Armada’s monthly round-up of all the latest electronic warfare news in the product, programme and operational domains.
New Sirius COMINT System Unveiled
Saab has unveiled the latest member of its Sirius communications intelligence Electronic Support Measure (ESM) family in the guise of the Sirius Compact L20C. The company told Armada, via a written statement, that this new product covers a waveband of 20 megahertz up to three gigahertz. Customers have the option to extend this to waveband to six gigahertz. The Sirius Compact L20C can perform a direction-finding scan while simultaneously listening to a specific signal. Saab added that the ESM uses several techniques to determine emitter location. These techniques include phase interferometry, super resolution direction finding, and static and dynamic triangulation. Future augmentations could include the addition of time difference of arrival emitter location techniques. Later enhancements will be possible due to the software-defined architecture used by the Sirius Compact L20C, and other members of the Sirius family. This approach enables the system to remain abreast of emerging threats as and when they appear.
KORA-40 for Sachsen class
Rohde and Schwarz announced on 21st October that the company has been contracted to provide radar and communications Electronic Support Measures (ESMs) to the Deutsche Marine (German Navy). The ESMs will be drawn from the company’s KORA family, specifically the KORA-40 design. The KORA-40 can detect, identify, locate and process radar and communications signals-of-interest. The new ESMs are to equip the navy’s ‘Sachsen’ class frigates. As Armada has previously reported, the KORA-40 can accommodate several modules according to the desired targeted frequencies. One module covers a waveband of 500 megahertz to 40 gigahertz/GHz, another covers two gigahertz to 18GHz. A company press release disclosed that the navy will receive six systems: Three of these will equip the same number of frigates. Sources close to the contract revealed that the other three are to equip shore establishments to aid training. German media reports say the shore systems are expected to be operational by 2026. The installation of the ESMs on the ships, the reports continued, should be completed by 2030.
Finding the Jammers
Zephr has shared with Armada details of the cellphone-based Electronic Support Measure (ESM) it has developed and deployed in Ukraine to detect Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) jamming signals. As Armada has chronicled in the past, GNSS PNT jamming has been performed by Russian forces occupying Ukraine. The primary goal of the jamming has been to disrupt the GNSS navigation systems of some Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs). Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are also dependent on PNT signals for navigation. Known as Zephr SDK, the system uses existing cellphones and their networks to detect incidences of GNSS jamming. Artificial intelligence-enabled software determines PNT jamming signals as these are detected by the phones and their network. The software can also compute jamming signal power levels, signal azimuths and points of origin. This latter factor is particularly important as it may allow kinetic effects to be directed against the jammer. The software will no doubt prove its worth as a useful capability to aid mission planning. UAV pilots and personnel using GNSS-guided PGMs will be able to plan their missions mindful of where GNSS jamming is concentrated. Zephr told Armada that the system does not depend on any hardware. Instead, it uses a Software Development Kit (SDK) optimised for cellphones using the Android operating system. A 5G 3GPP (Fifth Generation Third Generation Partnership Project) integration is needed to connect GNSS receivers. The company continued that the capability can be added as a software application on a standard mobile device. An SDK integrating these capabilities into the Android-based Tactical Assault Kit battle management software is also available.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
