Tactical data link (TDL) is one of the key means for enabling real-time exchange of tactical information among weapon systems operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Most messages consist of position information of participating nodes, with latitude and longitude fields designed to enable worldwide operation. Given the limited operational area of Korean army, enabling worldwide operation requires an excessive number of data bits, which cause data overhead and reduced network efficiency. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the current coordinate transmission methods used in TDL and propose a relative coordinate-based transmission scheme within a designated area to enhance network efficiency. The proposed method is optimized for the operational characteristics of the Korean military and improves both network efficiency and positional accuracy compared to existing TDL.

The TDL (Tactical Data Link) network employs a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) scheme, in which the network resources of each wireless node are allocated to time slots. The method of time slot allocation for each node is based on expert experience and operational requirements. However, this method has limitations because it is difficult to verify real-world operational environments due to high costs and time requirements. To address these limitations, this study developed a TDMA simulator using SimPy, a Python-based discrete-event simulation framework. The proposed simulator enables analysis of time slot allocation methods under varying operational environment conditions. Simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate times slot requirements under different maximum message transmission delay time thresholds (6s and 12s). The results showed that stricter delay time thresholds and higher number of tracks increased the required number of time slots. In addition, the required number of time slots increased differently depending on the complex interaction of factors such as the number of tracks, delay time thresholds, operational scenarios. The proposed simulator provides more precise insights and supports more reliable TDL network design than conventional methods.