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UK Data Clansman
Data encryption unit
BID/460 and BID/460/1, also known as PALLADIAN, is a
data encryption unit,
used by the British Army, probably during the 1980s.
It was used as part of the
CLANSMAN Combat Radio Network
(1976-2010),
for the Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System (BATES).
The BID/460/1 unit was supplied as a plug-in unit for the
Stand Alone Network Interface Equipment (SANIE) [1].
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The device is housed in a die-cast aluminium enclosure that measures
180 × 160 × 56 mm and weights 1280 grams. It is suitable for the
encryption of a digital 16 kbit/s data stream.
According to [3] it is the first military device in the UK in which
the encryption was entirely done in software. In previous devices, the
encryption was always implemented in a dedicated chip.
The encryption algorithm is currently unknown.
The SANIE host device can be compared to a Clansman Digital Master Unit (DMU).
It acts as a carrier for the BID/460 encryption unit,
which must be installed into a slot at its top left.
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Crypto Museum are still looking for additional information about the BID/460/1.
Especially technical information and information about its use would be
useful. We would also like to find a SANIE device into which the BID/460
can be installed.
If you have anything that can help us to expand this page,
please contact us.
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The image below shows the front panel of the BID/460 with both
protective caps removed from the connectors (SK1 and PL2),
SK1 is used for the connection of a data device, whilst PL2
is used for the connection of a
DS-102 compatible FILL device (key loader),
such as the KYK-13 or KOI-18.
The FILL device is used for storing 128-bit cryptographic keys into the BID/460.
At the rear right corner is a 9-pin DE-9 plug by which the device
is connected to the SANIE host device.
At the front are three controls and two indicators. The FILLED indicator
will light up when a cryptographic key has successfully been loaded into
the device. The built in self-test (BITE) can be executed by briefly
toggling the BITE switch, after which the BITE indicator shows the
result. The switch CLEAR/SECURE selects between clear (unencrypted) and
secure (encrypted) communication. In case of an emergency,
the ERASE button can be pressed to purge the cryptographic keys instantly.
This procedure is known as ZEROIZING and can also be used when the device
is off.
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BID/460 (Palladian) is housed in a compartmented die-cast aluminium enclosure,
in which five printed circuit board (PCBs) are mounted. The interior can be
accessed by removing a large panel from the top and a smaller one from the
bottom. As some of the PCBs are stacked, the drawing below should give an
idea of their location. The three stacked PCBs (A1a, A2b and A2c) each
hold a large confidential sub-circuit in the form of a hybrid circuit on a
ceramic substrate. Each of these hybrids are marked RESTRICTED and two are
marked Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI).
The two encryption boards (A2b, A2c) are wired to the front panel PCB
via a flatcable. They are responsible for encryption/decryption of the
RED/BLACK interfaces respectively. A clock board, which provides
the timing for the RED and BLACK interfaces, is located at the bottom.
From the date codes on the various parts, it seems likely that the
device shown here was made in 1988.
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Board A2a
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At the top of the stack is board A2a, which is the internal power supply.
It holds several passive components, three large transistors and a potted
hybrid circuit on a white ceramic substrate, marked TFD 2886/A RESTRICTED.
It is made by Marconi Electronic Devices Ltd. (MEDL).
The board is connected to the next board (A2b) via a blue 42-pin socket.
It is also connected to the front panel, via a black 14-pin socket.
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Board A2b
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Board A2b holds a large hybrid circuit on a white ceramic substrate.
It has components at both sides. The upper side holds
an NSC800 microprocessor, three 27C64 EPROMs a set of buffers and
a custom chip with glue logic.
The bottom side holds a large structure, which is
barely visible as the hybrid is soldered directly to the PCB.
The board is wired to the previous and the next board via a 42-pin
connector. It is also wired to the front panel via a 16-pin flatcable.
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Board A2c
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Board A2c is similar (but not identical) to board A2b. It holds the
large hybrid circuit shown in the image on the right. The upper side
holds an NSC800 microprocessor, two EPROMs, buffers, RAM
and additional logic.
The bottom side holds a large structure, which is
barely visible as the hybrid is soldered directly to the PCB.
The board is wired to the previous and the next board via a 42-pin
connector. It is also wired to the front panel via a 10-pin flatcable.
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Clock board
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The clock board is common to the RED and BLACK interfaces, and
is located at the bottom of the die-cast enclosure, in a separate
compartment. It is wired to the upper section via a series of
feed-through filters.
The compartment at the bottom also holds the wiring to the
9-pin DE-9 connector
at the bottom right corner of the rear panel.
It connects the device to the SANIE host module and provides
power (from SANIE) to the BID/460.
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The large structures at the bottom of the hybrids on boards A2b
and A2c cannot be identified without desoldering the hybrids from
the carrier boards. It is currently unknown which encryption
algorithm was used, but it is likely that it uses a common
UK/USA/NATO standard like BATON.
According the [3], it is the first UK encryption device in which the
algorithm was implemented in software, rather than by means of a dedicated
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).
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GND Ground SWG Switched ground ACK Fill request acknowledgment DATA Fill data into BID/460 CLK Fill clock into BID/460 - ?
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At the left edge of the front panel is a 6-pin socket (SK1) for
connection of a data device. The connector type and the wiring is
currently unknown.
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The rear right edge is an 9-pin DE-9/P plug
that mates with a DE-9/S socket inside the
slot at the top left of the SANIE host device. It carries the power supplied and
in the in/out interface to SANIE.
The wring of this connector is currently unknown.
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Device Data encryption unit Purpose Secure military data traffic for CLANSMAN BATES Model BID/460 Codename Palladium Country UK Year 1986 (?) Developer CESG Network BATES Algorithm ? Data 16 kb/s Power ? Backup Lithium battery 7V (NSN 6135-99-517-2649) Dimensions 180 × 160 × 56 mm Weight 1280 g
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Monday 08 February 2016. Last changed: Friday, 14 June 2024 - 08:48 CET.
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