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| Huneed Technologies' headquarters in Incheon. Courtesy of Huneed Technologies |
By Jung Da-min
Huneed Technologies, a domestic defense firm headquartered in Incheon, has become a supplier of upgraded radar-based identification systems for Republic of Korea Navy ships.
Huneed Technologies said Wednesday that it won a contract valued at 30.3 billion won ($25.4 million) to supply localized Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) systems.
The new integrated sets of the IFF system ― consisting of an interrogator, a transponder and a control panel mounted together on a rack ― are expected to be delivered by the end of 2023 to Hanwha System, which will be finalizing the systems.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has been working on replacing the current Mode-4 IFF system used by the South Korean military with the Mode-5, the latest in the series of IFF systems.
Last March, Huneed was chosen as the preferred bidder by Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply integrated sets of IFF systems for the six new FFX-III ships currently being constructed as the third project of the Navy's next generation frigate series.
"We will contribute to advance the operational capabilities of our military in the future battlefield environment through the successful execution and implementation of these two IFF projects," Huneed CEO Shin Jong-seok said in a statement.
IFF systems, designed for command and control of vessels and aircrafts, use a radar transponder that replies to each interrogation signal by transmitting responses consisting of a unique signal that identifies the broadcasting vessel or aircraft.
It enables military and civilian air traffic control interrogation systems to identify aircrafts, vehicles or forces and to determine their bearing and range from the interrogator.
The South Korean military's upgrade plan for its IFF systems came as the U.S. military and NATO announced plans to upgrade all of their IFF systems to Mode-5 by 2020. The two allies, South Korea and the U.S., conduct numerous joint military exercises regularly every year.
