Author: Captain Jana Samcová

Strakonice soldiers from the 252nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Detachment have a new assistant for fighting the air enemy. A modern IFF mode 5 device, which is used to recognize whether a friendly or foreign aircraft is moving in the air. They successfully tested its functionality on an RVR device that they use to survey the airspace.

“As part of aerial reconnaissance, we search for objects, whether airplanes, helicopters or drones, that are moving in the airspace, and we need to know which ones belong to us and which ones to the adversary. Using the IFF mode 5 device, we send a query into space, in layman’s terms, and we get an answer back, which airplane is our own,” explained the commander of the 252nd anti-aircraft detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Petr Řezníček, explaining how the device works with the RVR reconnaissance sensor, manufactured by the Pardubice company RETIA.

IFF (Identification Friend – or – Foe) devices are not only used by ground-based air defense systems, but are also equipped with aircraft, helicopters or radars. It helps soldiers distinguish which air targets are their own and which are foreign (hostile). “During operational deployment, a situation can certainly arise when a wide range of assets are moving in the airspace and it is necessary to quickly orientate which target is their own and which is hostile. The IFF device thus contributes to increasing the safety of their own units and reduces the risk of acting against their own targets,” Lieutenant Colonel Řezníček highlighted its benefits and added that the Czech Army has so far used mode 4 for IFF devices and is now switching to mode 5 in accordance with NATO standards.

Fasteners are also being modernized

The soldiers carried out the aforementioned testing as part of military trials that precede the introduction of any new equipment or device into the armament of the Czech Army. “Part of this modernization project is also the change of communications equipment. All equipment that has previously used older types of radio stations will be retrofitted with Harris radio stations,” said Lieutenant Colonel Řezníček.

Strakonice soldiers have previously tested the IFF Mode 5 device with the RBS-70 and RBS-70NG firing elements. Specifically, during the Bold Quest exercise in Denmark in the fall of 2023. The international exercise, which was aimed at verifying the capabilities of the IFF Mode 5 device, was a great opportunity for Strakonice soldiers to test this modern device with their anti-aircraft systems.

The rocket can be “stopped” in flight

“Even before the operator fires the missile, he uses the “interrogator” to see if there is a target in the area. If so, the system is locked and it is not possible to fire,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Řezníček, explaining the principle of the IFF mode 5 device in the RBS-70 and RBS-70NG systems. The fact that this is truly a sophisticated device is also evidenced by the fact that the destruction of the target can be prevented even after the missile has been fired. “If, after the missile has been fired, the IFF device detects a target in the airspace, the missile guidance is stopped and the missile self-destructs,” confirmed Lieutenant Colonel Řezníček, who stressed that great emphasis is placed on ensuring the safety of the missile’s own assets.

After successful military tests, the equipment is currently being modernized. The RVR reconnaissance sensors are being upgraded to IFF mode 5 equipment and the existing radio stations are being replaced with Harris radio stations. The new equipment will be first used in the field in the fall during the Tobruq Arrows exercise, the main focus of which will be live firing from RBS-70NG anti-aircraft missile systems. The exercise will also serve as the first joint training of soldiers who are destined to support the 4th Brigade Task Force of the Land Forces of the Czech Army.