Finding the Person Behind the Drone: Sky Spy Demonstrates Airborne Detection System with French Military

Drone-mounted system helps military users detect and locate drone operators, control stations, jammers, and other RF emitters in contested environments.

Sky Spy and Evolve Dynamics have announced a partnership to integrate airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities across Evolve Dynamics’ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), following a recent demonstration with the French Armed Forces.

The companies tested the capability during the GALENE exercise, organized by France’s Cyber Defence Command (COMCYBER). The demonstration paired Sky Spy’s SkyAgent 001 SIGINT payload with Evolve Dynamics’ Sky Mantis 2 rotary-wing drone in an electromagnetic spectrum exercise designed to identify and locate radio-frequency (RF) emitters.

According to the companies, French military personnel observed the system detecting, classifying, and geolocating high-priority emitters throughout the scenario.

Bringing Signals Intelligence into the Air

While many military drone payloads focus on imagery and surveillance, Sky Spy’s technology is designed to collect intelligence from the electromagnetic spectrum.

The company’s SkyAgent 001 system is intended to detect, classify, and locate RF emissions generated by radios, drone control links, electronic warfare systems, jammers, and other transmitters. By mounting the system on a drone, operators can collect signals from an elevated position, potentially extending detection range beyond what ground-based sensors can achieve.

The approach reflects a growing focus among military users on spectrum awareness, particularly as conflicts such as the war in Ukraine have highlighted the importance of locating and understanding electronic activity on the battlefield.

Sky Spy says its systems are designed to integrate with broader intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and command-and-control workflows.

Demonstration with French Armed Forces

The recent exercise evaluated how airborne RF sensing could support military personnel operating in complex electromagnetic environments.

Lieutenant-colonel Élie Fontana, Head of the GCEM Unit, Cyber Defence Command (COMCYBER), said the demonstration showed the operational potential of lightweight airborne SIGINT systems.

“During the GALENE exercise, Sky Spy demonstrated a lightweight airborne SIGINT capability, able to detect, classify, and geolocate multiple emitters in complex electromagnetic conditions. The system shows clear operational potential for tactical spectrum awareness in modern military operations, proving the team skills and highlighting the need for complete and efficient solutions in armed forces.”

According to the companies, airborne collection can help users identify emitters located beyond the range of ground-based sensing systems, providing additional visibility into activity across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Expanding Integration Across UAS Platforms

The companies said the demonstration is part of a broader effort to integrate Sky Spy’s technology across Evolve Dynamics’ drone portfolio.

Future work will include integration with smaller tactical aircraft, including the Wolfe-NATO platform, along with additional demonstrations and testing activities.

Arsenii Hurtavtsov, CEO of Sky Spy, said the project highlights the ability of the company’s technology to operate with multiple drone platforms.

“Our partnership with Evolve Dynamics demonstrates the interoperability of Sky Spy’s platform with leading UAS manufacturers, and its ability to give military users an advantage in spectrum awareness. We have gone from concept to live demonstrations in less than two years and are now supporting European armed forces with systems shaped by lessons from Ukraine. We are excited to continue this collaboration as we work together to develop and deploy systems at the pace required by allied forces.”

Tom Redman, CEO of Evolve Dynamics, emphasized the role of electronic sensing in modern military operations.

“In embarking on this partnership with Sky Spy, we combine shared frontline experience from Ukraine with our expertise integrating new capabilities into UAS for modern operators. Through joint trials led from our Kyiv facility and recent NATO demonstrations, we’ve integrated advanced electronic sensing capabilities onto our platforms, enabling operators to detect and locate hostile RF activity, including drone operators and jammers. The result is a new layer of battlefield awareness for forces operating in contested environments.”

Growing Importance of Electromagnetic Awareness

The announcement reflects a broader trend across defense organizations toward treating the electromagnetic spectrum as a critical operational domain.

As military forces deploy increasing numbers of drones, electronic warfare systems, and networked communications platforms, understanding RF activity has become an important component of battlefield awareness.

Rather than focusing solely on detecting aircraft, airborne SIGINT systems seek to identify the signals behind those aircraft, including control links, operators, communications networks, and electronic attack systems. The resulting intelligence can complement traditional ISR tools such as cameras, radar, and other sensors.

For military users, that capability may help improve situational awareness in environments where electronic activity is often as important as physical movement on the battlefield.

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