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What's SIGINT And How Is It Used

What's SIGINT And How Is It Used

Intelligence-pushed determination-making is at the coronary heart of daily operations and strategic planning for contemporary militaries and intelligence agencies, and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) is a big part of what makes it possible. Right this moment we’ll discuss how SIGINT works and why it is so essential, especially as it applies to Electronic Warfare applications.

SIGINT Explained
SIGINT is the interception of signals for the purpose of gathering intelligence. It is divided into three sub-disciplines:

Communications Intelligence (COMINT) which is the interception of communication between folks and teams
Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) which is the intercepting of digital signals which usually are not specifically used for communication
Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence (FISINT), which is the gathering of signals created by the testing and use of foreign weapons systems.

The origins of SIGINT will be traced back to the primary world war when British forces began intercepting German radio communications to achieve intelligence about their plans. This led to using cryptography to conceal the content of radio transmissions, and as such, cryptanalysis grew to become an integral part of SIGINT as well.

As technology has advanced, so has the field of SIGINT. Right now, the US military gathers signals intelligence through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Global Hawk and Reaper drones, which are outfitted with powerful infrared sensors and cameras, as well as Light and Imaging Detection (LIDAR) and synthetic aperture RADAR systems to gather and transmit back valuable raw intelligence from the operational atmosphere for analysis.

One downside of UAVs is that they fly slower and at lower altitudes than manned plane, leaving them more vulnerable to anti-plane measures. One solution is the EA-18G Growler. This aircraft is an updated version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, which has been repurposed from a pure combat plane to an advanced, supersonic ISR platform. It could possibly fly a lot faster and higher than a drone and is equipped with sensors that can detect enemy RADAR and even cell phone signals.

Another more down-to-earth example of contemporary SIGINT capabilities would be interception of digital communications data by the NSA, which can provide motionable intelligence in real-time by capturing data like emails, texts, phone calls and more.

When raw SIGINT is captured, it should then be translated, interpreted or represented, because the case could also be, into info which can then be analyzed and used for choice-making.

How Does SIGINT apply to Electronic Warfare?
The term Electronic Warfare (EW) applies to military motion involving the usage of the electromagnetic spectrum. The goal of EW is to maximise the ability of pleasant forces to access and exploit the spectrum while disrupting and denying the enemy’s ability to do the same. It also encompasses the use of technology to defend in opposition to attacks on spectral capabilities and using offensive directed energy weapons. Examples of EW embody radar jamming, communication jamming, and digital masking, as well as countermeasures in opposition to such techniques.

As with SIGINT, EW might be divided into three sub-disciplines. These embody:

Digital Attack (EA), which consists of offensive use of directed energy in opposition to the enemy
Digital Protection (EP), which is defensive, like the Electronic Warfare Self-Protection (EWSP) suite constructed into fighter jets
Electronic Warfare Assist (ES), the follow of locating and figuring out the sources of electromagnetic energy signals for the purpose of supporting choice-making
It is in this third category of ES that we see the overlap of electronic warfare and SIGINT because the systems and equipment used for ES can concurrently acquire intelligence. While ES is more focused on instant threats within the operational atmosphere, much of the data obtained can be utilized to reinforce raw signals intelligence and SIGINT determination-making.

ES can detect the source of an electromagnetic signal, the type of equipment producing that signal, and relevant data like frequency, modulation, etc. For example, ES personnel can detect an unknown radar signal emanating from someplace in the battlespace. They'll analyze the signal and decide the type of radar that's getting used, and compare their findings with countries known to make use of this type of radar, and what vehicles, ships, aircraft, etc. it is typically used with. They will then verify the character of the radar supply, and make intelligent predictions on what the unknown actor’s intentions are.

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