HawkEye 360, a leading commercial provider of space-based Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), has announced the launch of its Vessel Custody ID feature, designed to significantly strengthen national security and intelligence operations.

This new capability leverages the company’s proprietary space-based Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) data to provide high-confidence, persistent tracking and identification of vessels globally.

Key Takeaways

• Vessel Custody ID utilizes HawkEye 360’s unique SIGINT data streams.
• The feature offers enhanced national security and maritime intelligence support.
• The system ensures persistent and high-confidence tracking of maritime targets.

The Vessel Custody ID is expected to be a critical tool for governments and agencies tasked with monitoring illegal maritime activities, enforcing sanctions, and securing international waters. By correlating multiple SIGINT observations, HawkEye 360 can establish an unbroken chain of custody for vessels, even when they attempt to conceal their identity or location by manipulating traditional tracking systems.

HawkEye 360’s satellites detect the Radio Frequency (RF) emissions from a vessel’s other active electronic systems (like navigation radar, satellite communications, VHF radios). The Vessel Custody ID feature uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to link these independent RF detections to a single, persistent, and highly confident tracking identifier for the vessel, regardless of its AIS status. This establishes a “chain of custody.”

This Direct Intersection with defence fulfills several key needs for the U.S. Government and its allies:

• Persistent Tracking in Contested Regions
• Deceptive Behavior Detection
• Actionable Intelligence
• Unclassified and Shareable Data

This commercial capability provides defense and intelligence communities with an unprecedented, assured SIGINT advantage in the critical maritime domain.