Finmeccanica demonstrates Mode 5 Reverse-IFF

An Italian Air Force Typhoon has successfully demonstrated a Mode 5 Reverse IFF system. A normal IFF system receives an interrogation signal from the ground, usually from a surface to air missile system, and responds with a unique code that identifies the aircraft to the operators. A reverse IFF system works just the opposite. The aircraft sends a signal to vehicles on the ground, and if they're equipped with an IFF system, they respond, identifying themselves to the aircraft.

Currently friendly forces have to find a way to visually identify themselves to aircraft, sometimes putting an orange fabric panel on top of the vehicles. This system would allow them to be identified automatically, without having to visually mark themselves for the aircraft, and would cut down drastically on blue on blue incidents.

Finmeccanica, with the Italian Defense General Staff, has demonstrated the successful integration of a Mode 5 Reverse-IFF (Identification Friend-Foe) system, providing air-to-ground IFF capabilities for a Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon. The demonstration was witnessed by representatives from the NATO Battlefield Combat Identification Capability Team.

An IFF system provides pilots with the ability to distinguish between ‘friendly’ vehicles and potential threats by sending out an interrogation signal and verifying the responses from other aircraft.. A reverse-IFF system uses the same concept to interrogate ground forces, allowing a pilot to understand where surface-level friendly forces are located before deciding whether to use weaponry. The system is called ‘reverse’ IFF because the aircraft uses its transponder, usually used to reply to interrogations from other aircraft or from the ground, to scan the ground vehicles.

To demonstrate the solution, an Italian Air Force Typhoon simulated a Close Air Support mission over Pratica di Mare (Rome) air base in Italy, flying toward and interrogating a number of Italian Army Lince armoured vehicles with its reverse-IFF system. As the Lince vehicles returned ‘friendly’ signals, the Typhoon held off from providing air to ground support that might otherwise have caused collateral damage. to the friendly forces.

www.finmeccanica.com...

I really like your threads Zaph, but if you could ad more videos to your threads i'd enjoy them even more

a reply to: scubagravy

I'll try to find topics that have videos, just so I can do that.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Haha, nah, sorry, before i clicked and read the link, i thought it was something totally different. ( like a plane stopping and reversing in mid air) , go on, have a chuckle

a reply to: Zaphod58

Jesus I knew they used bright colored panels and such to identify themselves as friendly to aircraft, but I thought that was merely a backup and a reference for the FOF systems we had in place. Amazing that we took this long to integrate a dual direction mode, imagine how many Blue on Blue incidents could have been avoided.

a reply to: Bfirez

They have systems that communicate vehicle to vehicle, and to rotary aviation, but it's harder to transmit to fast movers, because it would require new datalinks installed on the aircraft.

Finmeccanica is one of the main EU providers of weapons to Saudi Arabia. They are so effective against wedding ceremonies in Yemen that you cannot even imagine, not to mention all the mines and boobytraps that Italy used to manufacture. Then manufacturers moved to Singapore.