BlackFish Airborne SIGINT System
Horizon Technologies
Passively cooled SDR-based airborne SIGINT system for simultaneous Iridium, Thuraya, and Inmarsat satellite phone interception — DO-160 qualified, 23+ platform types, ~100 deployed globally with NATO and Allied intelligence agencies.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Mass
- 4.4 kg
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Architecture
- Software Defined Radio (SDR) with CPU and GPU processing
- Cooling
- Passive (no moving parts)
- Airborne certification
- DO-160 qualified
- Channel capacity
- 60 duplex / 120 simplex channels simultaneously
- Intelligent channel management
- Up to 3,200 channels
- Networks monitored
- Iridium, Thuraya, Inmarsat (simultaneous tri-band)
- Uplink interception range
- Hundreds of kilometres
- Downlink interception range
- Thousands of kilometres
- Platform compatibility
- 23+ aircraft, helicopter, UAV, vehicle, ship types
- Blackfishx variant weight
- 4.4 kg
- ITAR status
- Non-ITAR
- Deployed systems
- ~100 globally
About
The BlackFish is Horizon Technologies’ flagship airborne signals intelligence system, purpose-built to replace the earlier FlyingFish platform with a smaller, lighter, and more capable design. Based on a Software Defined Radio (SDR) architecture with powerful CPU and GPU processing, the system simultaneously monitors Iridium, Thuraya, and Inmarsat satellite phone networks from a single integrated payload. It is fully passively cooled with no moving parts, maximizing reliability in demanding airborne environments.
BlackFish is operationally qualified to DO-160 airborne standards and designed for seamless plug-and-play integration with tactical ISR mission management software across a wide range of platforms. The system is compatible with more than 23 different aircraft, helicopter, UAV, vehicle, ship, and application types — making it one of the most versatile airborne SIGINT solutions available. Approximately 100 systems are deployed globally and operated around the clock by NATO and Allied intelligence agencies.
The system intercepts satellite phone uplinks at ranges of hundreds of kilometres and downlinks spanning thousands of kilometres, with intelligent channel management supporting up to 3,200 channels and simultaneous 60 duplex or 120 simplex channel capacity. A miniaturised BlackFishX variant weighing just 4.4 kg is available for smaller UAV platforms. In July 2024, Horizon Technologies signed a £3.7 million contract to deliver multiple BlackFish systems to a Middle East government customer.
BlackFish is the foundational sensing node of Horizon’s multi-domain Amber ISR Network, enabling data correlation across airborne, terrestrial (AmberPersistent), and space-based (Amber constellation) layers. The system is Non-ITAR, making it accessible to a broad range of Allied customers without US export licensing constraints. Horizon’s systems have been credited with contributing to the end of Somali piracy and the rescue of over 200,000 migrants in the Mediterranean.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.