Domo Tactical Communications

This company is also listed on : Bugged Planet

Official website : domotactical.com
Denmark office : Haraldsvej 64B, DK-8960 Randers SØ
United Kingdom office : 1100 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham PO15 7AB
United States office : 3845 Gateway Centre Blvd, Pinellas Park, FL 33782
Singapore office : 21 Media Circle #05-06, Infinite Studios, Singapore 138562

Legal status : Multinational company formed in 2016 from Cobham TCS, subsidiary of Cobham, a British aerospace manufacturing company. Domo Tactical Communications also includes Spectronic Denmark A/S and Micromill Electronics, which were subsidiaries of Cobham TCS. In may 2018, the branch of the company working on tracking mobile targets was transferred to the company MetOcean Telematics.
Clients : Law enforcement agencies and military organizations (according to their website). According to an advertisment leaflet from 2011, their surveillance equipment is used by 125 law enforcement agencies in over 80 countries.
Products : Large range of surveillance systems. A lot of documents from the Spy Files (a large collection of documents leaked from 2011 to 2014 by Wikileaks) describe their products, including catalogs and technical specifications.

2011 catalog

In 2011 and 2013, an important number of documents concerning Cobham TCS were leaked in the Spy Files, including their 2011 catalog, and technical specifications of various products they were marketing at this time. Technical specifications are available on :

  • Audio surveillance systems designed to be hidden inside buildings or vehicles. The systems have different use cases and transmission capabilities :
    • The “Beowulf” system records audio and stores the data on an internal memory without transmitting it. Documents are available on two Beowulf recorders designed to be concealed, one in the shape of a small electronic board, the other in the shape of a cable, and on one recorder designed to be quickly dropped in the place to surveil.
    • The “INCA” system records audio and transmit it over radio frequencies. A document is available on the INCA repeater, used to amplify the signal of an INCA transmitter.
    • The “Thor” system records audio and transmit it over radio frequencies, Ethernet, or on the GSM network. It provides a large range of features. Documents are available on the Thor miniature receiver, on all other Thor products, and on the a monitoring device to be used with the Thor system called InterCom.
    • The “Loke” system records audio and transmit it over radio frequencies or on the GSM network. It provides a handheld, portable device to remotely control the surveillance operations. Documents are available on two Loke recorders designed to be concealed, one very small and rectangle-shaped, the other in the shape of a cable, and on one recorder designed to be quickly dropped in the place to surveil.
    • CAPsure is a microphone array in the shape of a large square of about 40x40x4cm, designed to be concealed. It records audio using 256 microphones and transmit the data over radio frequencies. The large number of microphones allows to amplify a specific sound of interest and suppress unwanted noise.
    • The “Heimdal” system records audio from the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
  • Video surveillance systems, also designed to be hidden inside buildings or vehicles. The company offers two different systems :
    • The “Freja” system records video and audio and stores the data on an internal memory without transmitting it. A document is available that describes all Freja products. A document is also available on the “Bifrost” system, which can be used in combination with Freja to transmit the data over radio frequencies.
    • The “Omega” system records video and audio and transmit the data over radio frequencies. The data is then possibly transmitted on the Internet by a receiver. A document is available on the Omega transmitter.

Documents from the Spy Files also include a general brochure on Cobham surveillance activities, an advertisment leaflet entitled “Cobham – at the heart of surveillance”, and a description of NETLink Storm, a device used to monitor complex surveillance operations.

2014 catalog

In 2016, Cobham TCS 2014 catalog was leaked by the online magazine The Intercept. Some surveillance devices that appear in this catalog were not present in the 2011 catalog. Interesting features that appear in the 2014 catalog include :

  • Page 10, an optional infrared camera head for surveillance cameras is able to capture video in both normal colors and infrared (allowing it to “see in the dark”), and automatically switches between the two modes depending on the light conditions.
  • Page 19 shows that power-line communication (PLC) can be used by a surveillance device to transmit data over a building electrical power wiring system. Using PLC, a surveillance device connected to a building electrical system can transmit data to a receiver connected at another point of the same electrical system, allowing to transmit data without using radio frequencies.
  • Page 19 also shows that Power over Ethernet (PoE) can be used by a surveillance device to receive electrical power through an ethernet cable, removing the need for a standard power source. Using PoE, the ethernet cable can still be used to receive and transmit data.
  • Pages 20-21 show that the video surveillance devices are designed to be hidden in ordinary objects, such as radios, backpacks, trash cans, smoke detectors, etc.
  • Page 22 shows several models of lenses for hidden surveillance cameras. One has a sharp end, to be easily concealed in objects or behind surfaces.
  • Page 24, a passive infrared motion detector can be connected to a surveillance camera in order to only record video when movement is detected. Using infrared, movement can be detected even “in the dark”.
  • Pages 58-60 describe various sensors that can be integrated into surveillance systems. A magnetic sensor detects disturbances in magnetic fields and can be used to detect “opening doors, container movement, vehicles”. A vibration sensor can detect vibration in the ground generated by people or vehicles. A “trip wire” sensor, attached to a thin wire, can detect when the wire breaks.