A big area of research for the DDS is in the field of passive sensors, in conjunction with improved cloaks and tactics the DDS hope this will give them a huge advantage over their foes. One problem of course is that passive sensors, up until now, have only given a general and non-specific idea of what is out there in space. Cloaked ships have had to use active sensors (and hence decloak) to use their weapons.
Now the DDS have improved passive sensors to the extent where they have begun to give the precision needed to guide weapons fire. An Isometric frigate fitted with an experimental passive sensor suite has successfully made the first fully passive combat. The combat is understood to have taken place a few weeks ago when the unnamed ship (which was accompanied by another Isometric - just in case) was able to track, target and then engage a Utrek scout of the Kalahati Tuul class. The KT knew nothing about the DDS until a Z-cannon shot suddenly appeared out of nowhere and destroyed them.
The attack was not 100% successful, the shot did not hit where intended but luckily did enough damage to destroy the Utrek anyway. Though a DDS Research spokesman said that was pure luck and the shot could easily have missed totally. However passive sensors have been shown to have made huge leaps in precision. The DDS hope to make further improvements by the end of the year.
