BAE Systems has received a $19 million contract from the U.S. Navy to design and implement UPX-24 target data processor capabilities into a single digital interrogator Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) solution.
The upgraded IFF digital interrogator (DI) will optimize data collection and processing to provide time-critical insights and enhance decision making for the maritime fleet.
BAE Systems’ digital interrogator systems enable operators to identify friendly forces and make informed decisions that reduce friendly fire incidents and support mission success. The DI collects the data by emitting an “interrogating” radio signal at one frequency, prompting an IFF transponder to emit a reply signal at a different frequency, indicating that an approaching platform is “friendly.”
The U.S. Navy’s UPX-24 system provides target data to the ship’s command, control, communications, computer and intelligence system, and processes all the inputs to decide how to respond.
By combining these capabilities into one multifunction solution, this advanced DI will support size, weight, power, and cost objectives and accommodate future upgrades.
With more than 80 years of IFF experience, BAE Systems has delivered over 16,000 transponders, 1,500 interrogators, and 6,000 combined interrogator transponder systems for use on new and existing platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles, ships, and rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
Work on the advanced IFF digital interrogator target data processor solution will be performed at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art facility in Greenlawn, New York.
Donna Linke-Klein, director of Tactical Systems at BAE Systems, commented, “This is a collaborative effort with our customer to bring the Navy’s UPX-24 target data processor functions into our digital interrogator systems.
“Going from two separate hardware sets on a shipboard platform to a single consolidated solution allows for reduced obsolescence and the ability to rapidly integrate new technology. The latest design will optimize performance while providing the situational awareness our warfighters need in a variety of threat environments.”
