Russian air force fighters have not used transponders that conform to Western standards for at least the past 15 years, says commander of the Air Surveillance Division Maj. Hardi Lämmergas.
Transport planes have them, fighters do not
6th September 2016, 14:11
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Do you agree that Russian air force aircraft do not have transponders?
Not entirely. Russian air forces' attack and fighter planes flying over neutral waters do not have transponders switched on. There have only been a few transport planes flying without transponders however. The change happened after Vladimir Putin's Helsinki visit.
Have their fighters ever used transponders?
I have been in service since 2001, and I have yet to see a single fighter with a transponder.
So they might not have them?
I would not want to speculate. I've read that Russians use a different standard of transponders and radars that do not match those the West uses. Perhaps their transponders work in Russia but not in the West.
How does a transponder work?
A secondary surveillance radar sends out a signal to which the transponder replies with its own signal. If the Russians have a different signal going from the radar to the transponder, Western radars cannot pick up on it. It is probable the system is knowingly different. However, if Russians have procured Western-standard radars, they can see our aircraft.
Do NATO planes fly with transponders switched off in certain situations?
The transponder's altimeter is switched off during certain active air defense missions, while the positioning indicator is left switched on. The altimeter is switched off so that, for example, hijackers of civilian planes wouldn't find out there is a fighter nearby and the plane wouldn't automatically change its altitude. A fighter can then get a visual confirmation of what is happening on the plane. This has not happened in our region since 2001. Transponders are always switched on during exercises.