The DTE is comprised of a small, hand-carried memory cartridge and a cockpit-mounted receptacle. The cartridge is loaded with mission data using the Air Force Mission Support System (AFMSS) or a personal computer, then taken to the aircraft where it is installed into the receptacle. Upon activation, the DTE facilitates the transfer of pre-programmed mission information to various aircraft subsystems. The system also records maintenance and other selected in-flight data for post-flight analysis and debriefing. More than 5,500 DTE units have been fielded to date in U.S. Air Force aircraft such as the B-1B and F-16, and in international aircraft including the Mirage 2000 and Jaguar.

The DTE incorporates a number of sophisticated technologies supporting system growth well into the next century. For example, the memory cartridge contains an embedded processor and solid-state, non-volatile mass storage, which allow information to be processed quickly, reliably and safely. It also offers 80 megabytes of memory for the EGI program, expandable to gigabytes of memory for other applications. The aircraft receptacle, which Fairchild Defense developed as an upgrade to its original F-16 data transfer unit, offers higher reliability, increased processing power and more aircraft interfaces than its predecessor. State-of-the-art features include three independent, dual-redundant MIL-STD-1553 interfaces, a high-speed serial interface and a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor. Since the receptacle retains commonality with existing systems, it can be used on both new and retrofitted aircraft at minimum cost.

Orbital's Fairchild Defense division manages the development, production, integration and testing of a wide array of advanced electronics and avionics systems for use in military aircraft, helicopters and land vehicles.