HawkEye 360 Orders Three New RF Geolocation Satellite Clusters from SFL

HawkEye 360 has commissioned the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) to build three additional clusters of radio frequency (RF) geolocation satellites. This move will expand the company’s commercial signals intelligence (SIGINT) constellation to support defense, intelligence, and maritime domain awareness missions. The new order underscores growing demand for persistent space-based RF monitoring amid rising global interest in electronic order of battle mapping and GNSS interference detection.

New Contract Deepens HawkEye-SFL Partnership

The three new satellite clusters will be built by Canada’s Space Flight Laboratory (SFL), a long-time manufacturing partner for HawkEye 360. Each cluster consists of three formation-flying microsatellites equipped with proprietary RF payloads capable of detecting and geolocating emissions across a broad spectrum — including VHF/UHF push-to-talk radios, maritime radars, L-band SATCOM uplinks, and emergency beacons.

This latest award brings the total number of satellites ordered from SFL by HawkEye to 27 across nine clusters. According to SFL Director Dr. Robert Zee in a September 2025 press release, the new clusters will leverage the firm’s modular “DEFIANT” bus architecture optimized for formation flying and precise attitude control — critical for time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) and frequency-difference-of-arrival (FDOA) geolocation techniques.

While financial terms were not disclosed publicly, previous HawkEye orders suggest each cluster may cost between $10–15 million depending on payload complexity. Deliveries are expected between late 2026 and mid-2027.

Expanding Global Coverage for Tactical RF Intelligence

HawkEye 360’s constellation is designed to provide unclassified but tactically relevant SIGINT data by detecting RF emitters worldwide. The system enables identification of illicit maritime activity (e.g., dark shipping), border incursions using push-to-talk radios, GPS jamming zones near conflict areas, or even battlefield C2 networks operating on commercial bands.

The company currently operates seven satellite clusters on orbit as of mid-2025. Each cluster flies in formation at ~550 km altitude in sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), enabling global revisit rates under one hour for high-priority regions. With these additional three clusters planned by 2027, HawkEye aims to improve revisit rates below 30 minutes over key theaters such as Eastern Europe, East Asia littorals, and the Sahel region — all hotspots for irregular warfare or great-power competition involving electronic warfare assets.

This capability is increasingly valued by U.S. Combatant Commands (COCOMs), NATO allies, and Indo-Pacific partners seeking non-traditional ISR feeds that complement national technical means or theater-specific platforms like RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft or MQ-4C Triton UAVs.

Commercial SIGINT as a Force Multiplier

HawkEye 360 exemplifies a broader trend toward leveraging commercial space-based ISR providers to augment government-owned capabilities. Unlike traditional ELINT/SIGINT systems that are classified and limited in distribution scope, HawkEye provides unclassified but analytically useful data that can be rapidly shared across coalition partners or humanitarian actors.

Maritime Domain Awareness: Detecting illegal fishing fleets or sanctions evasion vessels spoofing AIS transponders.
GNSS Interference Mapping: Identifying GPS jamming sources near conflict zones like Ukraine or Syria.
C4ISR Support: Monitoring enemy communications patterns without penetrating encrypted content — useful for force disposition analysis.

The company’s analytics platform fuses RF data with SAR imagery and AIS databases to generate pattern-of-life insights over time. Recent demonstrations with U.S. Indo-PACOM reportedly validated its utility in tracking anomalous vessel behavior near disputed island chains using only passive sensors.

SFL’s DEFIANT Bus Enables Precision Formation Flying

SFL’s DEFIANT platform plays a pivotal role in enabling HawkEye’s mission concept. Unlike monolithic SIGINT satellites used by major powers like the U.S., Russia or China — which often require billion-dollar GEO platforms — HawkEye relies on distributed low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations where TDOA/FDOA accuracy depends heavily on inter-satellite timing precision and relative positioning control.

The DEFIANT bus incorporates cold-gas propulsion systems for fine orbital adjustments as well as star trackers and reaction wheels tuned for tight attitude control tolerances (~0.01°). This allows multiple spacecraft within a cluster to maintain synchronized baselines necessary for triangulating emitter locations within ~1–5 km accuracy depending on signal strength and geometry.

SFL also supports automated cluster deployment via rideshare launches aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 or Rocket Lab Electron vehicles — an approach that reduces launch costs while enabling rapid constellation growth compared to bespoke government programs like NRO’s Silent Barker or USAF ORS platforms.

A Growing Market for Commercial Space-Based SIGINT

The global market for commercial SIGINT services is projected to exceed $1 billion annually by 2030 according to estimates from Euroconsult and NSR. Key drivers include:

Proliferation of low-cost LEO constellations
Demand from non-traditional users, including coast guards, NGOs monitoring IUU fishing, insurance firms assessing risk exposure near conflict zones
Growing sophistication of EW threats, such as GNSS spoofing/jamming in Ukraine-Russia war zones or South China Sea flashpoints

While traditional players like Airbus Intelligence (via ICEYE partnerships), Kleos Space (Luxembourg), and BlackSky offer complementary capabilities using SAR/RF fusion models or optical analytics overlays — HawkEye remains unique in its dedicated focus on passive RF emitter mapping at scale using formation-flying microsats purpose-built for this mission type.

Operational Implications Amid Rising EW Threats

The expansion of HawkEye’s constellation comes amid intensifying concerns over electromagnetic spectrum dominance in modern conflicts. From Russian GPS jamming around Kaliningrad Oblast to Iranian spoofing incidents targeting maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz — real-time awareness of hostile emitter activity is now critical not just at strategic levels but also at tactical echelons down to brigade combat teams operating near contested borders.

NATO doctrine increasingly emphasizes Electromagnetic Operational Environment (EMOE) mapping alongside cyber situational awareness; tools like those provided by HawkEye offer persistent coverage without risking manned assets inside denied airspace. Moreover, their unclassified nature facilitates rapid dissemination through joint/allied networks without lengthy declassification bottlenecks common with national-level ELINT feeds.

Conclusion: A Strategic Enabler Across Domains

The addition of three new satellite clusters marks another step forward in HawkEye 360’s ambition to deliver persistent global RF situational awareness through commercially operated assets. As electronic warfare becomes more pervasive across land-sea-air domains — especially among peer competitors employing hybrid tactics — such capabilities will serve as essential enablers across ISR architectures supporting both deterrence posture and operational planning cycles worldwide.