Turkish defense company Aselsan has secured a three-year NATO contract to provide Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator systems for use with man-portable air defense systems.
Awarded under a framework agreement by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, the contract covers the delivery of Mode 5–enabled IFF systems compatible with shoulder-launched air defense weapons. The capability is intended to improve NATO’s ability to distinguish friendly aircraft from adversary platforms in complex and contested airspace.
The systems help mitigate fratricide risks by ensuring positive identification before engagement, enabling safer and more effective employment of MANPADS against evolving aerial threats. The three-year agreement ensures continuous supply and support of IFF hardware across alliance members.
The contract complements wider NATO efforts to bolster integrated air and missile defense. Several alliance members—including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain—have acquired Patriot systems via NSPA, while Raytheon has received a $478 million NATO-backed contract to deliver Patriot GEM-T interceptors to Germany, with financial contributions from Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands.
In Eastern Europe, Poland has declared full operational capability for its WISŁA air defense system, which integrates Patriot elements into NATO’s defense architecture. Italy has also deployed SAMP/T long-range air defense systems to Lithuania to reinforce NATO’s Baltic air defense posture.
