As small as a rucksack and weighing around 5kg, BeamTracker is entirely passive. It emits no signal, making it undetectable; it consumes very little power (2-3% of the energy of the vehicle into which it is integrated); it transmits in real time via an encrypted satellite link; and it stores no information: a security measure given that it is potentially ‘expendable’.

The war in Ukraine, where around 80% of operations involve the electromagnetic spectrum, is again proving the importance of this type of tool, which enables the detection, analysis and classification of radar transmitters to identify threats.

Comprising a radar signal detection payload, the Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM) system connects with a ground-based processing station, on board a surface vessel or in a vehicle. The artificial intelligence developed by CortAIx, Thales’ AI accelerator, is used in processing data arriving in large volumes and in real time.

The system automatically sorts and filters the data in saturated electromagnetic environments. This enables the operator to quickly rule out anything that does not pose a threat and focus on what matters most, explains Vice-Admiral (2S) Emmanuel Sagorin, Head of Naval electronic warfare sales at Thales: “Without this assistance, an operator would only be able to utilise 30% of the data.”