Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Compromising Emissions in Terms of the Possibility of Reconstructing the Transmitted Image

This article presents the results of research on compromising emanations generated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the context of potential electromagnetic eavesdropping and the reconstruction of transmitted video data. Two commercial UAV systems were analyzed: the Autel EVO II Pro and the DJI Mavic 3. The aim of the research was to identify the electromagnetic characteristics of unintentional emissions recorded during the transmission of selected imagery and to assess their suitability for reconstructing the information processed by the UAV system. The measurements were conducted in an anechoic chamber using specialized measurement equipment from INTRIPLE. Two variants of the system configuration were considered: the first involved standard image transmission between the UAV platform and a controller equipped with a display, while the second comprised an extended configuration where an additional TV receiver was connected to the controller via an HDMI interface. The recorded signals were analyzed to extract features, enabling the identification of correlations between the electromagnetic emissions and the transmitted video content. The results indicate the presence of characteristic components of compromising emanations, with properties depending on both the UAV platform used and the configuration of the image transmission path. The analysis confirms the need for further research into UAV susceptibility to electromagnetic eavesdropping and the potential for signal reconstruction from unintentional emissions.