BAE Systems’ CID Server deployed by US forces

BAE Systems has announced on 23 October that US forces have deployed the Combat Identification Server (CID Server) to Afghanistan. The CID Server helps provide combat pilots with the ability to determine whether or not there are friendly forces in the vicinity of targeted areas of interest, reducing the chance of friendly fire incidents.

With its roots in the Bold Quest series of Coalition Combat Identification demonstrations conducted by the Joint Staff Joint Fires Division (formerly USJFCOM J-85), the CID Server provides a graphical representation of friendly forces to the pilot in response to their normal actions during combat operations.  Pilots do not have to learn any new procedures to implement the life saving action and no changes are needed to their planes to utilise the function.

According to the company, the system was developed in a cooperative manner between BAE Systems and the Joint and Coalition communities in order to service US and Coalition forces, and has demonstrated interoperability with multiple US and NATO partner command and control systems and on US F-15, F-16, A-10, and F/A-18 aircraft and Coalition Belgian F-16 and French Mirage 2000.

Paul Markwardt, vice president and deputy general manager of BAE Systems Electronic Systems, said: ‘We have a long standing tradition of leading the way in combat identification based on our Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) products used in aircraft, ships and air defence units. Transferring our proven capability to protect ground forces from friendly fire is both a natural extension of our historical commitment to IFF and our responsibility to our nation’s warfighters.  We are proud that CID Server is protecting troops in theatre today.’