Military Embedded Systems

F-16 Identification Friend or Foe system to be upgraded

News

April 01, 2020

Emma Helfrich

Technology Editor

Military Embedded Systems

Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense.

KOREA. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Korea to upgrade its F-16 Block 32 aircraft with Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Link 16 Tactical Datalink (TDL), and related equipment for an estimated cost of $194 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification.

The Republic of Korea has requested to upgrade its F-16 Block 32 aircraft with Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) and Link 16 Tactical Datalink (TDL). Included are ARC-238 radios, AN/APX-126 Combined Interrogator Transponders, Joint Mission Planning (JMPS) upgrade, KY-58M secure voice module, Simple Key Loader (SKL) crypto fill devices, and other systems. The total estimated cost is $194 million.

The proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea's capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its interoperability with U.S. Air Force and other coalition forces through an improved datalink and Mode 5 IFF.

The prime contractor will be Lockheed Martin Corporation. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the Purchaser and the prime contractor.