U.S. Navy awards BAE Systems $30 million contract to modernise Identification Friend or Foe systems

The modernised CXP will act as a direct replacement for existing Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders used on a range of platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles, ships, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters. Its design addresses obsolescence and increases processing capacity to meet future mission demands.

“Common transponders provide our service men and women with a reliable and secure solution to help them identify friendly forces and make decisions in a variety of threat environments,” said Seth Guanu, Combat Identification Products programme area director at BAE Systems. He added, “This modernization effort enables us to deliver a critical capability to thousands of existing applications and equip emerging platforms.”

The AN/APX-123A(V) CXP will be Mark XIIB IFF certified, supporting encrypted Mode S and Mode 5 communication as required by the U.S. Department of Defense. Additional receive channels for Mode 5 Level 2 and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast In will improve passive tracking and situational awareness.

Its open-system architecture and advanced field programmable gate array technology will enable ongoing upgrades via software, avoiding the cost and risk of hardware changes. This ensures high-performance and multi-function capabilities that support evolving crypto requirements.

BAE Systems brings over 80 years of IFF expertise, having delivered more than 1,500 interrogators, 6,000 integrated interrogator-transponder systems, and 16,000 transponders worldwide. The technical refresh work will be carried out at BAE Systems’ facilities in Greenlawn, New York, and Austin, Texas, with production units expected for delivery in 2027.