The passive radar system developed by HENSOLDT, “TwInvis”, adds a new dimension to the world of surveillance and situational awareness.
It offers decisive operational advantages: it cannot be located due to the absence of any transmitted energy and it does not need any emissions from targets to locate them. TwInvis avoids adding to an already over-crowded electromagnetic spectrum and works instead by using existing very high frequency (VHF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF) transmissions from analogue and digital radio as well as television. This makes it perfect for: covert surveillance tasks, use in areas of electromagnetic congestion, gap filling, and where jamming is a concern.
Populated areas all over the world have sufficient transmitter-of-opportunity coverage for TwInvis to use. However, the system can also work in sparsely populated areas. This is achieved by the use of cooperative transmitters delivering either content like music or just white noise.
Light, small and easy to deploy, TwInvis is equally home in urban areas or at remote borders. Its economical price and maintenance and silent operation make it the right system to enable coverage in “white spots” and detection of targets formerly flying under the proverbial radar. It is even considered to be accurate enough for application in the Air Traffic Control domain.
For its 3D real time and instant omnidirectional tracking, TwInvis uses state of the art processing and current high-end computing platforms. This allows the exploitation of more than 20 transmitters simultaneously. Deployable as a mobile and easily relocatable or as a fixed system, TwInvis also comes equipped with a mission planning tool to find the best sensor location and predict the scenario performance.
TwInvis is used for various applications, with the general application approach including: “seeing without being seen” scenarios, gap filler and sensitive spot coverage, radar performance where active radars are no option and detecting non-emitting targets. TwInvis sensor fusion with other sensors like active radars and sensor clusters extending coverage or accuracy. It is also usable without the approval by authorities.
For air surveillance, TwInvis provides detection of non-emitting targets, long range border and coastal surveillance, near-range high precision slow and low target tracking, camp and event protection. Examples here are the G8 summit, sports events, air traffic management, low cost airfield radar performance, high building and infrastructure signal lighting control.
TwInvis also provides sea and ground surveillance, by harbor awareness and protection without interference, ship self-protection, and border protection.
TwInvis has already shown what it can do in several demonstrations to military customers, air traffic control organizations and other interested parties. Two TwInvis demonstrators have already been delivered to potential customers in Europe.
Headquartered in Taufkirchen near Munich, Germany, HENSOLDT develops sensor solutions for defense and security applications. As a technology leader, HENSOLDT also continuously expands its Cyber portfolio and develops new products to combat a wide range of threats based on innovative approaches to data management, robotics and cybersecurity.
With more than 5,600 employees, HENSOLDT generated revenues of 1.2 billion euros in 2020. HENSOLDT is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the SDAX stock market index there.
