A $500 Drone Blinds a Warship? Not Anymore

The naval battlespace is no longer just about fleets exchanging fire from afar. Today, a warship can be blinded by a cyberattack, swarmed by explosive-laden drones, or tracked in real time by hostile surveillance. Threats move seamlessly across surface, subsurface, and air – often emerging without warning.
Elbit Systems’ Maritime C5ISR Suite was built for this new reality. It integrates secure communications, real-time intelligence, autonomous platforms, and layered cyber defense into one unified system – keeping naval forces informed, connected, and ready to respond.
 

The Sea Comes With Its Own Demands

Moshe, Senior Director of Marketing and Business Development for Naval Systems at Elbit Systems C4I & Cyber, knows this reality firsthand. A former naval officer and current reservist, he’s spent decades in and around the maritime domain. “We took the best of our communications, cyber, command-and-control, and autonomous systems – and engineered them to survive and excel at sea,” he explains. “Naval operations have their own demands. You can’t just copy solutions from land or air. They need to be reimagined for maritime conditions and threats.”

At the core of the suite are Elbit’s secure communications systems and the TORCH-X command-and-control platform, integrated with the E-LynX software-defined radio. Together, they form the backbone of naval connectivity – linking ships, shore installations, aerial assets, and even ground units into a single operational picture. Commanders can assign missions dynamically, track targets in real time, and coordinate responses across vessels and domains.

Extending Air Superiority to the Sea

Moshe points to recent conflicts, where drones have proven indispensable for real-time intelligence. “If you rely on intelligence that’s months old, you’re already behind,” he says. Shipborne tactical UAVs extend line-of-sight, expose hidden activity beyond the coastline, and stream live video directly into the C2 network. For smaller vessels like fast patrol boats, Elbit offers the NEST platform, enabling safe launch and recovery of UAVs from compact decks.
Cyber defense is equally important. Modern naval platforms can contain hundreds of networked systems – from mission-critical functions like radar, sonar, and weapons control to propulsion and utility management. Moshe warns that every one of them is a potential attack vector.

The suite’s multi-layered approach aims to ensure that communications, sensors, and control systems stay operational even under targeted cyberattacks, to prevent the cascading failures that have crippled ships in the past.

A Real-Time Intelligence Engine

Another core component of the suite is the I360 maritime intelligence system, which fuses and analyzes multiple data sources, including AIS transmissions. 
By detecting anomalies – such as mismatched vessel identities or suspicious routing – it alerts operators to possible smuggling, piracy, terrorism, or other illicit activity. "This is where speed matters," Moshe notes. "We can process and cross-reference vast amounts of data in seconds, so operators can act before a threat materializes."

The suite also extends to coastal defense, where the challenge is securing what Moshe calls “a border without a fence.” Observation towers, patrol boats, offshore patrol vessels, aerial assets, and fixed strategic sites like gas rigs are integrated into a single networked perimeter. The system monitors threats ranging from illegal fishing and trafficking to terrorism and hostile incursions, adapting to the unique priorities of each client navy.

For Moshe, the strength of the Maritime C5ISR Suite lies in its adaptability. With open architecture and a modular design, navies can adopt the complete package or tailor it to their specific doctrine and mission needs. “We’re giving navies the ability to own their operational picture in real time, protect their assets from every angle, and adapt faster than the threat,” he says. “At sea, that’s an edge you need.”