- 953 RF Receiver for superior identification, direction-finding, and tracking of hostile RF signals to support COMINT and Counter-UAS tactical operations
- Integrates with the BLACKTALON counter-drone solution, proven in operations and during NATO’s Baltic TRUST 26 exercise in Latvia in August
Wappenham, UK, 10 September 2026: Enterprise Control Systems (ECS) and TCI International, part of SPX Communication Technologies, will showcase the 953 COMINT 953 RF Receiver and BLACKTALON counter-drone capability at EWLive2026 by Tangent Link in Tartu, Estonia, from 15 to 17 September.
The event follows a concentrated period of activity for ECS across the Baltics. In August, BLACKTALON was one of four counter-UAS capabilities given an operational role at NATO’s Baltic TRUST 26 (BATT26) exercise in Riga, Latvia, where Allied military operators trained on the system in field conditions. The equipment has remained in the region since, with further demonstrations and army trials planned over the coming months.
The companies are building on this at EW Live, as delegates from NATO and NATO-friendly countries look to command the electronic spectrum and combat rising drone activity on NATO’s eastern flank.
Dominating the spectrum and countering the threat
Tactical COMINT 953 RF Receiver performs continuous, unmanned, remote, real-time signal collection across up to 80 MHz of bandwidth and frequencies up to 40GHz for signal monitoring, collection, and direction-finding. That bandwidth balances monitoring enough signal breadth and amplitude to identify threats accurately.
It is powered by TCI’s Blackbird software, which detects, identifies, direction-finds and tracks signals of interest to support find, fix and strike operations and mitigate electronic warfare threats. It also tracks the RF emissions of drones, jammers and controllers to support counter-responses.
For counter-drone operations, the 953 integrates with BLACKTALON, allowing the two to work along the same chain: understanding what is in the air, where it came from and who is controlling it through RF emissions, then using BLACKTALON to neutralise the threat.
BLACKTALON is a fielded, open-architecture system that detects, tracks, and defeats hostile or unauthorised drones. It integrates with multiple sensors, including radar, EO/IR, passive RF, acoustic sensing and electronic attack. Operators can add or change capabilities as threats change, rather than redesigning a system each time.
“Electronic warfare is central to defence operations, and mastering the spectrum matters as much as controlling the air,” said Graeme Forsyth, CUAS Product Line Manager at ECS. “The growing use of EW and drones across the Baltics and Eastern Europe means nations are building capability fast, and they need systems that work reliably today and adapt quickly as the threat changes.”
The teams on the ground in the Baltics have been engaging with a growing number of industry partners across the region, including Defsecintel (Estonia), Origin Robotics (Latvia), ERASER (Latvia) and DefTools (Lithuania).
The group’s team will be at EW Live throughout the event.
Find out more at Spectrum Battlespace – SPX Communication Technologies
