HawkEye 360 to provide RF analytics for AFRL

14th January 2022 - 15:49 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

RSS

HawkEye 360 will apply its RF geospatial intelligence capabilities to an AFRL programme for hybrid space ISR. (Image: HawkEye 360)

AFRL programme focuses on developing and transitioning space capabilities for more effective and affordable missions.

HawkEye 360 has won its first direct contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in the form of a three-year Experimental Purpose Agreement (EPA).

The $15.5 million deal, announced on 11 January, will see Virginia-based HawkEye 360 provide RF analytics research, development and experiments to help the USAF demonstrate, test and evaluate a hybrid space ISR architecture.

HawkEye 360 will support a variety of operational use cases by providing embedded personnel support, data collection, tools for data ingestion, analytics and other services. The EPA includes participation in military exercises such as RIMPAC ‘to introduce new capabilities to the warfighter and identify ways to improve and integrate into operational workflows’, the company noted in a statement.

AFRL technical programme manager Charlene Jacka said that working with HawkEye ‘can supplement and strengthen our hybrid satellite ISR architecture’ while also helping to develop ‘new tactics, techniques and procedures ‘.

Shephard reported in December 2021 that HawkEye 360 aims to launch three additional clusters of its HawkEye satellite this year. Its long-term goal is to operate a 20-cluster HawkEye constellation.