First Thales identification friend or foe interrogator certified in United States

NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, 28 May 2013. The TSA 3522 interrogator from Thales has been certified by AIMS1. The TSA 3522, the latest identification friend or foe (IFF) interrogator in the Thales BlueGate product family, won AIMS certification from the United States Department of Defense (DOD) International Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System, Identification Friend or Foe, Mark XII/Mark XIIA, Systems (AIMS) Program Office (AIMS PO) at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

The TSA 3522 single-box IFF interrogator, developed and manufactured in Laval (Western France), operates at power levels from 500 to 2,500 watts.

AIMS certification provides an assurance of interoperability with U.S. systems at the box level and for integration on U.S. and other platforms. The certification process spanned several months.

Thales develops and manufactures IFF products for aircraft, air defense systems and radars, surface vessels, and submarines. The TSA 3522 is generally associated with radar and provides optimal security, reliability, and integrity in civil air traffic control with Mode S capability and military Mode 5 IFF identification. The interrogator is also qualified to use European- and U.S.-sourced cryptographic computers.

AIMS certification is an official endorsement of the outstanding performance of this product and will positively influence the certification process for the entire Thales product family, predicts a company spokesperson.

"Thales is very proud to have achieved certification by this independent body. The certification process was completed in record time and offers firm assurances to customers that our products will be fully interoperable on all types of civil and military missions," says Hervé Derrey, vice president of the Thales Radio Communications Products business. "Certification of the TSA 3522 and the excellent relationship we have built with the AIMS Program Office are very positive signs for the success of further certifications of the BlueGate product line, which Thales has already scheduled."

The TSA 3522 will be deployed in June during Bold Quest 2013, a NATO exercise in the

U.S. that will provide an opportunity to verify the interoperability of this IFF interrogator with large numbers of U.S. and other platforms under operational conditions.

Thales provides a range of IFF solutions to meet the current and future needs of the armed forces. A total of more than 17,000 Thales IFF products have been installed to date on various types of aircraft, land-based platforms and naval vessels around the world.

1 AIMS: Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS), Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Mark XII/XIIA Systems AIMS is directed by the U.S. DOD and provides an independent office for the certification of IFF systems that is recognized worldwide.

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