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South Korea picks LIG Nex1 for Mode 5 identification Friend or Foe system upgrade

Photo: Thales

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has awarded LIG Nex1 a contract for the delivery of TSA 1412 IFF (identification Friend or Foe) interrogators for its military.

LIG Nex1 will work with Thales on the integration of TSA 1412 interrogators with man-portable missile systems and mid-range TSA 2522 for air defense vehicles.

According to Thales, this is the third major order for the Mode 5 IFF interrogator after the system was previously sold to the United States and Japan as well as several European countries including the United Kingdom and Sweden.

Thales and South Korean partner LIG Nex1 were selected after a request for proposals to support the country’s air defense capabilities. The key success factor was Thales’s capacity to work with South Korean industry, and in particular with smaller partner companies that will produce the equipment locally.

IFF systems identify friendly platforms in the theater of operations to prevent incidents of friendly fire and contribute to air traffic surveillance. TSA 1412 will be integrated with South Korea’s K-SAM short range air defense system, Biho-hybrid and TPS-830K self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, and shoulder-launched KP-SAM systems.

The TSA 1412 implements Mode 5 certification, which is mandatory for NATO-led coalition forces from 2020. Certification was awarded by AIMS1, the United States body that guarantees interoperability of US and NATO systems.

“This latest contract award is a strong endorsement of our partnership with LIG Nex1 and the benefits of technical and commercial cooperation with local industry, and in particular with the South Korean SMEs that will produce our systems,” Sandy Gillio, Thales Country Director in South Korea, commented.