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11h ago

BAE One‑Box IFF for F-16 Wins AIMS Certification

The approval clears the unit for operational use, opening a path to drop-in fleet upgrades with deliveries from a 90‑unit lot scheduled this year.

F-16 Friend or Foe system (render)
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Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an F-16 with the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, flying over the Korean peninsula on April 4, 2023.
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Overview

  • BAE Systems’ AN/APX-127(V)1 Combined Interrogator Transponder received AIMS Mark XIIB certification on Sept. 29 and is now declared ready for use on the U.S. Air Force F-16.
  • The unit consolidates interrogator and transponder functions into a single, drop-in package that matches the form factor of AN/APX-113(V), AN/APX-125(V) and AN/APX-126(V) to simplify retrofits.
  • The system supports Mode S and encrypted Mode 5 for secure friend-or-foe exchanges and adds receive channels for passive capture of Mode 5 Level 2 signals and ADS-B In so pilots can build a local traffic picture without actively interrogating other aircraft.
  • BAE says the CIT meets current cryptographic and cyber resilience rules and uses an open-system software architecture so new capabilities can be added by software rather than hardware changes.
  • Production work is set at BAE sites in Greenlawn, New York and Austin, Texas, with the company planning initial deliveries from a 90-unit production lot this year and prior integration work indicating wider export and retrofit pathways.