Eyes Wide Open
In the HLS field, intelligence collection is one of the most important elements of preparing to face any threat. Special review of the resources that help to defend the country
The technology is known as photogrammetry – a charting and surveying technique using super high-resolution still aerial photographs. The actual photography is carried out by a camera housed in a dedicated payload fitted to a Mini-UAV manufactured by the Blue Bird Company. The objective: a cultivated agricultural field in a Latin-American country. This particular Mini-UAV was launched in order to spot crops used for the manufacture of narcotics. The camera managed to spot the crops and provided additional intelligence regarding the compound of the head of the drug cartel, located in the same area.
This real-life scenario describes the essence of an intelligence collection mission for HLS – Homeland Security.
Moving on to a different, fictional protection-security scenario: A nuclear power station of country X. The power station is located very close to the shore, among other reasons – so as to utilize the sea water for cooling. The country wishes to protect and secure the power station against any threat, sabotage attempt, intrusion or frontal attack. Owing to the location and strategic importance of the installation, the protection system for it should be triple-tiered with marine, land and aerial elements.
At sea, patrol boats, manned and unmanned, fitted with surveillance systems, will patrol the shoreline opposite the power station. On land, outside the power station perimeter, the same task will be performed by manned or unmanned vehicles and security units. The airspace over the nuclear power station will be patrolled by Mini and Micro UAVs fitted with payloads that contain stabilized day/night thermal vision surveillance cameras and various other sensors. The entire power station parameter will be surrounded by a smart fence system fitted with touch sensors, motion sensors and vibration sensors and monitored by a command and control system that would process the data being picked up and initiate responses. A surveillance aerostat will hover above the power station and monitor its perimeter while transmitting its imagery to the control center. Specialized sensors intended to detect any attempt to excavate a tunnel under the fences or walls will be installed in critical sections of the walls surrounding the power station. Special sensors capable of detecting a small boat or even a lone swimmer approaching the shore with explosives will be installed close to the shore, on stationary or mobile platforms. This extensive range of technologies will be operated by a central command and control facility, located somewhere inside the buildings of the power station, where the data collected will be received and processed so as to provide the local leaders with an intelligence picture and a status picture of all routine and emergency situations.
All of the platforms, both manned and robotic, the various aerial and marine vehicles, the sensors, cameras, aerostats, optical and electro-optical devices, have one mission in common – collect intelligence, monitor, track and photograph everything that takes place within the protected and secured area, and transmit the data to the command and control center where it will be processed and where conclusions will be drawn from it. The intelligence mission is twofold: monitor the routine operations of the nuclear power station and provide an immediate alert, in real time, of any irregular situation, which may turn out to be lethal.
There are many threats in this world: crime, attacks against critical infrastructures and strategic installations, cyber attacks, etc. In order to fight, counter and prevent the potential damage of those threats, intelligence is required. When the scope of information is substantial, Big Data technology providers that specialize in ways to collect, evaluate and provide information in real time, offer actionable intelligence solutions – methods for preventing and neutralizing threats in order to protect property. Various state-of-the-art voice and video analysis technologies that may be applied to intelligence collection have been developed in recent years.
Nir Barak, CEO of the Magen-100 Company, addressed the differences between intelligence collection for HLS and military intelligence: “HLS organizations are, by nature, more defensive and less offensive. Accordingly, the collection of intelligence for HLS is more passive and must consider legal restrictions and ethical aspects, as the law must not be violated and the property or equipment of individuals may not be accessed in an invasive manner. Inserting a Trojan horse, for example, is an illegal act. Law enforcement agencies must uphold the law even when they search for drug traffickers. The collection of military intelligence is carried out under fewer restrictions.”
The HLS activity distinguishes between three mission categories: border protection and control, strategic installation and infrastructure protection and law enforcement operations.
Border protection & control: this mission category combines routine patrols with systems that incorporate various sensors under the supervision and command of a C3 system.
Strategic installation & infrastructure protection: this mission category includes the monitoring and protection of gas and oil pipelines and high voltage lines. The user requires intelligence information regarding pipeline leaks, terrorist attacks, theft and even pipe corrosion. In seaport and nuclear power station protection applications, perimeter security is required and unmanned airborne vehicles expand the range and circumference of the area that may be protected. Surveillance cameras and sensors form a virtual fence that protects the installation. A real-life incident that demonstrates the need for multi-mission protection: a smart fence had been installed around an installation in a certain country, and issued an alert of an attempted intrusion. When the first response unit arrived at the spot where the intrusion had been detected, they came under fire. A UAV could have prevented this development. Coastal security includes the prevention of illegal fishing. A UAV can identify a foreign vessel and dispatch a patrol boat to investigate.
Law enforcement operations: this mission category includes monitoring of criminal activity and drug trafficking.
The extensive range of intelligence collection technologies for civilian use – surveillance cameras, Radar systems, sensors, manned aircraft and unmanned airborne vehicles, observation towers, intelligence/surveillance aerostats, intelligence collection land vehicles and naval vessels, computer systems and cellular devices, as well as the human eye and mind – all of these elements should supply the client with advance intelligence by utilizing the classic intelligence sources that are almost identical in all three activities – military intelligence, HLS and civilian missions. These sources are HumInt (Human Intelligence) – various human agents and sources; ImInt (Imagery Intelligence) – various imagery technologies, from simple handheld cameras to state-of-the-art equipment for long-range photography at night and under low visibility conditions; SigInt (Signals Intelligence) – a category divided into three secondary categories: ComInt (Communication Intelligence) – intelligence based on the monitoring of communication networks, ElInt (Electronic Intelligence) and FisInt (Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence) – intelligence derived from the interception of foreign electromagnetic transmissions, including telemetry signals associated with the testing of various platforms; MasInt (Measurement & Signature Intelligence) – intelligence derived from technical sensors, which enables identification of important measurement processes in the context of technology and system development processes.
Israeli Portfolio
\Many Israeli companies, from the major, long-established defense industries to the brilliant, budding startup companies, invest considerable resources and efforts in the development of intelligence collection systems for the HLS field, in view of the substantial demand in Israel and worldwide. The civilian development activity is the outcome of the immense experience gained by the Israeli development world through projects for military and defense needs. Eventually, an electro-optical sensor is an electro-optical sensor, a military UAV behaves just like a police UAV and a fence surrounding a military installation is not essentially different from a fence surrounding an airport.
The following is a small selection out of the extensive portfolio of products and technologies made in Israel for HLS missions.
The Magal Company, a world leader in physical and virtual perimeter security, won an important citation in Spain for the installation of a security system at the port of Tarragona, hailed as "the best security system in Spain for 2014". The system, designated Fortis-46, provides physical protection and cyber security and enables the user to collect information about threats and exercise command and control from a command center during an incident. The Magal Company develops smart fence systems relying on information collected by cutting-edge sensors that alert the user of any intrusion attempt. Magal's range of sensors includes vibration sensors, fiber-optic based sensors and seismic sensors installed near the walls of a protected and secured building in order to spot and issue alerts of any attempt to excavate a tunnel under the building.
The Verint Company offers communication intelligence solutions for this purpose precisely – collecting, monitoring and analyzing information picked up from communication networks. Additionally, Verint offers cyber security solutions based on the analysis of Internet network traffic for identifying malwares, video-based solutions and solutions for Safe City, border protection and transportation security projects.
The Controp Company develops and manufactures an extensive range of surveillance payloads and cameras that collect intelligence, monitor and issue alerts of irregular activities at airports, seaports, bays and coastlines, borders and critical installations. Their product range includes thermal infrared day/night surveillance cameras, some of which are capable of identifying a small boat or a lone swimmer attempting to approach the shore or a secured port. Surveillance systems by Controp, as the Cedar and Spider systems, include a thermal camera, a laser rangefinder and a laser pointer.
The operational concept of Rafael is based on the development of threat-identifying systems for protecting coastline sections, seaports and critical infrastructures. Each one of Rafael's systems is developed pursuant to a detailed geographical survey and in-depth examination of the area to be protected, an analysis of the relevant threats and detailed discussions with the client regarding the threat scenarios. Rafael offers UAVs and MUAVs, surveillance and intelligence collection aerostats, systems for spotting and identifying voices and collecting data, intelligence collection towers and motion sensing Radar systems.
The HLS people at IAI recommend the integration of technologies into a unified protection and security layout made up of cutting-edge sensors, communication and data processing systems and command and control systems. The emphasis in the architecture of their systems is placed on multi-layer construction which includes sensors, communication and data link systems. IAI’s solutions are custom-tailored to meet the client's requirements and maintain the potential for future system growth, upgrading and improvement as required.
The Blue Bird Company collects intelligence and guards strategic installations, refineries, seaports, nuclear power stations and high-tension lines mainly overseas – all using small, tactical (Mini and Micro) UAVs designed for civilian HLS missions as well as for military applications. Their Micro-B Micro-UAV was designed for such missions as installation security, border protection and search & rescue, as well as for collection of intelligence that would assist the client in crisis management and directing first responders when the equipment has issued an alert of a natural or man-made disaster. Blue Bird's Spy Lite Mini-UAV offers an operational range that is longer than that of the previous model (about 50 km) and longer endurance (about 4 hours), and may be fitted with a diversified range of payloads for various missions.
The RT Company develops and manufactures the Skystar family of aerostats for surveillance, intelligence collection, monitoring and communication. Skystar-180 aerostats have been deployed by the Municipality of Tel-Aviv and the Israel Police and sold to clients in Afghanistan, Mexico, Thailand, Canada, Russia and several African countries. Their Skystar-300 is a classic aerostat for HLS missions: this helium-filled aerostat operates at an average altitude of 500 meters and transmits data and video images to the ground. It can operate in strong winds of up to 40 knots. Once every 72 hours, aerostat operation must be stopped for no longer than 20 minutes in order to refill it with helium. The cable connecting it to the ground station houses a communication line for receiving and transmitting commands, data, video images as well as a two-way communication channel.
In the HLS field, intelligence collection is one of the most important elements of preparing to face any threat. Special review of the resources that help to defend the country
The technology is known as photogrammetry – a charting and surveying technique using super high-resolution still aerial photographs. The actual photography is carried out by a camera housed in a dedicated payload fitted to a Mini-UAV manufactured by the Blue Bird Company. The objective: a cultivated agricultural field in a Latin-American country. This particular Mini-UAV was launched in order to spot crops used for the manufacture of narcotics. The camera managed to spot the crops and provided additional intelligence regarding the compound of the head of the drug cartel, located in the same area.
This real-life scenario describes the essence of an intelligence collection mission for HLS – Homeland Security.
Moving on to a different, fictional protection-security scenario: A nuclear power station of country X. The power station is located very close to the shore, among other reasons – so as to utilize the sea water for cooling. The country wishes to protect and secure the power station against any threat, sabotage attempt, intrusion or frontal attack. Owing to the location and strategic importance of the installation, the protection system for it should be triple-tiered with marine, land and aerial elements.
At sea, patrol boats, manned and unmanned, fitted with surveillance systems, will patrol the shoreline opposite the power station. On land, outside the power station perimeter, the same task will be performed by manned or unmanned vehicles and security units. The airspace over the nuclear power station will be patrolled by Mini and Micro UAVs fitted with payloads that contain stabilized day/night thermal vision surveillance cameras and various other sensors. The entire power station parameter will be surrounded by a smart fence system fitted with touch sensors, motion sensors and vibration sensors and monitored by a command and control system that would process the data being picked up and initiate responses. A surveillance aerostat will hover above the power station and monitor its perimeter while transmitting its imagery to the control center. Specialized sensors intended to detect any attempt to excavate a tunnel under the fences or walls will be installed in critical sections of the walls surrounding the power station. Special sensors capable of detecting a small boat or even a lone swimmer approaching the shore with explosives will be installed close to the shore, on stationary or mobile platforms. This extensive range of technologies will be operated by a central command and control facility, located somewhere inside the buildings of the power station, where the data collected will be received and processed so as to provide the local leaders with an intelligence picture and a status picture of all routine and emergency situations.
All of the platforms, both manned and robotic, the various aerial and marine vehicles, the sensors, cameras, aerostats, optical and electro-optical devices, have one mission in common – collect intelligence, monitor, track and photograph everything that takes place within the protected and secured area, and transmit the data to the command and control center where it will be processed and where conclusions will be drawn from it. The intelligence mission is twofold: monitor the routine operations of the nuclear power station and provide an immediate alert, in real time, of any irregular situation, which may turn out to be lethal.
There are many threats in this world: crime, attacks against critical infrastructures and strategic installations, cyber attacks, etc. In order to fight, counter and prevent the potential damage of those threats, intelligence is required. When the scope of information is substantial, Big Data technology providers that specialize in ways to collect, evaluate and provide information in real time, offer actionable intelligence solutions – methods for preventing and neutralizing threats in order to protect property. Various state-of-the-art voice and video analysis technologies that may be applied to intelligence collection have been developed in recent years.
Nir Barak, CEO of the Magen-100 Company, addressed the differences between intelligence collection for HLS and military intelligence: “HLS organizations are, by nature, more defensive and less offensive. Accordingly, the collection of intelligence for HLS is more passive and must consider legal restrictions and ethical aspects, as the law must not be violated and the property or equipment of individuals may not be accessed in an invasive manner. Inserting a Trojan horse, for example, is an illegal act. Law enforcement agencies must uphold the law even when they search for drug traffickers. The collection of military intelligence is carried out under fewer restrictions.”
The HLS activity distinguishes between three mission categories: border protection and control, strategic installation and infrastructure protection and law enforcement operations.
Border protection & control: this mission category combines routine patrols with systems that incorporate various sensors under the supervision and command of a C3 system.
Strategic installation & infrastructure protection: this mission category includes the monitoring and protection of gas and oil pipelines and high voltage lines. The user requires intelligence information regarding pipeline leaks, terrorist attacks, theft and even pipe corrosion. In seaport and nuclear power station protection applications, perimeter security is required and unmanned airborne vehicles expand the range and circumference of the area that may be protected. Surveillance cameras and sensors form a virtual fence that protects the installation. A real-life incident that demonstrates the need for multi-mission protection: a smart fence had been installed around an installation in a certain country, and issued an alert of an attempted intrusion. When the first response unit arrived at the spot where the intrusion had been detected, they came under fire. A UAV could have prevented this development. Coastal security includes the prevention of illegal fishing. A UAV can identify a foreign vessel and dispatch a patrol boat to investigate.
Law enforcement operations: this mission category includes monitoring of criminal activity and drug trafficking.
The extensive range of intelligence collection technologies for civilian use – surveillance cameras, Radar systems, sensors, manned aircraft and unmanned airborne vehicles, observation towers, intelligence/surveillance aerostats, intelligence collection land vehicles and naval vessels, computer systems and cellular devices, as well as the human eye and mind – all of these elements should supply the client with advance intelligence by utilizing the classic intelligence sources that are almost identical in all three activities – military intelligence, HLS and civilian missions. These sources are HumInt (Human Intelligence) – various human agents and sources; ImInt (Imagery Intelligence) – various imagery technologies, from simple handheld cameras to state-of-the-art equipment for long-range photography at night and under low visibility conditions; SigInt (Signals Intelligence) – a category divided into three secondary categories: ComInt (Communication Intelligence) – intelligence based on the monitoring of communication networks, ElInt (Electronic Intelligence) and FisInt (Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence) – intelligence derived from the interception of foreign electromagnetic transmissions, including telemetry signals associated with the testing of various platforms; MasInt (Measurement & Signature Intelligence) – intelligence derived from technical sensors, which enables identification of important measurement processes in the context of technology and system development processes.
Israeli Portfolio
\Many Israeli companies, from the major, long-established defense industries to the brilliant, budding startup companies, invest considerable resources and efforts in the development of intelligence collection systems for the HLS field, in view of the substantial demand in Israel and worldwide. The civilian development activity is the outcome of the immense experience gained by the Israeli development world through projects for military and defense needs. Eventually, an electro-optical sensor is an electro-optical sensor, a military UAV behaves just like a police UAV and a fence surrounding a military installation is not essentially different from a fence surrounding an airport.
The following is a small selection out of the extensive portfolio of products and technologies made in Israel for HLS missions.
The Magal Company, a world leader in physical and virtual perimeter security, won an important citation in Spain for the installation of a security system at the port of Tarragona, hailed as "the best security system in Spain for 2014". The system, designated Fortis-46, provides physical protection and cyber security and enables the user to collect information about threats and exercise command and control from a command center during an incident. The Magal Company develops smart fence systems relying on information collected by cutting-edge sensors that alert the user of any intrusion attempt. Magal's range of sensors includes vibration sensors, fiber-optic based sensors and seismic sensors installed near the walls of a protected and secured building in order to spot and issue alerts of any attempt to excavate a tunnel under the building.
The Verint Company offers communication intelligence solutions for this purpose precisely – collecting, monitoring and analyzing information picked up from communication networks. Additionally, Verint offers cyber security solutions based on the analysis of Internet network traffic for identifying malwares, video-based solutions and solutions for Safe City, border protection and transportation security projects.
The Controp Company develops and manufactures an extensive range of surveillance payloads and cameras that collect intelligence, monitor and issue alerts of irregular activities at airports, seaports, bays and coastlines, borders and critical installations. Their product range includes thermal infrared day/night surveillance cameras, some of which are capable of identifying a small boat or a lone swimmer attempting to approach the shore or a secured port. Surveillance systems by Controp, as the Cedar and Spider systems, include a thermal camera, a laser rangefinder and a laser pointer.
The operational concept of Rafael is based on the development of threat-identifying systems for protecting coastline sections, seaports and critical infrastructures. Each one of Rafael's systems is developed pursuant to a detailed geographical survey and in-depth examination of the area to be protected, an analysis of the relevant threats and detailed discussions with the client regarding the threat scenarios. Rafael offers UAVs and MUAVs, surveillance and intelligence collection aerostats, systems for spotting and identifying voices and collecting data, intelligence collection towers and motion sensing Radar systems.
The HLS people at IAI recommend the integration of technologies into a unified protection and security layout made up of cutting-edge sensors, communication and data processing systems and command and control systems. The emphasis in the architecture of their systems is placed on multi-layer construction which includes sensors, communication and data link systems. IAI’s solutions are custom-tailored to meet the client's requirements and maintain the potential for future system growth, upgrading and improvement as required.
The Blue Bird Company collects intelligence and guards strategic installations, refineries, seaports, nuclear power stations and high-tension lines mainly overseas – all using small, tactical (Mini and Micro) UAVs designed for civilian HLS missions as well as for military applications. Their Micro-B Micro-UAV was designed for such missions as installation security, border protection and search & rescue, as well as for collection of intelligence that would assist the client in crisis management and directing first responders when the equipment has issued an alert of a natural or man-made disaster. Blue Bird's Spy Lite Mini-UAV offers an operational range that is longer than that of the previous model (about 50 km) and longer endurance (about 4 hours), and may be fitted with a diversified range of payloads for various missions.
The RT Company develops and manufactures the Skystar family of aerostats for surveillance, intelligence collection, monitoring and communication. Skystar-180 aerostats have been deployed by the Municipality of Tel-Aviv and the Israel Police and sold to clients in Afghanistan, Mexico, Thailand, Canada, Russia and several African countries. Their Skystar-300 is a classic aerostat for HLS missions: this helium-filled aerostat operates at an average altitude of 500 meters and transmits data and video images to the ground. It can operate in strong winds of up to 40 knots. Once every 72 hours, aerostat operation must be stopped for no longer than 20 minutes in order to refill it with helium. The cable connecting it to the ground station houses a communication line for receiving and transmitting commands, data, video images as well as a two-way communication channel.
