02 Connect Real-Time Data Distribution Layer
Mil-DDS
It connects critical systems to a common data backbone. A new component simply becomes one more participant in the shared data space.
Mil-DDS is a real-time data distribution layer developed by MilSOFT that enables sensors, control software and operator displays in critical systems to share data over a common data backbone, rather than being connected to one another individually.
- The Only Turkish Manufacturer Listed in the OMG DDS Vendor Directory as of September 2026
- Under continuous development since 2004
- CMMI Level 5
How It Works
From discovery to growth: four steps
Illustrative flow - 01 / 04
Applications automatically discover publishers and subscribers within the same DDS environment.
Publishers and subscribers are matched based on the required data and compatible communication conditions (topic, data type, QoS).
Published data is distributed to matching subscribers according to defined QoS policies.
New publishers and subscribers join the system without interrupting the existing data flow.
Each step uses the data produced by the one before it
Problem
Every new component means touching every existing connection
In critical systems, dozens of components - sensors, control software, operator displays, third-party subsystems - are integrated with one another through dedicated connections and interfaces. As the system grows, so does the number of connections, interfaces and data flows that need to be managed; the integration, testing and maintenance workload grows in parallel.
Adding a new component to the system may require new interfaces, adapters or data conversions to be developed for the existing components. Each new connection creates a new dependency that has to be tested, maintained and protected from the impact of changes.
Critical systems stay in service for years. Over that time components are renewed, new capabilities are added and suppliers change. If every change means touching existing interfaces, the cost of integration keeps rising for the whole life of the system.
Developer / Integrator
Time goes into integration. Every new component means new interface code, leaving less time for new capability.
Systems architect
The architecture slips out of control. As direct dependencies multiply, keeping an up-to-date map of the system gets harder.
Operations / Maintenance team
The impact of a change does not stay within one component. It spreads to connected components, and finding where a fault started gets harder.
Organisation
Every new component from a different supplier has to be adapted to the existing system through its own interface, turning each addition into a separate integration project.
Connecting is not the hard part. The hard part is managing the complexity that grows with every new component.
Solution
In a growing system, what multiplies is shared data, not dependencies
The solution is to bring components together in a common data distribution layer instead of linking them to one another through dedicated connections. In a publish-subscribe architecture, a component publishes data and the components that need it subscribe to that data; this removes the need for a separate application-to-application connection for each new participant.
The foundation of decision superiority: the data layer
Product
What is Mil-DDS?
Mil-DDS is a real-time data distribution infrastructure developed by MilSOFT for distributed and mission-critical systems.
It is not merely a single runtime component. It offers an integrated product structure made up of Mil-DDS Core and development, monitoring and validation tools, supporting development, integration and operation within the same ecosystem. As a result, developers, system architects and operations teams work on the same distributed data infrastructure.
Mil-DDS is based on the OMG DDS standard and the DDSI-RTPS protocol. This standards-based approach has formed the foundation of the product architecture from the outset. It has long been used in critical systems in the Turkish defence industry.
Mil-DDS is a real-time data infrastructure that ensures data in distributed systems is delivered at the right time, to the right components and in line with defined communication policies
Capabilities
Data-Centric Architecture
Rather than depending on one another, applications publish the data they need or subscribe to it. New publishers and subscribers can join the system through automatic discovery; data distribution does not require a central message server.
Goal: To build a system architecture that scales without dependencies between components.
Manageable Data Flow with QoS
How each data flow is distributed is defined separately through quality of service (QoS) policies. These policies provide lossless delivery of critical data, detection of late data, the latest state for components that join later, automatic failover between redundant sources and detection of components that stop working.
Goal: To manage each data flow according to its own reliability and timing needs.
Standards-Based Interoperability
Compliance with the OMG DDS standard and the DDSI-RTPS wire protocol allows different DDS products to communicate on the same network. With DDS-XTypes, data types can be extended without breaking existing applications.
Goal: To protect existing investments and build an open architecture that works with components from different suppliers.
Proven Platform Support
Windows, Linux, Embedded Linux, Solaris, QNX and VxWorks operating systems; x86/x86-64, ARM, PowerPC and SPARC processor architectures; C++, Java and C# APIs.
Goal: To present platform independence not as a claim, but as a verified list.
Development and Validation Ecosystem
Tools for data modelling, live traffic monitoring, and recording and replaying data flows are part of the product; they speed up integration and testing.
Goal: To offer not just a runtime, but an ecosystem that encompasses the development and validation processes.
Domestic Engineering and Technical Support
Developed in-house at MilSOFT since 2004, without external dependency. Technical support, training and version updates are provided by local engineering staff.
Goal: To plan licensing, updates, platform support and long-term maintenance locally, through a single accountable vendor.
The Difference
Why Mil-DDS?
Every component of a critical system passes through the same data layer; having that layer developed in Türkiye is a strategic priority
DDS is an open standard defined by the OMG and developed by various vendors. Once a data distribution layer is chosen for a system, however, every component from the sensor to the command display relies on it. Who develops that layer, how it is supported and how it will be sustained in the long term is therefore as much a strategic decision as a technical one. Mil-DDS has provided this layer in-house at MilSOFT since 2004, without external dependency.
The standard is the starting point for architecture.
The Mil-DDS architecture is built directly on the OMG DDS and DDSI-RTPS standards.
It ensures long-term product continuity.
Mil-DDS is developed by MilSOFT, which also manages its lifecycle; it offers a clear roadmap for licensing, updates, new platform support and long-term support.
It requires no central broker.
Data is exchanged directly between participants; because data distribution does not depend on a central component, the failure of one component does not stop the whole system.
It grows with the mission.
The system grows as new missions and components are added; the existing architecture and applications stay as they are.
It protects the existing investment.
It works with components that comply with the OMG DDS standard; existing systems in the field can be used alongside new components without modification.
It covers the whole chain, end to end.
Development, validation and runtime are all part of the same ecosystem; no link in the chain is outsourced to another product.
Use Cases
Command and Control Systems
It enables real-time, reliable data sharing between the sensor, the command screen and the subsystems; critical command flows are prioritised using QoS.
ISR Systems
It consolidates data from different sensors and platforms in a shared data space and reliably transmits it to the analysis and visualisation layers.
Embedded Platform Software
With its operating model that does not perform dynamic memory allocation after start-up, it is used in embedded systems that require predictable timing.
System Integration Projects
Components sourced from different tenders are integrated into the same network in a plug-and-play manner via a common ‘Topic’ abstraction.
Technology and Standards
Architecture
- Software architecture
- Publish-subscribe, data-centred, loosely coupled architecture; dynamic discovery of participants.
- Transport layer
- Flexible communication via UDP, TCP and shared memory.
- Platform support
- Windows, Linux, Embedded Linux, Solaris, QNX, VxWorks; x86/x86-64, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC.
- Language support
- C++, Java and C# APIs; type safety with platform-independent IDL and XML.
- Dependencies
- It does not require a central broker; core data exchange runs without any broker dependency.
Standards and Interoperability
- OMG DDS / DCPS specification
- Available
- DDSI-RTPS (wire protocol)
- Available
- DDS-XTypes
- Supported - the scope is defined on a project-by-project basis
- RPC over DDS / Web-Enabled DDS
- Supported - the scope is defined on a project-by-project basis
- DDS Security
- It is currently under development as part of the product roadmap - it is not available as an existing security feature
Who Is It For?
Decision-maker
The freedom to scale the system as needs change, without being dependent on suppliers.
Systems Architect / Integrator
Managing a common data backbone instead of tracking dependencies between components; adding new components without changing the existing architecture.
Developer
C++, Java and C# APIs; type-safe data modelling using IDL/XML; platform-independent development.
Operations / Maintenance team
Maintenance and updates without stopping the system; when something goes wrong, dealing only with the component concerned, not the whole system.
Organisation
A data distribution layer based on an open standard and developed in Türkiye; technological sovereignty.
Layer 02 - Connect
Related Solutions
Connect Multi-Tactical Data Link Processor Mil-DLP Mil-DLP is a Data Link Processor developed by MilSOFT, which processes various tactical data link protocols used on naval, air and land platforms within a single system. Explore
Connect Tactical Data Link System Link-M Link-M is a platform-independent tactical data link system, secured using national cryptography, which operates over the existing HF and V/UHF radio infrastructure of land, sea and air platforms. Explore
Connect Mobile Tactical Network System Mil-LINK Mil-LINK is a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) solution developed by MilSOFT, which enables IP-based communication and information sharing between naval, air and land platforms. Explore
Next Step
Distributed systems. One shared data space.
Mil-DDS is a data communication layer that enables critical systems to communicate with one another securely, in real time and independently. It scales from point integration to multi-sector enterprise use, utilising the same architecture and the same codebase.
There are two ways to evaluate Mil-DDS within your own architecture:
- 01 Technical assessment package Product documentation, QoS policy guide and sample data model.
- 02 Architecture workshop A half-day joint assessment of your current system architecture.