The US Navy has contracted BAE Systems to upgrade the AN/APX-123A(V) Common Transponder (CXP), which delivers timely insights that assist in averting friendly fire occurrences. The upgraded CXP will serve the US Navy fleet and allied forces in areas such as air defence, weapon systems, air traffic management, and range instrumentation.
The upgrade will act as a substitute for the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders that are currently installed on both existing and new platforms, which include unmanned aerial vehicles, ships, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters. Designed as a form, fit, and function replacement, it will tackle issues of obsolescence and processing capacity to meet future requirements.
The open-system architecture and high-density field programmable gate array technology guarantee continued versatility and future applicability through software updates, eliminating the risks and expenses linked to hardware changes.
The AN/APX-123A(V) CXP is set to achieve Mark XIIB IFF certification, incorporating Mode S and Mode 5 for secure and encrypted data transmission, thereby adhering to the most recent Department of Defense standards.
Additionally, it will feature extra receive channels to facilitate the passive acquisition of Mode 5 Level 2 and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast In, which is designed to improve situational awareness for military personnel.
This system aims to deliver high-performance, multi-functional capabilities while complying with the latest cryptographic requirements.
“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 program area director at BAE Systems.
“The level of speed, security, and accuracy matters to support interoperability across U.S. forces. 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 technical refresh work will be performed at BAE Systems’ Greenlawn, New York and Austin, Texas facilities. Production hardware is expected to be qualified for flight and delivered to users in 2027.
