Low probability of intercept (LPI) is one of the latest military technologies being adopted for civilian use. This standard feature for radar systems designed for surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance can give various types of businesses the edge to neutralize physical and cyber threats, relentlessly spying on communications.

Discover the price private organizations pay for using insecure communications and the most exciting use cases of low probability signals outside the military.

The Cost of Insecure Communication Systems to Businesses

Compromised communication systems enable threat actors to locate targets in cyberspace and in the real world. Detection exposes you to attacks with far-reaching consequences.

Cargo ships are an excellent example. Modern pirates employ sophisticated tools to spot merchant vessels navigating the high seas. Ocean piracy is a multibillion-dollar industry, proving that hijacking freighters and stealing precious merchandise is too lucrative for this crime to lose its appeal.

Ocean marine insurance covers piracy-related losses. However, its standard coverage excludes risks associated with crew abduction. Shipping companies often have to buy a separate policy for kidnapping and ransom payment.

LPI would make the lives of pirates harder. Frequency hopping, spread spectrum, chirping and beamforming are some of the techniques this tech uses to achieve stealth. Communication systems emitting low probability signals decrease signal-to-noise ratios enough to frustrate users of lesser intercept receivers.

Naturally, malicious characters develop countermeasures, such as data fusion methods, to sense the presence of devices flying under the radar. That’s why this technology is constantly under development, despite being considered mature. Cognitive radar and advanced digital processing powered by machine learning should enhance current LPI capabilities and help enterprises stay ahead in this never-ending game of cat and mouse. 

Most Promising Nonmilitary Use Cases of Low Probability Signals

Only the imagination limits the number of civilian use cases for communication systems optimized to send low probability signals. Here are the six most exciting ones.

1. Combating Piracy for Maritime Security

LPI enables private maritime security companies to scan vast areas for pirate activity unnoticed. Convert surveillance matters, such as signal jamming and adversarial interference, present challenges to seamless transmission of sensitive tactical information in contested radio frequency spectrum environments. Stealth capabilities augment offensive and defensive efforts to safeguard cargo.

2. Enabling Discreet Surveillance for Law Enforcement

Law enforcement organizations can use LPI-capable radars to outsmart criminals attempting to traffic contraband and humans across and within borders. These devices allow officers to track persons of interest without arousing suspicion, monitoring their communications to gather intelligence and identify more high-profile targets.

3. Building Air Traffic Control System Resilience

Low probability signals help decongest crowded electromagnetic environments. Less polluted airspace environments enable surveillance and communication systems to operate without interfering with each other. Air traffic control radars with LPI capabilities are less susceptible to spoofing and can send signals without worrying about them ending up in the hands of unauthorized parties.

4. Enhancing the Safety of Connected Vehicles

Incorporating LPI techniques into automotive radars is critical to the proper operation of modern vehicles. Multiple sensors underpin safety features, such as blind spot detection and collision avoidance, and low probability signals enable individual cars to share the road with minimal interference. Less detectable automotive radars are harder to hack, preventing attackers from manipulating the perception of autonomous vehicles of their surroundings, which can lead to accidents.

5. Reducing Weather Monitoring’s Environmental Impact

Advanced radar networks use artificial intelligence and LPI to analyze vast amounts of data to forecast and monitor the weather while mitigating the effects of electromagnetic emissions on wildlife. Reducing the impact of human-made electromagnetic fields on the ability of animals to navigate, communicate, hunt, forage and produce is a win for conservation and biodiversity. This application is particularly relevant today, given the growing need to study weather patterns due to climate change.

6. Protecting Drones From Cybersecurity Threats

Stealth in delivery drones is vital in a future where aerial fulfillment centers are the norm. Retail giants Walmart and Amazon plan to utilize floating warehouses to expedite merchandise movement in the coming years, leading to increased use of flying robots to transport packages over urban areas. Delivery drones are less viable targets for cyberattacks when their signals are tricky to detect and intercept, protecting population centers below. 

Securing Communications With Low Probability Signals

Communication data detection is a means to various criminal ends. Although nothing can stop threat actors from attempting to locate their targets, the continuous development of LPI gives business leaders much-needed hope and confidence to fight back.