The US Army plans to develop a new communications station to improve its ability to monitor results from the soon-to-deployed improved JSTARS radar plane. The Army system is the Multi-Platform Common Data Link. The Air Force system is the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion program. Prototypes of the Army system are to be ready for testing in 2005. The new system would allow Army units down to brigade level (or lower) to have direct access to the real-time images from a side-scanning JSTARS plane flying overhead. The Army system can also download data from Global Hawk recon drones.--Stephen V Cole