A drone swarm attacks at low altitude, exploiting terrain cover. Ground-based RF sensors register signals – but the operator remains invisible, positioned behind a ridgeline two kilometres away. No ground sensor can reach him. This scenario is no longer hypothetical. It defines the tactical reality of today’s battlefields – and the capability gap the AARTOS Hawk T1 was designed to close.
Why Ground-Based RF Detection Reaches Its Limits
RF-based drone detection operates on a straightforward principle: a sensor receives the radio signals exchanged between a drone and its operator, classifies them, and localises the source. The faster and more precisely this happens, the earlier a response becomes possible.
The constraint is geometric. Every ground-based sensor has a fixed perspective – it looks upward and outward from a fixed point. The moment terrain, buildings, or simple line-of-sight geometry block the path to the operator, geolocation becomes unreliable or impossible. A tactically aware operator exploits exactly this. He selects his position deliberately to remain in the blind spot of ground-based sensors.
The same applies in the EW domain: a jammer or GPS spoofer operating from behind a terrain fold is effectively invisible to any system reliant on a ground perspective. The signals are present – but triangulation fails.
What the AARTOS Hawk T1 Changes
The Hawk T1 is a compact RF geolocation system in a payload configuration, weighing under 5 kg, mountable directly on commercial multirotor or fixed-wing UAV platforms. The perspective shifts: the sensor ascends, overcomes terrain masking, and surveys the full electromagnetic picture from above – while transmitting its data in real time to ground-based command posts.
For counter-UAS missions, this means the operator who previously concealed himself behind a ridgeline becomes visible. Hawk T1 localises his radio link to the drone, classifies the signal, and delivers position and altitude data in real time – with a geolocation accuracy of up to 25 × 25 metres. A network of just three Hawk T1 systems can reliably geolocate LoRa-based drone ground control stations at distances of up to 75 km.
For EW and SIGINT operations, the elevated sensor perspective enables the detection and localisation of unknown emitters, jammers, GPS spoofers, and other RF sources across a wide operational area – including signals that are encrypted, use proprietary protocols, or have never previously been characterised.
Blind-TDoA: Protocol-Independent Geolocation
Unlike approaches that rely on known signal protocols or drone databases, Hawk T1 employs Aaronia’s Blind-TDoA technology. This enables the system to geolocate virtually any RF emitter regardless of protocol, modulation type, encryption method, or manufacturer – including signals that are completely unknown at the time of detection.
Operationally Validated in Real-World Conflict Environments
During several months of operational evaluation in an active conflict environment, Hawk T1 demonstrated the ability to detect and geolocate aerial and ground-based RF emitters significantly earlier than conventional SIGINT methods. Key results included:
- Geolocation accuracy of known emitters typically between 40 and 80 metres
- Long-range tracking of RF emitters and airborne targets at distances exceeding 150 km
- Successful tracking of low-altitude targets (150–400 m AGL) at ranges of 40–60 km in complex terrain
- Real-time geolocation of analogue video transmissions independent of encryption
- Stable operation under active electronic warfare conditions
- Simultaneous tracking of multiple targets across multiple frequency bands
The evaluation further confirmed the system’s ability to support interception assets through early warning and target handoff, significantly reducing reaction times against aerial threats.
Technical Foundation
The Hawk T1 is based on Aaronia’s SPECTRAN V6 real-time spectrum analysis platform and is powered by the RTSA-Suite PRO software environment. Key specifications include:
• Frequency coverage: 10 MHz–8 GHz standard, optional 9 kHz–18 GHz
• Real-time bandwidth: 245 MHz I/Q
• Sweep speed: up to 1,100 GHz/s
• GNSS-synchronised timing architecture with optional OCXO and CSAC atomic reference
• Payload weight below 5 kg
• Real-time data transmission to command and control networks
• Seamless integration into existing AARTOS deployments
Beyond Counter-UAS
While originally developed as an extension of the AARTOS counter-drone ecosystem, Hawk T1 significantly expands the operational scope of RF-based situational awareness. The system provides military and security organisations with an airborne RF intelligence capability suited to locating emitters beyond terrain obstacles, monitoring contested electromagnetic environments, and supporting both counter-UAS and electronic warfare missions from a single platform.
“Modern conflicts have demonstrated that locating the operator is often more operationally decisive than detecting the drone itself,”
says Stephan Kraschansky, Chief Defense & Government Solutions Officer at Aaronia AG.
“Hawk T1 adds an airborne RF perspective to existing counter-UAS and EW architectures – enabling the geolocation of emitters and drone operators in environments where traditional ground-based systems reach their physical limits.”
With more than 700 permanently installed systems worldwide – including major international airports such as Changi, Muscat, and London Heathrow – AARTOS is the most field-proven C-UAS system on the market. In mobile deployments, AARTOS has most recently secured high-profile events including the NATO Summit in The Hague and the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The AARTOS Hawk T1 extends this foundation into a new operational dimension.
Source: Aaronia AG