inauspicious Israeli surveillance technology Now being deployed on American roads. FalconetBrought to you by a company called Cognite (Israel’s Palantir rival), it secretly tracks people by intercepting the connection between your phone and the nearest cell tower. The idea is that you can strap this bad boy to a helicopter, backpack, or Chevy Tahoe and go around grabbing everyone’s data. It is already in use in Florida. This year, the Texas State Police purchased a small fleet of Falconet-equipped SUVs for just under $4.5 million. I found the purchase receipt and the Falconet user guide to learn a little more about it.
In March 2026, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigation Division sought approval to spend $4,487,500 on the Cognite surveillance setup. Indeed, what they requested was “approval for emergency procurement necessary to protect the safety and welfare of State personnel and property. Delaying the procurement process could pose unacceptable security risks to personnel and compromise operational readiness.”
The request memorandum is full of urgency and dramatic language – filled with words like “emergency” and “urgent.” But no specific mention has been made. “Any delay in procurement will compromise employee safety, public safety, operational readiness, and overall mission success,” the memo said, without explaining how and why this brand-new, very expensive technology suddenly became essential to operations.
Naturally, it wasn’t just $4.5 million for four 2026 Chevy Tahoes, although the SUVs themselves were still bizarrely expensive at $150,000 a piece. Here’s how the buy order breaks down:
- Falconet Core System (x4): $2,850,000
- Unlicensed Falconet Core System: $200,000
- Delta 5G Perpetual License for FalcoNet V (x4): $280,000
- 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe (x4): $600,000
- Falconet Backpack Core V2 – 6 x BTS (2G/3G/4G/5G): $355,500
- Flexible (sic) antenna kit: $27,000
- Cognite PA Ranger: $105,000
- Unlicensed Falconet Backpack Core V2 – 6 x BTS (2G/3G/4G/5G): $70,000
- Total PO amount: $4,487,500
So, yes, that’s how (and why) Texas police spent $4.5 million on four Tahoes. They’re full of really expensive peeping equipment.
As far as the Falconet system is concerned, the basic principle is people rightfully angry about it The fact is that it can collect private data from suspicious people en masse and secretly. I don’t consider myself someone who has anything to hide, but I still hate this with a passion. Just a few days ago, a member of our own staff was wrongfully detained by corporate-controlled police technology!
and as cybernews That said, the legality of such things is still questionable. In fact, the Supreme Court ruled (Chatterjee v. United States) “People have a reasonable expectation of privacy in location data that reveals their activities, and that kind of short-term tracking also counts as a search under the Fourth Amendment.”
We have been and will continue to cover the rapidly evolving corpo-surveillance state in which we are all driving, as it impacts infrastructure and road travel (driving) at scale.
But we can also learn about the specifics of this technology, because I’ve got it Falconet User Guide And thought you might be curious to know how it actually works. GM has a standard police loadout for the Tahoe: tahoe police pursuit vehicle V8s come with bigger brakes, firmer suspension, secondary batteries and a 250-amp alternator.
The Falconet system itself breaks down as follows:
- Dimensions and Form Factor: The core module measures 563 mm x 200 mm x 86 mm (2U designed as a half 19″ rack drawer) and weighs 8 kg.
- Hardware Interface: The module has an RJ45 LAN port, a 4-way amphenol power connector, SMA panel connectors for GPS and clock synchronization, and QN-type connectors for RF input and antenna output.
- Power: It requires a DC power input of 24v to 36v, which draws about 35 watts at idle and 260 watts at full power transmission.
- Kit: Government purchase orders (such as one from Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement) show that the system is modular and sold in “deployment kits” packaged in SKB Pelican cases containing core Software Defined Radio (SDR) base stations, power distribution units, and directional antenna kits.
From the outside, I suspect these Tahoes will look pretty regular. Standard antenna-hiding strategies include building a slightly higher false ceiling, hiding them in what looks like a Thule ski box, or using small pucks. But for $4.5 million, I’m sure Cognite will be able to make these SUVs as scary or nondescript as Texas DPS wants.
Got a story tip? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com.
