The U.S. Navy has tested a Boeing-built P-8 Poseidon aircraft equipped with an identification friend or foe technology at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s anechoic chamber.
The test was part of an AIMS certification process for the AN/UPX-43 IFF interrogator designed to classify surrounding vehicles and vessels as either allied or enemy forces, the Navy said Jan. 8.
The Navy estimated that performing tests inside the chamber cost nearly $800,000 and generated 15Â hours of data over 3.5 weeks, while performing tests inflight would cost $5.31 million and generate only 3.6 hours of data over a 12-week period.
Anechoic chambers have walls that are built to absorb electromagnetic and sound waves.
The Defense Department established the AIMS certification to ensure the performance quality of IFF systems for military use.
P-8 is designed to perform both anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions.