Selex ES, Airbus team for UK Mode 5 IFF study
A contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will see Selex ES conduct a 12 month platform integration study into the introduction of a new Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) standard across a range of UK military land, sea, and air platforms.
Upgrading to Mode 5 IFF will enable the UK to continue to operate safely in joint operations with NATO and other allied forces. Mode 5 IFF is the latest version of the system used to identify and track military aircraft using modern cryptographic techniques to overcome the performance and security limitations of its predecessors.
Selex ES will work with Airbus Defence and Space on the study, along with the MoD Defence Support Group and STS Defence.
The team’s approach aims to minimise equipment types by using the Selex ES M428 Transponder and SIT 2010 cryptographic computer for all platforms. The SIT 2010 cryptographic computer is not subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations and can be repaired in the UK, allowing for full operational independence. This will be combined with the Airbus MSSR 2000 I Interrogator for a European-sovereign, low-risk and UK-supportable equipment and integration solution.
Selex ES will draw on its experience of delivering Mode 5 IFF for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons; while Airbus will use its experience of providing Mode 5 IFF systems to the UK MoD across the land and naval domains, including Mode S upgrades under the Royal Navy MSMIC programme.
The two companies have collaborated with the UK MoD already for a number of years to define the Mode 5 requirement via the STANAG 4193 working groups.
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