§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the armed forces' IFF status for preventing friendly fire incidents. [87921]
§ Mr. IngramThe United Kingdom has fitted Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) to its front line aircraft, ships and land-based air defence systems. The current generation of IFF equipment (IFF Mk 10) is in the process of being replaced by an updated system, the Mk 12 standard, through the Successor IFF (SIFF) programme. The Mk 12 provides additional security by means of high reliability encrypted interrogation of platforms. IFF is one of a number of methods employed by the armed forces to assist Combat Identification and to minimise the risk of friendly fire incidents. Combat Identification is achieved through a triad of measures: Situational Awareness, Target Identification, and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. These measures are complementary and IFF plays a part in improving situational awareness and contributes to effective identification.