Changing the Game in RF Analysis

As we discussed in our previous blog, electronic warfare (EW) missions are increasingly demanding. The exponential growth that we’re seeing in the volume and velocity of Radio Frequency (RF) data — across space, air, sea, ground, and in tactical environments — can easily overwhelm storage and analysis systems. Increased adversarial sophistication complicates the problem even further. This reduces visibility, causing Signals of Interest to be overlooked and essential information to be permanently lost.

There’s an urgent need for signals intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) teams to make better sense of RF information in real time. Extended time-on-target at the widest instantaneous bandwidth is crucial for RF analysis to gain a competitive advantage and to provide immediate, actionable insights. Yet lack of performance and capacity in addition to
Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints can hinder mission effectiveness.

Here we’ll outline how today’s RF collection and analysis solutions need to evolve in order to address those needs, and how Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and EW analysts can leverage modernized capabilities for improved effectiveness.

Monitor EM spectrum in real-time, extend time-on-target

To monitor adversary interactions effectively, military operators need real-time analysis of an ever-widening frequency spectrum and increasingly complex signal environments.

The trouble is, this can overwhelm existing RF analysis systems. Operators are forced to reduce the spectra that the analysis systems can survey and analyze. As a result, the analysis of this RF data can rarely be fully exploited — to the detriment of the mission.

What is needed is controlled and repeatable signal data distribution to multiple analysis applications for real-time analysis. By collecting and buffering the incoming data streams to simultaneously ingest, store, and distribute RF data, analysts can:

• Maximize the capabilities of the existing analysis infrastructure by avoiding overload situations. By distributing RF data at speeds the analysis applications and your analysts can reliably consume ensures that no data is lost or filtered out too early.
• Extend the useful life of existing RF/SIGINT infrastructure as increases in speed and spectrum are not overloading systems prematurely while maximizing its capabilities.

Record more spectrum, longer, for post-mission analysis

Collecting and recording joint forces electronic signatures (e.g., own-force monitoring) is essential to protecting missions, lives, and equipment — and to developing vital countermeasures. In an increasingly dense signal environment, you need to monitor for extended periods of time for more comprehensive assessments.

Here again, there’s a challenge. Extended monitoring increases the amount of collected RF data that needs to be analyzed and stored. That data can easily exceed the available storage capacity of analysis systems.

If military leaders had the means to store captured RF data for hours or days, they could:

• Replay and re-analyze RF data through the analysis applications, allowing them to perform repeated in-depth analysis as the data is stored and decoupled from the sensor.
• Analyze denser frequency spectrum over a longer time period, allowing for more accurate assessment and definition of countermeasures.

Dense form factor for disconnected or non-tethered operations

Unique edge-based requirements (e.g., tactical, concealment, low-SWaP) are critical to the success of forward tactical missions. The ability to operate without data backhaul is essential here, especially when these connections are too slow or unreliable.

This need often conflicts with the mobility demanded in forward tactical environments, where systems must be optimized for SWaP and delivered in rugged form factors.

With a highly-compact solution, the military can:

• Quickly and easily deploy a portable asset, in a rugged form factor if needed.
• Collect comprehensive RF data even under constrained SWaP conditions for immediate, actionable insights, to enable swift responses and comprehensive assessments.

Axellio SensorXpress^TM: Fast-Track Your RF Analysis Advantage

Axellio^® SensorXpress innovates the RF analysis approach and extends the useful life of your analysis infrastructure. It allows you to process over 100 Gbps through your existing analysis infrastructure, without losing data. It addresses existing capacity challenges in the analysis systems, enabling IRS and EW teams to reliably store, distribute, and analyze the data.

Building on its 20 years’ experience in high-speed, high-volume storage systems, Axellio developed SensorXpress to maximize the capabilities and extend the useful life of your existing RF infrastructure:

• Software-based RF data recording and distribution solution
• Simultaneously ingests, stores, and distributes from 1 to 100s of Gbps
• Frequency and protocol-agnostic for ingestion, recording, and distribution, including raw I/Q or VITA49
• Multiple analysis streams for
  simultaneous real-time and on-demand analysis, individually configured for content and speed

Customizable to Your Mission

SensorXpress supports onboard analysis for compact, aerial, or mobile platforms, seamlessly integrating with both custom and off-the-shelf hardware. It adapts to various environments, from public and private clouds to rugged, tactical scenarios. SensorXpress connects with your sensors and analysis systems via standard software APIs, whether directly on your system or through wired or wireless networks. For high performance and scalability, it can be deployed on COTS servers in large data centers or forward operating bases. Notably, SensorXpress is spectrum, sensor, and hardware agnostic, offering high-speed, no-loss capture and real-time or on-demand distribution of time series data. Its customizable, high-density Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) form factors ensure efficient and controlled data distribution from multiple sensors to various analysis applications.