WASHINGTON — The once highly-classified ability to detect and pinpoint the locations of radio frequency (RF) emissions from space is rapidly transitioning to the commercial sector — giving companies new powerful capabilities for all sorts of surveillance and intelligence gathering. Interest in RF monitoring from space has soared in recent years as geopolitical conflicts disrupt vital maritime shipping lanes and supply chains, underscoring vulnerabilities. Companies like Virginia-based HawkEye 360 are leveraging shoebox-size satellites that hear electronic signals — emitted by ships, aircraft and other sources — to provide intelligence on “dark ships” evading detection and the location of GPS jammers in Ukraine.
And the technology’s potential is only just starting to be realized, said James “Sandy” Winnefeld, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and a board member of HawkEye 360.
“We’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible,” he said in an interview. RF data helps track vessels even if they shut off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) — a common tactic for illegal fishing or smuggling. Using data from other emitters such as ship radar, said Winnefeld, it’s possible to create an electronic “fingerprint” of that vessel so it can be identified even when the AIS is turned off or spoofed.
While the maritime environment has been the primary focus for commercial RF sensing companies, a new frontier is emerging on land as the proliferation of .
