Foiling foes

recently demonstrated the automatic interception of signals and intelligence as well as the ability to track potential terrorists during a demonstration to US Department of Defense and Intelligence customers.

Boeing said in a statement that for the first time, signal intelligence receivers proved that they could automatically identify the target -- a mock terrorist -- and trigger airborne surveillance assets to track the target on the ground, while capturing full-motion imagery and broadcasting it instantly to analysts several hundred miles away.

Boeing used a mobile mesh-net satellite communications network to broadcast live video and command and control information from two different unmanned aircraft systems simultaneously to the East and West coasts.

"Boeing recognises the increasing importance of integrating organic and national systems for our customers," said Dan Jones, director of the Advanced Information Systems unit of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "Customers are asking for instant collection capabilities, and our ability to creatively integrate technology from Boeing, our customers and our valued partners provides them with near-term focused capabilities that make the promise of network-centric operations real."