The Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) market refers to the global industry involved in the manufacturing, development, integration and maintenance of IFF systems and related equipment. This market serves military and civilian sectors, providing technologies that enable secure identification of aircraft, vehicles and vessels to distinguish between friendly forces and potential threats.
It encompasses a range of products and services including IFF transponders, interrogators, antennas, cryptographic modules and associated software and support systems.
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment includes the hardware and software components used to implement the IFF system. This includes IFF transponders installed on aircraft, vehicles or ships, which respond to interrogations by interrogators on the ground or suspended in the ground.
IFF equipment also includes interrogators, which transmit signals to interrogate nearby platforms and receive and process the responses to determine the identity of the target.
Friend or foe detection system refers to the ability of an IFF system to determine whether a detected object is friendly (an ally) or a potential threat (enemy). It relies on the exchange of coded signals between IFF transponders and interrogators, where the transponder response is decoded to confirm the identity and status of the target.
Modern systems incorporate advanced algorithms and cryptographic techniques to improve accuracy and mitigate identification risk in complex operational environments.
The frequency of Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) systems varies depending on the mode and application. For example, military IFF systems operate on specific radar frequencies allocated for military use, typically in the range of several megahertz (MHz) to Gigahertz (GHZ).
Civilian IFF systems, such as those used in air traffic control, operate on designated frequencies in the VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency) bands, ensuring compatibility with communications and navigation systems of existing aviation.
The five modes of IFF (identification friend or foe) include:
- Mode 1: Used for military identification, mainly for aircraft.
- Mode 2: Historical mode used for military identification, now largely obsolete.
- Mode C: Extension of mode 3/A, providing accurate altitude information.
- Mode 4: Secure military ID mode with encrypted signals for enhanced security.
Mode 3/A: Civil air traffic control mode, providing aircraft identification and altitude.
These modes are standardized to ensure interoperability and compatibility between different IFF systems used by military and civilian authorities around the world
