VMF Binary Messaging¶
Status: Planned
No adapter exists in gateway/src/formats/ yet. See the Status & Roadmap.
What it is¶
VMF (Variable Message Format) — MIL-STD-47001 — is a compact binary message format designed for tactical radio networks with limited bandwidth (HF, UHF, SATCOM). It packs operational data into bit-aligned binary fields, achieving much smaller message sizes than XML-based formats. Messages carry a header (originator, precedence, DTG, security) followed by type-specific data groups, organised into K-series message families such as K05.1 (position report), K05.2 (track report), K07.1 (free text), and K12.1 (medevac request).
Bedrock's integration¶
Planned. No VMF support exists yet. WayPoint's protobuf-over-TCP is conceptually similar
(a compact binary protocol), and the gateway already handles binary-to-format translation
for other standards, so the intended approach is a VMF codec in gateway/src/formats/ with
a serial/UDP transport adapter for bidirectional translation against WayPoint protobuf.
The K-series scope and bit-level codec task breakdown live with the owning repo: gateway/docs/standards/vmf-binary-messaging.md.