Military capabilities

Image1 of 5Airfield mapping
Image2 of 5Battle damages in urban environment
Image3 of 5Obstacles on airfield runway
Image4 of 5Battle damage assessment in post-war region
Image5 of 5Paramilitary forces in the desert

The concept of remote sensing applied to modern military analysis stays at the core of the SatCen’s mission. Whether it deals with global assessment of military capabilities or punctual analysis of deployed forces, satellite imagery will provide a reliable and up-to-date source of information. The SatCen is supporting European decision makers on a steady base but also with extended support during crisis situations. Geospatial intelligence is applied to assess classic military infrastructure such as military camps, airfields, naval bases or SAM/SSM sites or just elements related to paramilitary activity. Different products are justified by different user requirements. Some of these include:

Analysis of military activity / deployed forces

Deployment of military forces can play an important role in the international power balance and influence regional stability and security. As part of CFSP, EU is enhancing its ability to act in conflict prevention and crisis management. EU SatCen provides accurate analysis over the ground, air and naval components of military forces. Radar imagery is sometimes used in order to monitor night-time activity.

Battle damage assessment

Battle damage assessment (BDA) is the accurate estimation of the damage that results from the application of military force. As part of combat assessment, SatCen uses geospatial intelligence to analyse physical damage as well as functional damage. BDA analysis has an increasing role in assessing the consequences of modern warfare where civilian casualties are higher as urban guerillas become the most common fighting strategy.