CRFS, a global leader in RF spectrum monitoring, management and geolocation solutions, will launch its passive 3D airborne tracking system, RFeye AirDefense, at the 56th AOC Symposium in Washington DC on the 28 of October.
Developed to passively detect and geolocate airborne targets using their RF transmissions, the RFeye AirDefense provides the military with covert surveillance of their airspace for situational awareness, silently augmenting existing Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS).
Both military and civilian aircrafts transmit RF signals for voice communication, navigation, tactical data links and radar. The RFeye AirDefense system uses these transmissions to accurately detect the signal, locate its position in three dimensions and determine the probable flight path for individual aircraft, independent of the number that may be operating in the area.
The practical advantage of RFeye AirDefense is its ability to detect hostile aircraft and UAS without them being aware they are being tracked. This can provide essential covert intelligence on enemy activity and also augment radar systems by providing a long-range warning of incoming threats to enable radar cuing or provide coverage overlap.
The ability to derive course, speed, and altitude from a geolocated signal of interest is often considered the holy grail of the airborne SIGINT community. Just from these pieces of data, this system can help analysts determine the origin, platform type, bearing to estimated target and even intent.
RFeye AirDefense uses a ground-based network of intelligent RFeye receivers linked to management and geolocation software to enable real-time monitoring and tracking of airborne targets over an extremely wide airspace. The same network and sensors can also provide general RF environment situational awareness and terrestrial emitter geolocation.
The system can be used for standalone situational awareness or as an integrated element in a system of systems for complete air defense. Applications range from operational in-theatre use to training and testing. Click here to learn more about the RFeye AirDefense System.
