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Navy Researches Find Way to Track AIS 'Silent' Vessels

The Navy will soon get a leg by using 'Rough Rhino', an electronic system for locating illegal fisherman, drug smugglers, pirates, human traffickers and others at sea who don’t want to be found and thus switch off their Automatic Identification System (AIS). Today’s technology only allows ships to track other vessels not transmitting AIS if they are within the horizon, or about 25 to 35 miles, according to Dr. Michael Pollock, director for the electronics, sensors and networks division at ONR.