Defence Online

Dstl’s Moonlight radar system to help protect UK military

Homeland November 20, 2018

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are shining a light on enemy radars by using a world-leading radar tracking system to help protect UK military personnel and their equipment during operations around the world.

Thousands of radars exist globally, many of which are being used by hostile nations to track and potentially threaten UK military operations. Getting accurate, real-time information on these radars is extremely problematic, time-consuming and costly, in addition to the risk of leaving our Armed Forces operating with limited information.

Dstl’s Moonlight system uses machine-learning algorithms to gather vital data. It is the only system of its kind that automatically updates the position of more than 10,000 radars every day using machine learning thereby saving 32,000 hours of manual analytical effort each month. The data gathered is now helping to improve planning and post event analysis of UK supported joint maritime, land and air missions.

Dstl has worked with industry partners 3SDL Ltd to tackle the problem. The new and novel machine-learning software has been developed to automate the process, which allows much greater accuracy on the location and identifies radars in near real time.

Dstl’s Alasdair Gilchrist, said: “A key part of our role at Dstl is making sure we protect our people and the platforms they work within. This novel software improves the MOD’s knowledge of radar threats, making sure we have safer operations for all of our Armed Forces. It significantly enhances operational effectiveness saves the user time and money.”

image Crown Copyright

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Dstl Moonlight radar tracking

Post written by: Matt Brown