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2019-11-14
See Without Being Seen
Air defence is a critical element of today’s military and security operations while the proliferation of aerial stealth means that 21st century states are seeking new defence options. The ability to detect movements or intrusion while gathering detailed information can make a significant difference to outcomes.
Silent and covert awareness of neighbours’ activities is a long-standing ideal for military commanders. Indeed, the need for early warning and detailed target identification supports fast decision-making in successful military and security operations.
Traditional active surveillance solutions detect, locate and track air, ground and naval targets effectively, but are susceptible to detection, jamming or even destruction. Moreover, traditional radars cannot detect every target in view of low observable technology and electronic countermeasures deceiving traditional radar.
It is in this context that the undetectable passive radar will become a supplement to conventional active radar. Not only are they unlocatable, but such systems are also unique in not having their own transmitters. Instead, they exploit the electronic waves already produced by existing sources e.g. FM radio signals and telecommunication equipment.
Passive Counter Stealth
The use of stealth technology in the design of military aircraft is now widespread, playing a crucial role in military affairs and drawing attention to research on technologies further assisting with counter stealth threats. Passive radar systems have thus been coined anti-stealth technology in awareness that most stealth aircraft have been optimised for higher frequency bands where most fire control and monostatic radars operate.
In minimising specular reflection at their front sector, passive radars seem to be a viable approach because they involve lower frequency bands and multi-static type scattering. Most importantly, passive radars cannot be detected, allowing for covert operation.
On the other hand, the coverage of such systems is limited up to medium altitudes, since there is practically no broadcast at higher altitudes. Nonetheless, while passive radars cover the lower tier, the accompanying use of active, low frequency band radars can provide an ideal combination against stealth threats.
Passive and Covert
Passive radar systems are often referred as Passive Covert Radars (PCR) ideal for military applications because they are not detectable by Anti-Radiation Missiles (ARM) and not easily disturbed by jammers. By exploiting low frequencies, they can detect and track small targets flying at low altitude in urban areas in difficult orographic conditions.
Active radar emits its own waves which can be jammed, but passive radar is well camouflaged in both urban and rural landscapes by using VHF (very high frequency) digital radio and television frequencies as carrier waves with significant computing power and extremely complex signal-processing software. The high-performance on-board computer enables the simultaneous use of transmitters in a mixture of VHF and digital frequencies.
Passive radar is helpful to pop or sports broadcasts, even if upbeat music is preferred in the analogue FM band (VHF) for better location accuracy. Beyond Europe, most densely populated areas have enough VHF and digital transmitters for passive radar to use.
Inaccessible areas are not a great obstacle because individuals can just set up their own transmitter for a radio station broadcasting classical music, pop or just white noise. It is hence possible to position passive radar in remote valleys to track flying objects at low altitudes, including small aircraft which previously flew ‘under the radar’ as the system’s mission planning tool can simulate the best mobile or stationary location for passive radar.
Deployed in the civilian sector, passive radar can provide air traffic control with an inexpensive supplement to existing sensors as a backup or as an important sensor in heavily-restricted areas by reflecting off the slopes of mountains or other obstacles. Passive radar can also be used at small and medium-sized airfields without a primary radar, allowing security to be provided for critical infrastructures or large events in densely populated areas without using transmission frequencies in short supply.
In military applications, the passive radar system enables large-area surveillance using networked receivers that cannot be located by the enemy. Sun Tzu1 could not have prophesied the passive radar future any better when he stated, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
Let us have a look at some of the systems helping the modern army to see without being seen.
Hensoldt’s TwInvis Radar
TwInvis is a passive radar adding a new dimension to the world of surveillance and situational awareness by offering ‘unlocatable’ operational advantage in the absence of any transmitted energy while not requiring any emissions from targets to locate them. Free of the electromagnetic spectrum, TwInvis works by using existing VHF and UHF transmissions from analogue and digital radio or television, which makes it perfect for:
• Covert surveillance tasks
• Use during electromagnetic
congestion
• Gap filling
• Jamming avoidance.
TwInvis has global use potential in populated areas with sufficient transmitter-of-opportunity coverage, although the system can also work in sparsely populated areas via use of cooperative transmitters delivering content like music or just white noise. Light, small and easy to deploy, TwInvis’s competitive price, easy maintenance and silent operation enable coverage in “white spots” for detection of targets formerly flying “under the radar”, including application in the Air Traffic Control domain.
To achieve 3D real time and instant omni-directional tracking, TwInvis uses state-of-the-art processing and current high-end computing platforms to allow the exploitation of more than 20 transmitters simultaneously. Deployed in an easily relocatable mobile context or as a fixed system, TwInvis also comes equipped with a mission planning tool to determine the best sensor location and predict the scenario performance.
In the military field, TwInvis combines the advantages of high mobility with a system that remains invisible and cannot be jammed or eliminated in a targeted action. But the system can also be used to discover stealth aircraft which, due to their low observable technology, have remained undetectable until now from conventional radar systems.
Leonardo’s Passive AULOS
The AULOS passive radar system is designed to provide detection and tracking capability for both defence and homeland security applications by processing reflections from illumination sources, such as commercial broadcast and communications signals. AULOS is an eco-friendly system that doesn’t produce electromagnetic pollution but exploits the electromagnetic power from transmitters such as FM radio stations, TV broadcasters and broadband communications signals for covert surveillance or tracking of stealth and low flying air targets.
In detecting and tracking different targets simultaneously with small radar cross-section to determine their position and altitude, this system may be used for several applications, if primarily for surveillance and environmental protection. AULOS can monitor the airspace around airports, ports and any element of critical national infrastructures but has the capacity to monitor commercial and military traffic up to several hundred kilometres.
Widely considered an “environmentally friendly” system, AULOS does not increase e.m. pollution and can be safely installed in urban areas. In addition, it does not compete with other systems for the assignment of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is a valuable and in-demand resource nowadays.
The AULOS system is available in both fixed and deployable configurations, with the latter providing several operational advantages by moving in different geographic areas. The capacity to exploit emissions from different bands thus solves problems of small target detection in mountain areas.
As a technologically-advanced system, AULOS has been developed with the rationale of a “software defined radar” approach which involves signal sampling directly at the carrier frequency using COTS devices for signal reception and digital processing MultiCore and GPU technologies powered personal computer. Moreover, AULOS can be integrated either into the NATO Air Command and Control System (ACCS) network or with other sensors in order to update and enhance surveillance functionality.
SAAB’s Sirius GBAD
Sirius Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) is a highly automated passive sensor system providing capabilities enhancing awareness via long-range detection, tracking and classifying platforms. These platforms are based on the signals they emit in both the communication and radar domain.
As guesswork is just not an option for air defence, the Sirius family of innovative and networked passive sensor systems is based on common architecture with a domain-specific edge working beyond the scope of individual sensors to provide a complete synergistic capability for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
These undetectable modern systems provide Armed Forces and Intelligence Services around the world with the silent power required to turn signals into knowledge. Moreover, Sirius systems are available for a wide range of applications and roles.
Professional users need more than just sensors to generate accurate information for decision-making. Sirius thus takes the user all the way from detecting the signals hiding in the noise to acquiring credible knowledge by including capabilities that extend far beyond individual sensors.
The fact that advanced ESM, ELINT and COMINT sensors are fundamental to Sirius passive sensors gives the system a domain-specific edge in its philosophy of sharing a common architecture. Stand alone or fully integrated sensors are provided as deployment-ready solutions for C-ESM/COMINT and R-ESM/ELINT by using a high degree of user-configurable automation which allows the operator to focus on critical tasks while supporting persisting operations with low personnel footprint during periods of low activity.
Aside from sensor management, Sirius passive sensors can be fully integrated into existing GBAD structures for command and control. Sirius GBAD will proceed to enhance the local air situation picture by supporting early warning and target identification tasks while cueing acquisition and fire control systems.
Invisible VERA-NG Tracker
Although Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems based on electromagnetic emissions from targets are not new, they have adopted the TDOA principle in recent years. Such systems are collectively known as Passive ESM Tracking systems (PET) or more generally passive surveillance.
TDOA-based PET systems tend to work faster to resolve target information, proving more accurate than previous passive technologies such as direction finders (DF) and are demonstrably easier to deploy. Modern passive surveillance systems, and PET in particular, are now recognised as an essential sensor for any Air Defence surveillance network.
The VERA-NG, or Passive ESM (Electronic Support Measure) Tracker, uses advanced techniques to conduct cross-border and inland surveillance without alerting neighbours. The long-term and long-range VERA-NG effectively “sees without being seen”, emitting zero electromagnetic energy to make it to invisible to anti-radar missile systems. VERA is easily transported in general purpose vehicles to match the long-term need for a covert and mobile solution to surveillance requirements.
ALPS Passive Sensor
The new ALPS Long-Range Persistent Surveillance passive sensor is one of the most heavily classified surveillance systems of the U.S. Army, with the characteristics of the new system remaining unreleased and information yet to be released about its appearance. According to the information currently available, the new ALPS can detect and identify many types of fixed or rotary wing aircraft and cruise missiles in flight.
The Pentagon has recently confirmed the deployment of prototype passive sensor systems for long-range surveillance against manned and unmanned aircraft systems threats. According to Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson head of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense, the U.S. Army is currently being fielded the new Long-Range Persistent Surveillance (ALPS) passive sensor to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command in support of a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statements (JUONS).
“The Army demonstrated the ability to integrate ALPS into the Army IBCS in 2018. Once fully integrated into Army IBCS, the ALPS passive sensor will provide continuous, 360-degree, long-range surveillance against fixed and rotary wing aircraft, UAS, and CM threats,” said Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson.
The ALPS prototype systems will be provided both to meet Combatant Commands’ identified needs and to conduct an operational assessment. This programme will also develop and integrate ALPS into the Army Integrated Air & Missile Defense (AIAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) to improve the Cyber-Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) posture of the Army’s Air and Missile Defense architecture.
The database within ALPS is said to have the capacity to store around seven hundred different types of theatre. In current military terms, this data includes Russian cruise missiles used during a military operation in Syria.
The ALPS passive sensor is currently being fielded to USINDOPACOM, USEUCOM and USCENTCOM, with the U.S. Army having already demonstrated the ability to integrate ALPS into the Army IBCS in 2018. Once fully integrated into Army IBCS, the ALPS passive sensor will provide continuous 360-degree long-range surveillance against fixed and rotary wing aircraft, UAS and CM threats.
Thales’ Homeland Alerter
The Thales group offers a range of radars that are both innovative and environmentally responsible in providing better detection. They are made of non-polluting materials to reduce impact on neighbourhoods and the environment, so enabling less power consumption.
The Homeland Alerter 100 (HA 100) passive radar is designed for air surveillance at both low and medium altitudes as well as protecting high value assets, airports and force projection missions. The HA 100 features low power consumption while the absence of any electromagnetic radiation makes it a notably environmentally responsible choice of radar.
Reference Text /Photo: www.ndu.edu
1-Sun Tzu, The Art of War, trans. Samuel B. Griffith (New York: Oxford University Press, 1971).www.era.aero
www.researchgate.net,www.navy.mil
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