BAE Systems’ next-generation Identification Friend or Foe system reached a first – flying on board the MQ-4C Triton, a high altitude unmanned aircraft.
At half the size and weight of currently fielded transponders, the system, known as the AN/DPX-7 Reduced Size Transponder (RST), is designed to make flights safer. How? By providing both manned and unmanned systems with enhanced air traffic control information that improves situational awareness and allows for successful navigation.
“BAE Systems’ reduced size transponder advances the safety of the Triton – and other aircraft –because it helps sense and avoid other planes, enabling successful navigation through congested airspace,” said Sal Costa, product line director at BAE Systems in Greenlawn, N.Y. where the RST system is manufactured.
The MQ-4C Triton, built by Northrop Grumman, is set to monitor vast ocean areas and coastal regions, and is designed to fly surveillance missions for up to 24-hours at altitudes over 10 miles, covering a span of 2,000 nautical miles.