What is the F-16 DTC in DCS World?

It is the F-16C Viper Data Transfer Cartridge: a cockpit data file that loads steerpoints and other jet settings so you do not type them on the DED.

What does an F-16 DTC store?

A native F-16C cartridge can hold NAV steerpoints (including GEO lines, threat points, and destination points), COMM1 UHF and COMM2 VHF presets, CMDS programs and the RWR threat table, IFF/ROE, and MFD colors. DCS-DTC JSON holds waypoints and COMM presets only.

How do I load a DTC from DCS Planner into DCS?

Export a native .DTC from the DTC page into Saved Games\DCS\DTC, then LOAD it from the jet DTC page. Or export DCS-DTC JSON, open it in the DCS-DTC Windows app, and upload once you are in the jet.

What is the difference between a native .DTC and DCS-DTC JSON?

A native .DTC is the cartridge DCS reads. You pick its parts on the DCS Planner DTC page. DCS-DTC JSON is for the separate DCS-DTC Windows app, which keys waypoints and radios into the cockpit. It does not carry CMDS, IFF/ROE, or MFD colors.

Do I still need a kneeboard if I use a DTC?

The DTC loads data into the avionics. A kneeboard PNG is a paper copy of the route you can read without leaving the jet. Use both when you want the cartridge in the system and a written backup.

Guides

DCS F-16 DTC Guide (Data Transfer Cartridge)

In DCS World, the F-16C Viper Data Transfer Cartridge (DTC) is a cockpit data file. It holds steerpoints and other jet settings so you do not type them on the DED. DCS Planner builds that cartridge in the browser and exports a native .DTC DCS can LOAD, or DCS-DTC JSON for the Windows DCS-DTC tool.

This page is the F-16C cartridge detail for the step-by-step DCS mission planning workflow.

What the DTC is and what it loads

The DTC is not the mission file. It is the data the F-16C avionics read: numbered steerpoints, radio presets, and other jet settings. In the cockpit you LOAD it instead of typing each coordinate on the DED.

A native F-16C cartridge from DCS Planner can include:

NAV: route steerpoints typed STPT, IP, or TGT; GEO lines (steerpoints 31-55); threat points (56-70); destination points (81-99); optional OA, VIP, and VRP overlays
COMM: COMM1 UHF and COMM2 VHF presets, 20 channels each
CMDS: flare and chaff programs, bingo thresholds, and the RWR threat table
IFF / ROE: the type sovereignty table
COLR: MFD colors

On the DTC page you choose which parts the file carries. A new cartridge starts with NAV on. COMM, CMDS, IFF/ROE, and MFD colors stay off until you arm them.

DCS-DTC JSON is a different format. It holds waypoints (sequence, name, coordinates, elevation, time-over-steerpoint, and a target flag) and COMM presets. It does not carry CMDS, IFF/ROE, MFD colors, or GEO / threat / destination points.

How the DTC relates to the Mission Editor

The Mission Editor builds the world: units, trigger zones, drawings, and bullseye. That lives in a .miz. The DTC is cockpit data for one jet. DCS Planner can export both, as separate files. The .miz export does not embed the F-16 cartridge.

Save the native .DTC in Saved Games\DCS\DTC. In the jet, LOAD it from the DTC page. How much of that data is already in the jet at spawn depends on the mission, not on the planner.

Planning F-16 steerpoints in DCS Planner

Open DCS Planner, pick the F-16C, and click the map to drop steerpoints. The planner stores latitude and longitude as decimal degrees and converts them for display. The F-16C defaults to degrees decimal minutes (DM). See DCS Flight Plan: Waypoints, Headings & Routes for coordinate formats and airframe limits.

The F-16C holds 25 steerpoints across routes 1, 2, and 3. Type a point as STPT, IP, or TGT; that type is written into the native cartridge. You can also place GEO lines, threat points, and destination points on the DTC nav tabs. Those numbers sit in fixed ranges and do not replace the 25 route steerpoints.

Exporting a DTC from the planner

From the DTC page, export a native .DTC. Put it in Saved Games\DCS\DTC, then LOAD it in the jet.

From Export, you can also write DCS-DTC JSON (or copy it to the clipboard) for the DCS-DTC Windows app: Load/Save, File, Load from file, then upload once you are in the jet. A kneeboard PNG is a paper copy of the route, not a cartridge.

The planner also exports a .miz (units, drawings, and bullseye) for the Mission Editor. Use that for the world, and the .DTC for the Viper.

Open the planner

DTC vs. kneeboard vs. manual DED entry

The DTC loads data into the jet. A kneeboard PNG is pages you read in the DCS kneeboard. Manual DED entry is typing coordinates in the cockpit. Use the cartridge when you want the INS and radios filled. Keep a kneeboard when you want a written route. Type on the DED only for small changes after you spawn. The F/A-18C cartridge is a different dialect; see DCS F/A-18C Mission Planning & Waypoints.

FAQ

What is the F-16 DTC in DCS World?: It is the F-16C Viper Data Transfer Cartridge: a cockpit data file that loads steerpoints and other jet settings so you do not type them on the DED.
What does an F-16 DTC store?: A native F-16C cartridge can hold NAV steerpoints (including GEO lines, threat points, and destination points), COMM1 UHF and COMM2 VHF presets, CMDS programs and the RWR threat table, IFF/ROE, and MFD colors. DCS-DTC JSON holds waypoints and COMM presets only.
How do I load a DTC from DCS Planner into DCS?: Export a native .DTC from the DTC page into Saved Games\DCS\DTC, then LOAD it from the jet DTC page. Or export DCS-DTC JSON, open it in the DCS-DTC Windows app, and upload once you are in the jet.
What is the difference between a native .DTC and DCS-DTC JSON?: A native .DTC is the cartridge DCS reads. You pick its parts on the DCS Planner DTC page. DCS-DTC JSON is for the separate DCS-DTC Windows app, which keys waypoints and radios into the cockpit. It does not carry CMDS, IFF/ROE, or MFD colors.
Do I still need a kneeboard if I use a DTC?: The DTC loads data into the avionics. A kneeboard PNG is a paper copy of the route you can read without leaving the jet. Use both when you want the cartridge in the system and a written backup.