The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has placed an order for Leonardo’s M426 LPI Interrogator and SIT2010 Crypto Applique products, which will meet the latest Mode 5 standard.
The contract order is worth €5 million ($5.4 million) and will ensure that the JSGDF is fully prepared for the switch to Mode 5-standard IFF in June 2020. Many NATO and allied armed forces are upgrading their electronics from Mode 4 during this period, and this contract maintains the interoperability of Japanese platforms with their allied counterparts.
Leonardo became the first non-US company to provide IFF capabilities to Japan in 2016. Since then it has become a main supplier of Mode-5 capable technologies, including the SIT-422/5J interrogator which is already in use by the JGSDF.
The company also remains the only provider of Mode 5 cryptography key generation technology outside the US.