian Government personnel, and personnel with registered US and Canadian contractors, can request a copy of the standard from the ASC/AFRL Engineering Standards Office by submitting and email request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .