Elettronica plan enhancements to MUROS Scout software

Officials from Elettronica have told MONS during the GPEC police equipment exhibition held in Frankfurt between 20th and 22nd February, that the company is planning enhancements to its MUROS Scout situational awareness software which should become available to MUROS Scout users and new customers before the end of the year.

The MUROS Scout software can federate intelligence and data derived from several sensors and has found a notable utility in recent years for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) detection. Currently, the software can accept sensor feeds from ground-based air surveillance radars, optronics systems and electronic support measures all of which can be combined by the software to aid the detection and location of UAVs.

The company now plans to expand the sensor envelope accepted by the MUROS Scout software. Company sources told MONS that this could include the integration of a means to detect emissions from ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) civilian aircraft transponders which typically transmit in the L-band frequency of 1.090 gigahertz and which are increasingly being deployed on civilian aircraft around the world. This would give the MUROS Scout software the ability to not only detect UAVs, but also potentially other inhabited aircraft which may have inadvertently strayed into an area of restricted airspace which maybe outside radar coverage. Such a capability would be particularly useful for policing airspace which has temporarily been closed such as above a high level political summit or sporting event.

Similarly, the company is planning to add connectivity for AIS (Automatic Identification System) very high frequency/GPS (Global Positioning System) 30 megahertz/MHz to 300MHz and L-band (one gigahertz to two gigahertz) respectively maritime transponders which are mandated by the International Maritime Organisation for all vessels displacing in excess of 300 tonnes gross. This will enable the MUROS Scout software to be used to provide maritime traffic situational awareness and coastal protection when an area of the coast is forbidden, or closed off, to marine traffic.

Thomas Withington