AEDP-06 NATO advanced data storage interface (NADSI)

What it is

AEDP-06, the NATO Advanced Data Storage Interface (NADSI) Requirements and Implementation Guide, defines the physical, electrical and protocol interface a Removable Memory Module (RMM) uses to hand over collected ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) data to a ground station. It is an Allied Engineering Documentation Publication, meaning it is where the technical content itself lives; it supports STANAG 4575, the NATO Standardization Agreement nations ratify to record their commitment to using this interface. A manufacturer builds equipment to AEDP-06's connectors and protocols, a nation ratifies STANAG 4575, and the two only meet in practice when a contract or a national authority names STANAG 4575/NADSI compliance for a given ISR programme. This is Edition C, Version 1, promulgated in July 2026, superseding Edition B, Version 4.

Ethernet, protocols and connectors (Sections 2 and 3)

The interface runs over Ethernet and TCP/IP as "a direct connect point-to-point configuration" (Section 2.1), though more complex network configurations are not excluded. Section 3 defines three performance classes, named for their data rate: Class 1 (1 Gbps, an RJ45 signal connector plus a Glenair 805-series 28 VDC power connector), Class 10 (10 Gbps, the same RJ45 connector with a USB-C power connector supplying up to 240 W), and Class 25 (25 Gbps, the same connectors as Class 10). A ground station has to support all three classes; an RMM only needs to support the class it was built to.

RMMs run an IPv4 stack, obtain their address by DHCP, and identify themselves with a DHCP Vendor Class Identifier beginning "RMM:NADSI:". They discover themselves to a ground station through the Service Location Protocol, advertising attributes such as MTU, product identity, serial number and capacity, and they answer ICMP ping requests. File access itself runs over SMB or NFSv3 (or both), with SMB preferred; a ground station supports both and falls back to SMB by default. Any processing the recorder applied internally, whether error correction, compression, or its own encryption, has to be stripped out before the data crosses the NADSI port, so what a ground station reads is what was actually recorded.

Physical requirements go down to the pin-out (Sections 3.3-3.7): an eight-contact 8P8C (RJ45-type) connector wired to a defined pin table, a sealable power connector with a positive locking mechanism, a 28 VDC supply held to +/-10% at up to 5 amps over a 2 to 15 metre cable, and a ground station environment (Section 3.12) that keeps the RMM within -20 to +50 degrees Celsius while data downloads. None of this is incidental detail for a manufacturer - the connector, the pin-out and the power budget are the interface, in the same way a protocol handshake is.

Encryption credential handling (Section 4)

Section 4 sets out a process, still described in the document as "being researched" through NATO's Custodial Support Team, for unlocking an encrypted RMM before download: the RMM responds to a discovery request with the steps a user needs to follow, presented as web pages, which may include inserting a physical token ("dongle" or crypto ignition key) and entering a PIN. An operator works through the prompts, closes the page, and only then is the RMM ready to mount and download from. AEDP-06 does not mandate a particular encryption method - each NATO nation may use its own - and this section only standardises how the credential-entry steps are surfaced to the person doing the download.

Interoperability testing and certification (Appendix B)

Appendix B describes a formal testing regime distinct from anything in the AQAP quality-assurance family. A vendor or test sponsor works with the Space Dynamics Laboratory, the lab NATO designated to develop and run NADSI interoperability tests, under the oversight of the STANAG 4575 Custodian. Testing can cover a complete RMM-to-ground-station system, or a limited "subsystem" (an RMM alone, a power supply, or a power connector and cable), with the scope agreed between vendor, sponsor and Custodian before testing starts. A pass produces a test summary and a certification recommendation, and the tested unit is entered in a registry along with exactly which tests it passed. Retesting can follow a configuration change to the tested item, a newly discovered defect, or the registration period simply lapsing.

What NADSI does not cover

AEDP-06 is explicit about its own boundaries. It does not define the physical size, capacity, performance level or storage technology of an RMM - any technology can sit behind the interface, as long as it presents the defined Ethernet connection. It also does not define the format of the data being downloaded; that is the job of other Agreements, such as STANAG 7023 or STANAG 4545 for imagery, that NADSI is designed to carry regardless of format. AEDP-06 lists these and a handful of other documents, including ISO 9001, as reference material rather than requirements it imposes itself.

Standards it references

• AAP-03Background
• AEDP-02Background
• AEDP-03Background
• ISO 9001Background
• STANAG 4545Background
• STANAG 4559Background
• STANAG 4607Background
• STANAG 4609Background
• STANAG 4676Background
• STANAG 7023Background
• STANAG 7085Background
• STANREC 4750Background