This paper addresses the F-16C Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS) flight demonstration of an Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) data link in the Time Critical Targeting role. Recent conflicts have identified the need to rapidly locate and attack targets before they can be moved. This places increased demands on reconnaissance assets to reduce the time from imagery collection to exploitation. On July 18, 2001 a demonstration of rapid targeting was conducted with a TARS F-16 using the ABIT data link to determine its ability and benefits in the rapid targeting role. This industry-government demonstration validated the operation of the ABIT data link on the F-16 along with the ability to reduce the time from collection to exploitation and extend imagery transmission ranges through the use of an airborne relay. This was the first use of ABIT on a fighter aircraft, the first ABIT air-to-air-to-ground transmission relay and the first use of ABIT at its maximum bandwidth of 274MB/s.
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