Polish firm’s AI Identifies Camouflaged Russian Ships in Ukraine, Chinese Ships in South China Sea

Artificial intelligence (AI) ship detection algorithms developed by Poland’s Satim Inc. can clearly differentiate different classes of ship even with the camouflage applied.

Satim’s AI system has a level of accuracy of over 90%.

According to Naval News, several Russian warships have been observed with deceptive camouflage paint scheme. The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate Admiral Makarov, has had a more extreme camouflage applied. This includes ‘blacking out’ the helipad and the bow of the ship. Then all three of the Buyan-M class missile corvettes, the minesweeper Ivan Golubets and the anti-submarine corvette Muromets, have the camo.

There are indications that the camouflage is intended to hide the overall length and form of the ship when viewed from a maritime drone or satellite.

Using a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), image taken by an Umbra Space-owned satellite, the system clearly identifies ships. It is difficult for the human eye to recognize the type of vessels in a radar image because the silhouette can appear blurry, transparent, and certain details can overlap.

14 Chinese warships spotted in disputed waters: Satim

On June 16, 2023, Satim, using Umbra satellite SAR imagery, automatically detected 14 ships from China’s Qiong Sansha Yu fleet in disputed waters near Thitu (Pag-asa) Island, a significant island in the Spratly Islands archipelago held by the Philippines.

The Spratly Islands are a cluster of islands and reefs situated in the South China Sea. They are subject to overlapping territorial claims by multiple nations. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam assert claims over the entirety of the Spratly Islands, while Malaysia and the Philippines claim certain portions of the archipelago. The area holds strategic importance due to its abundant fishing grounds, potential oil and gas reserves, and its location along major shipping routes.

China has continuously pursued control over these disputed territories, evident in its complete militarization of at least three of the islands in the South China Sea. These islands have been equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and fighter jets.