BAE Systems Wins $30 Mln U.S. Navy Contract To Upgrade Common Transponder

(RTTNews) - BAE Systems PLC (BA.L) announced Wednesday that The U.S. Navy has awarded a $30 million contract to modernize the AN/APX-123A Common Transponder, a system crucial for preventing friendly fire.

The refreshed CXP will replace existing IFF transponders on drones, ships, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters, addressing obsolescence and boosting processing capacity. Its open-system design and high-density FPGA technology allow future software upgrades without hardware changes.

Certified to Mark XIIB IFF standards with Mode S and Mode 5 encryption, the transponder will also feature additional receive channels for passive Mode 5 Level 2 and ADS-B In acquisition, enhancing situational awareness.

Technical work will take place at BAE's Greenlawn, NY, and Austin, TX facilities, with production hardware slated for flight qualification and delivery in 2027.

BA.L is currently trading at 1,929.50 GBP, down 27.50 GBP or 1.41 percent on the London Stock Exchange.