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C-MASAD-82-6 1 (1982-02-24)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabcze0001 and id is 1 raw text is: This is arr untlassified digest furnished in lieu of I I i&..._
a report containing classified security information.


REPORT BY THE
COMPTROLLER GENERAL
OF THE UNITED STATES


jICRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS
IN DEVELOPING IMPROVED
CAPABILITY TO IDENTIFY
AIRCRAFT AS FRIEND OR FOEj


DIGEST


Systems to identify friendly or enemy air
targets are installed on various types of
weapons to avoid the risk of mistakenly at-
tacking friendly aircraft. Identification
systems can be categorized as

--cooperative, which depend on the deliberate
  participation of the target aircraft to pro-
  vide information that can be used for identi-
  fication or

--noncooperative, which do not require the overt
  participation of targets to obtain identifica-
  tion data.

Primary users of these systems are tactical
aircraft with an air-to-air mission, air
defense surface-to-air missiles, ships, and
certain elements of the command and control
system. (See pp. 1 and 2.)


GAO conducted this review to provide the
Congress with information on the Department of
Defense programs to improve U.S. capabilities
to identify aircraft as friend or foe. These
programs, for which the Congress will be asked
to provide funds, could potentially involve
significant expenditures.

LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING
COOPERATIVE IDENTIFICATION
SYSTEMS.           .

The primary systems in use today by the United
States and some other forces in the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are the
Mark (MK) X and XII cooperative systems. Cur-
rent U.S. capability to identify aircraft is
limited.

Consequently, missiles with capabilities of
attacking targets beyond visual range cannot
be used to their full potential-.- Aircraft,
for'example, that could ordinarily stand off
at relatively safe distances to fire these
missiles, frequently have to close within


117729


C-MASAD-S 2-6


FE~~JA~Y 24, 1982

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