It is time to face the growing satellite threat

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are some of the most powerful tools available for armed forces wanting to locate the enemy and decide on an engagement strategy. Orbiting the planet at an altitude of about 560 km, such systems are able to penetrate the darkness of night and see through thick cloud cover to produce clear images of military assets on any continent.

AI impression of a SAR satellite

Up until very recently, 这种强大的技术在很大程度上仅限于军事强国. 但在过去五年中，发生了重大变化. A number of commercial SAR satellite companies have appeared, 为客户提供地球上任何地方的高质量雷达图像. A case in point is the Finnish company ICEYE which aims to deliver information on “every square metre of the Earth, every hour”. The company has more than 20 satellites in orbit and plans to have nearly 40 operational by 2024. The business and its competitors, including the US satellite company Capella Space, represent a game-changing shift for armed forces worldwide.

Capella Space (US), Belarus-Ukraine border, 24 February 2022

Low-cost images in hours

The reasons behind this rapid growth in commercial SAR satellites are reasonably straightforward. There has been a surge in the number of commercial space-launch services in operation in recent years, 这使得发射次数增加，发射卫星的价格也随之上涨
down significantly. At the same time, the size of satellites has generally decreased, meaning multiple units can be deployed simultaneously. 与此同时, demand for SAR images from sectors as diverse as agriculture, 水产养殖和消防为私营公司带来了利润
to invest in the technology.

It’s not if they’re looking. It’s if you let them see you.

Why signature analysis is crucial for combat survival

What is signature management?

Unlike “real aperture radars”, where resolution is limited by the length of their antennas, SARs have relatively short antennas. 然而, the use of algorithms allows them to combine multiple small images and produce highly detailed composite pictures of sections of the planet’s surface. For a few thousand US dollars, 任何人都可以从商业SAR卫星公司购买图像, showing a 5 km2 area of the Earth with a resolution of 0.5 m. 照片通常在拍摄后的几个小时内发布, 可以订购同一地点的后续图像来监测变化. 而一般来说，SAR系统在识别人类方面并不是特别有效, they are excellent at pinpointing metallic assets. 对于军事用途，这包括卡车、坦克和飞机等平台.

Nowhere to hide

The repercussions of this explosion in commercial SAR satellite data are significant for armed forces wanting to conceal their assets, movements and strategic intentions. As more and more SAR satellites come online, it is becoming progressively harder to avoid detection. While the resolution of
商用雷达可能不如军用雷达那么好, 它们足够好，可以让分析人士得出关于敌人正在做什么的结论. By comparing one image with the next, the movement of
equipment in and out of an area can easily be discerned.

更重要的是，武装部队可以预期传感器的威胁将继续快速增长. 随着新公司进入市场和SAR卫星数量的增加, covering more of the planet, 有可能获得某一地区的实时SAR视频的时间即将到来. While in the past, armed forces could hide sensitive assets in hangars when they knew the enemy’s radar satellite was approaching, that is no longer an option.

Camouflage solutions

欺骗敌人的真实意图和行动是战斗成功的关键. 这就是为什么武装部队必须转向解决传感器威胁的原因. 而SAR卫星系统的商业化使得隐藏资产变得更加困难, it is still possible. 要做到这一点, armed forces need to choose camouflage systems that are effective against SAR and also need to think strategically about the best ways to use them.

Saab’s Barracuda systems aim to combat radar sensors using absorbers that attenuate the electromagnetic pulse emitted by SAR satellites, concealing the assets hidden beneath. 现场试验清楚地表明，如果这些系统使用正确, it is extremely difficult to spot camouflaged assets. 当这种系统与诱饵相结合，使敌人转向别处, a very high degree of deception can be achieved.

The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of supply chains for battle success. Camouflage solutions aimed at defeating SAR satellites should do more than just cover battle assets like tanks and troop carriers. It is critical they cover the full logistic chain as well, including fuel, ammunition and food trucks. 如果一个国家的武装部队与国际盟友合作, 所有部队都具备良好的欺骗和伪装能力也至关重要. 否则，最薄弱的一环就会把敌人直接引到队伍里.

The added optical threat

与此同时, attention should also be paid to the continued growth of commercial optical satellite services. Following a boom in the early 2000s,
such services now provide anyone with a credit card with detailed visual images of anywhere on the planet. 缺点之一是缺乏SAR图像的灵活性和24/7的操作能力. Being passive systems, they rely on reflected daylight to create an image, meaning they cannot produce usable images at night or if clouds are obscuring the target area. 然而，对象也倾向于在视觉格式中易于识别. An object that “might be” a truck when viewed in a SAR image can often be clearly´identified as “definitely” a truck with an image from an optical satellite. When SAR and optical satellite images are used together, they represent a formidable, 全天候的传感器威胁是任何武装部队都无法忽视的. 目前，各种卫星公司正在计划开展工作
共同发射光学和SAR传感器星座来实现这种覆盖.

Hyperspectral on the horizon

展望未来，武装部队的下一个挑战是隐藏他们的
来自敌人的行动很可能是商用高光谱卫星的到来.

Advanced hyperspectral scanners are currently used by major military powers and provide highly detailed images of targeted areas when compared to conventional technologies. 一个电磁频谱被分配给图像的每个像素, allowing the sensor to differentiate between natural and man-made materials and easily identify objects of military significance.

目前, there are no hyperspectral scanners commercially available, but there are plans for a commercial service to begin operation soon with a constellation of satellites. 这代表了伪装系统需要克服的下一个主要传感器威胁, as hyperspectral scanners can differentiate between a surface that has been painted green and vegetation which is the same green.

While the threat is real, camouflage developers such as Saab are al读y working on camouflage solutions with the potential to fool the sensors. We have had hyperspectral technology in-house for several years and our teams have been hard at work developing systems to counter it – some of which are at the prototype stage. 一般来说，伪装往往落后于传感器的发展. But once a sensor is in the market, 我们的团队很快就开发出一套伪装系统来对付它.

Camouflage solutions

产品

Barracuda MCS

现代军用车辆必须具有低特征和适应性，以击败和消除威胁. We developed our Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) to do that.

产品

Barracuda ULCAS

When you need multispectral camouflage that is scalable to a wide range of deployed assets, look no further, 我们的超轻型伪装屏幕(ULCAS)就是答案.

产品

Barracuda Soldier System

On today’s battlefield, airborne thermal sensors are easily acquired and can immediately detect unprotected soldiers outside secure areas. 在高度伪装的车辆或宿舍中受到保护是不够的. 没有个人伪装，一个士兵就能暴露整个部队的位置.