HENSOLDT is to deliver its latest Identification-Friend-or-Foe (IFF) technology products to the Norwegian Armed Forces. 

According to a company statement, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency awarded the procurement under a contract worth approximately EUR 15 million for the delivery of several MSSR 2000 ID secondary radars and LTR400 DNG transponders, including cryptographic and test equipment as well as related services. 

The IFF systems in question, which work according to the latest Mode 5 NATO standard, will be integrated into land installations in order to improve their ability to distinguish friendly from hostile forces.

Specifically, IFF systems, or Secondary Surveillance Radars (SSR), precisely identify aircraft by automatically sending interrogation signals which are answered by so-called transponders on-board friendly aircraft. Thus, IFF enables field commanders to quickly distinguish friendly from hostile forces and act accordingly.

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Unlike previously used Mode 4, Mode 5 employs sophisticated encryption techniques to avoid hostile signal manipulation, thus ensuring that the identification process is absolutely reliable and secure. Mode 5 is in the process of being introduced in all western armies as a precondition of joint operations of US/NATO and allied forces.

Finally, it is worth noting HENSOLDT’s expertise in Mode 5 IFF. The company is under contract to upgrade German, French, and UK Armed Forces’ IFF systems to the Mode 5 standard and has delivered IFF systems – including crypto devices – for ground and naval applications of several NATO nations. 

Among others, the company’s equipment is deployed on all German Navy ships as well as several UK Royal Navy and French Navy ships. In total, HENSOLDT has more than 600 IFF systems in 42 nations under contract.

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