Leonardo has signed a contract with the Defense Administration for the supply of identification equipment "New Generation Identification Friend or Foe" (NGIFF), updated to the latest NATO Mode 5 Baseline 3 standard, and the integration of the same systems on terrestrial platforms and naval forces of the Italian Armed Forces.
In detail, the order, lasting 6 years and worth approximately € 75 million, envisages the supply starting from this year of a few hundred transponder devices, interrogators and cryptographic units and the upgrade of a few dozen platforms naval and terrestrial of different classes and types.
With this capability, the Italian Armed Forces will be able to guarantee full cooperation in joint operations with other NATO countries. The Alliance has in fact indicated as mandatory the adaptation to Mode 5 of the friend / enemy recognition capacity, in accordance with the Minimum Military Requirements (MMR) for Air-to-Air and Surface-to-Air Identification. The latter standard allows, compared to previous methods, better identification, a wider scope and an optimization of safety aspects.
The identification technology adopted, vital for military operations as it allows to distinguish Allied Forces from potential threats, is entirely implemented by the national industry. In particular, the NGIFF Modo 5 devices will all use the same encryption component, developed by Leonardo, the only alternative available on the market today to similar systems of US production.
Further contractual developments are planned to equip Italian aircraft and helicopters not yet in line with the new NATO standard with the same capacity.
Leonardo is a worldwide reference player for NGIFF Modo 5 technology. The company was also chosen by the UK Ministry of Defense to modernize, together with another partner, the identification systems of over 400 land, air and naval platforms.
