It uses a different system for ground link. Soviet aircraft had airborne data links since the Su-9 days.
That's the point of a patrol link.
A patrol link is for transfers of large volumes of data, which is not possible with a regular data link.
A standardized data link works in L or S band, like BNET, whereas patrol links work in the Ku band.
For example, Link 16 does up to 100 kbps, whereas MADL manages 1 Gbps.
On the MKI, they can share each other's data in 4-ship formations, the same as what the APD-518 used to do for the Mig-31. That's how you get mini-AWACS.
The APD-518 is a Soviet-era, high-speed digital secure datalink designed for the Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor, allowing a flight of four aircraft to automatically share radar-generated target data within a 200 km (120 mi) range. It allowed the MiG-31 to operate efficiently as a coordinated, network-centric fighting unit, sharing data on targets, including cruise missiles and low-altitude satellites.
Similarly to the complex S-300 missile system, aircraft group with APD-518 can share data obtained by various radars from different directions (active or passive scanning of radiation) and summarize the data. The target can be detected passively (via its emissions of jamming or use of its radar) and/or actively simultaneously from many different directions (with the MiG-31 using its radar). Every aircraft with the APD-518 will have the exact data, even if it is not involved in the search.
Digital immune system provides the automatic exchange of tactical information in a group of four interceptors, remote one from another at a distance of 200 km (120 mi) and aiming at the target group of fighters with less-powerful avionics (in this case the aircraft performs the role of guidance point or repeater).
So it was radar + EW.
The only difference is many Soviet aircraft carried this link while MKIs got the more advanced TKS-2 family. We standardized on an Israeli link.
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