Black Maria was the

rainbow code The Rainbow Codes were a series of code names used to disguise the nature of various British military research projects. They were mainly used by the Ministry of Supply from the end of the Second World War until 1958, when the ministry was broke ...

name for an

identification friend or foe Identification, friend or foe (IFF) is an identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens for an ''interrogation'' signal and then sends a ''response'' that identifies the broadcaster. IFF systems usual ...

(IFF) interrogator carried by

interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...

aircraft in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. When initially developed, beginning in 1951, it was based on the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

-era

IFF Mark III IFF Mark III, also known as ARI.5025 in the UK or SCR.595 in the US, was the Allied Forces standard identification friend or foe (IFF) system from 1943 until well after the end of World War II. It was widely used by aircraft, ships, and submari ...

IFF system because the newer

IFF Mark X IFF Mark X was the NATO standard military identification friend or foe transponder system from the early 1950s until it was slowly replaced by the IFF Mark XII in the 1970s. It was also adopted by ICAO, with some modifications, as the civilian ai ...

units were not available from US at the time. Marconi received interim Mark X equipment in mid-1953 and quickly added support, but it was not until mid-1955 that the first production units became available. During development in the UK, it was also referred to as the Fighter Identity System, or FIS. In the US it was known as TN-103/APX.

References

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Bibliography

* * * {{cite encyclopedia , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cGgne2soiLIC&pg=PA179 , title=U.S. Government Research Reports , year=1957 , volume=27 , issue=4 , ref=CITEREFReports Identification friend or foe Military electronics of the United Kingdom