These small detectors might be mounted around the periphery of missile warning sensor systems as part of their next upgrade to enhance detection capabilities. Sensitivity in the 180-degree fisheye lens version drops by a factor of four, which Hurt describes as not significant. The technology may begin integration on U.S. ships and aircraft next year. This effort extends the boundaries of measurement and signals analysis by electronically fingerprinting individual radio frequency emitters. This allows analysts to track specific platforms and units as they move about an area of operations.
Planners also can locate a single platform amid a host of emitters for precision attack.
The overall SEI benefit is greatly increased situational awareness, according to Dr. Preston Grounds, manager, electronic combat technology program. A fleet, for example, that suddenly records a series of radar signals from ships passing nearby in a dense fog can identify these vessels if it has their signal fingerprints in its database. Similarly, an unusual radar emission from a rapidly approaching vessel or aircraft may resolve into a pair of emitters that betrays the presence of multiple platforms. Signal processing is the key enabling technology for this system. Faster computers translate to faster processing, which permits identifying more signal features.