PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – U.S. Navy U.S. Navy avionics experts are turning to Telephonics Corp. in Farmingdale, N.Y., to provide as many as 50 identification friend-or-foe (IFF) avionics systems for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol jet.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced a $16 million order to Telephonics last week for 29 AN/UPX-43(V) IFF interrogators for the P-8A long-range surveillance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft.
The AN/UPX-43 is a Mark XIIA monopulse and AIMS-certified IFF interrogator for command and control. The avionics subsystem enables air traffic controllers and air defenders to identify military and civilian aircraft, verify them as friendly, and determine their bearing and range.
The AN/UPX-43 also provides multi-channel automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). It complies with U.S. and international specifications that define interrogator modes, performance, control, reporting and interface.
Different versions
The newer AN/UPX-43(V) is a variable version of the AN/UPX-43, has selectable configurations, and can be tailored or configured differently from the baseline AN/UPX-43 depending on the aircraft or mission. Each version is optimized for a particular installation or use.
Different variations of the AN/UPX-43 can be optimized for ship, ground station, aircraft use; can have different power output; different software or firmware; interchangeable hardware modules; and different interface standards for the host system.
Telephonics engineers can upgrade the AN/UPX-43 relatively easily because the system uses common-module hardware and software for the detection, interrogation, identification, tracking and data extraction of small targets in severe environments, company officials say.
Sole source
Telephonics is the sole designer, developer, and manufacturer of the AN/UPX-43(V)1 shipset for use in the P-8A Poseidon military aircraft — a modified Boeing 737 narrow-body passenger jet optimized for maritime patrol, surveillance, and anti-submarine warfare.
This order calls for delivery of eight P-8A AN/UPX-43(V) sets for the Navy, 14 sets and three spares for Canada; three sets and one spare for Germany; and 25 P-8A IFFI-trays. The order also calls for system repairs, technical support, and firmware updates.
On this contract Telephonics will do the work in Farmingdale, N.Y., and should be finished by April 2028. For more information contact Telephonics online at www.telephonics.com/product/an-upx-43, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.
