FAQ

Authorized users can download appropriate executable files and documents from the TAK.gov products tab. Use of these USG owned products outside of test and evaluation require the proper authority to operate (ATO) paperwork granted by your organization’s headquarters (HQ).

If you have a Government sponsor, you are permitted access to the ATAK or WinTAK software development kits (SDKs).

Click here to view the Password/MFA reset guide.

Digital Surface Model (DSM) Manager allows integration of user generated elevation products such as Tandem-X (TanDEM-X is the name of TerraSAR-X ' s twin satellite, a German Earth observation satellite using SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)), Pix4D (software for creating professional, georeferenced maps and models from drone imagery), and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) elevation which are in GeoTIFF (georeferenced information embedded in raster graphics images – Tagged Image File Format). ATAK will provide elevation data as a default in Mean Sea Level (MSL). ATAK will show the elevation/coverage and when used with the ATAK Red ‘X’ tool you will get a MSL elevation from any Digital Terrain Elevation (DTED), a surface MSL (from your GeoTIFF), and a surface height which will be the delta between DTED and GeoTIFF elevations. To utilize DSMmanager install and load the DSMmanager plugin then make a ‘DSM’ folder in the ATAK > Tools folder. Put any GeoTIFF elevation products in this folder and they will show when you activate the DSM button on ATAK. Also, please ensure you have DTED Level 0 installed via the ATAKDTED.apk or DTED Level 0 zip file.

Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL) data can be viewed on ATAK when a SADL radio is directly connected to an end-user device (EUD). Depending on your equipment and EUD provisioning will determine how successful you are in this effort. Typically you will be connecting to a RT-1922 Micro Light radio through a standard hub and cable system (e.g. Black Diamond APEx Predator or Assaulter). These systems come with cables that will attach and connect your Micro Light to the host EUD. Provided your Micro Light has been CoT enabled, loaded with the correct crypto keys and you have a CEOI for an operational net SADL data (PPLI) should automatically populate once your system is connected.

The RSR can be configured (using specialized software) to output either NMEA or ICD-153 GPS data, the default for most has been ICD-153 as it contains more data fields. ATAK utilizes the Serial Monitor plugin to ingest this serialized data and parse to ATAK; however, it does not currently ingest ICD-153. The latest (beta) version of Serial Monitor has been upgraded to detect this condition in the RSR and automatically switch its output to NMEA.

Provided you have a correctly provisioned end-user device (EUD) that is connected to an ANW2 configured radio (via a hub / cable), point position location information (PPLI) and chat will automatically appear once your connection is established. You will need to make this connection through the ATAK core plugin – Network Monitor, configuring your IP for the ANW2 station that you have been assigned (radio mission plan enabled). You could also see this (and other data sources) if you were parsed the information over a network sharing ‘hub’ such as MOJO that utilizes the TRAX (Tactical Radio Sharing Extension) application. This hub/software routes and translates one datalink protocol to another and translates dissimilar waveforms to provide a singular communication network made up of multiple communication devices effectively eliminating proprietary interfaces and protocols.

Coming Soon!

Android Read Only Memory - A file containing the executable instructions (a system image) of an Android OS and affiliated apps. The "stock ROM" comes installed on the phone or tablet, while a "custom ROM" comes from a third party. The custom ROM is either a uniquely modified OS, such as Cyanogen. The term ROM, which stands for Read Only Memory and really has very little to do with what a custom Android ROM actually is, can be confusing. A custom Android ROM refers to a phone’s firmware, based on Google’s Android platform. Android is open source and therefore any developer can edit the code, recompile it, and re-release for a wide variety of devices. Users can install ROMs to change a device’s appearance and behavior. Some of the behaviors can be underclocking/overclocking for the processor, turning on and off different device features. For ATAK, we’re most interested in getting a custom ROM that allows us to use the Android in ways the stock ROM won’t. For example, tethering to a radio to pass data and charge the device with the GvTether. A regular stock phone is usually not able to do this out of the box. Imagine it like you’re trying to tether your USB enabled port on your device to your WiFi router, normal consumers are not trying to do that type of connectivity. Unfortunately, you run into a lot of Information Assurance issues with a Custom ROM. On the flip side, you actually get better IA because you’re able to lock down what you want (e.g. the Nett Warrior S5 ROM locks down the phone).

A kernel in an operating system—in this case Android—is the component responsible for helping your applications communicate with your hardware. It manages the system resources, communicates with external devices when needed, and so on. Android uses a variation of the Linux kernel. A kernel is not the same as a ROM, even though you install them in mostly the same way. A ROM is a bit more all-encompassing. It's the operating system you use on your phone, the software your phone uses to get things done—the kernel is the bridge between that ROM and your hardware. All ROMs come with a kernel installed, but you can install a third-party one if you like. Drivers written to work with one version of the kernel for a phone might not work with a different version of software on the same phone. And that's important, because one of the kernel''s main functions is to control the hardware. Typically, the kernel is responsible for memory management, process and task management, and disk management. For ATAK, the Kernel and ROM are importance because they will dictate if your device is capable of working with certain DoD peripherals. For ATAK, the Kernel and ROM are importance because they will dictate if your device is capable of working with certain DoD peripherals.

It depends on if the ROM is capable of handling a single Ethernet device.

A beta version of iTAK may be available for limited distribution and testing, depending on Government direction.

WinTAK is the Windows based version of TAK (Tactical Assault Kit / Team Awareness Kit).

AppGate is a privately held, US-based software company specializing in a Zero Trust approach known as "single packet authorization" and is the TAK Platform's Zero Trust solution.

AppGate SDP is a standalone service that will be hosted on the TAK Product Center's cloud infrastructure. AppGate functionality does not require any third party domains aside from TAK.gov.

FY24 Q3. By 01 MAY 24, AppGate will become the sole method for accessing the TAK Platform services including Mattermost, Jira, Confluence, GitLab, Artifactory, and Fortify.

Please contact support@tak.gov if you are a regular TAK Platform user and would like to test your organization's compatibility with AppGate in FY24 Q2.

The TAK Product Center needs a Zero Trust solution for access to developer tools and services. AppGate aligns the TPC cloud security approach with Executive Branch Zero Trust directives, namely EO 14028, OMB M-22-09, and the DoD CIO Zero Trust Strategy.

The DoD DevSecOps Reference Design v2.1, which the TAK Product Center is implementing to achieve Continuous ATO, requires use of a Cloud Native Access Point (CNAP). AppGate's Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) service is the only hardened CNAP container available in DoD IronBank, the authoritative hardened container image repository for DoD DevSecOps Reference Design implementations such as TAK Platform. Therefore, AppGate SDP is the only suitable CNAP option.

The TAK Product Center will evaluate the cost and technical aspects of changing Cloud Native Access Point (CNAP) solutions as needed.

The TAK Product Center provided a Zero Trust Cloud Native Access Point (CNAP) requirement to our tools vendor, who selected and procured AppGate from the TPC tools budget based on the CNAP requirement in the DoD DevSecOps Reference Design v2.1.

The TAK Product Center is providing paid per-seat licenses that are transparent to the user. Users, including those on DoDIN and Federal Agency networks, will need to either run the AppGate Client application on their computer or use the AppGate Portal web app.

The TAK Product Center has a robust active network defense. The TAK Platform employs a continuous security and continuous monitoring posture.

Organizations should submit the AppGate SDP client application as soon as possible for approval. The TAK Product Center is also working to ensure a web portal approach for organizations that cannot run the AppGate client application. Portal access will be limited; the default TAK.gov AppGate mode of access will be the client-side application.

Not universally. Until DISA approves AppGate SDP client universally, each organization will need to evaluate and approve the AppGate SDP client for local installation, use, and network interoperability.

There can be many external factors that may cause issues. The TAK Product Center is here to work through any issues encountered with you and your IT leadership.