CommsAudit is pleased to have successfully completed a five-day autonomous demonstration in collaboration with ACUA Ocean and Leonardo, showcasing the integration of our SPECTRA Super Resolution Direction Finding (SRDF) capability aboard ACUA’s Mk1 PIONEER Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) in conjunction with a land based mobile mast-mounted installation.
Operating continuously for more than 100 hours, the trial demonstrated how advanced passive RF surveillance can be quickly deployed on an autonomous maritime platform whilst being remotely operated and analysed from CommsAudit’s Operations Centre near Cheltenham.
To further demonstrate distributed sensing, the maritime installation was complemented by a second Comms Audit SRDF system owned and manned by Leonardo Electronics, which was deployed on the south coast of England. Working together, the systems illustrated the potential for networked passive surveillance across both maritime and coastal environments.
Throughout the demonstration, CommsAudit’s system successfully monitored and analysed multiple RF emitters whilst operating continuously in demanding maritime conditions, including elevated temperatures, rough seas and prolonged exposure to the marine environment.
Demonstrated Capabilities
- Continuous passive RF monitoring from an autonomous maritime platform.
- Simultaneous detection and tracking of multiple maritime and airborne emitters.
- High-accuracy Super Resolution Direction Finding (SRDF).
- Networked operation between maritime and shore-based sensors.
- Remote system operation and analysis from geographically separated command locations.
- Seamless integration alongside additional third-party mission payloads without impacting system performance.
The trial demonstrated how autonomous maritime platforms can provide a highly effective host for persistent RF sensing, extending surveillance capability while reducing operational costs and risk compared with conventional crewed vessels.
As governments see the type of threats reported this week of surveillance drones being launched from Russian ships operating in the Channel and north European making incursions inland to European secure sites and defence organisations increasingly adopting autonomous and hybrid fleet concepts, combining long-endurance USVs with advanced passive RF surveillance offers a significant opportunity for maritime security, critical infrastructure protection, border surveillance, search and rescue support, and intelligence gathering.
CommsAudit would like to thank ACUA Ocean, Leonardo Electronics, and all organisations involved in making the demonstration a success. We look forward to building on these results as autonomous maritime sensing continues to evolve.
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