The Sea-Hawk Radar can display the smallest object on the surface. The photo shows a submerged fishing net found outside West Africe, in a seismic shooting area.
Superior small target detection
If you are looking for superior small target detection for your vessel or for your offshore location, a polarimetric radar antenna should be your best choice. The Sea-Hawk radar is your future small target detection system.
Sea-Hawk polarimetric radars are multi polarized, resulting in far more detailed detection ability than traditional radar systems. Sea-Hawk can detect very small, and even fast moving, objects and would therefore raise your small target detection capabilities to a level you could only dream about until recently.
All kinds of small targets
Small targets are obviously very different. It can be a person in the water, a life raft, a little fishing boat, a sailing boat, small fishing markers, driftwood or flotsam/ jetsam (like drifting containers with only one corner visible above the surface).
Polarization is the key. The size, shape and distance of the moving targets of course reflect the radar signals differently. The targets generate fluctuations in the surface. They also generate significant background clutter, in addition to the echo from the target itself.
Weather independent
Small target detection is no less crucial in windy conditions. Rough weather makes early detection increasingly important. In sea-state 4 or higher, small targets become even more difficult to detect for a standard marine radar. Unlike standard X-band radars, Sea-Hawk still provides detailed and reliable data during wind, storm and rain.
It is verified that a polarimetric radar is able to detect small targets at much longer distance than a standard navigation radar. The reason for our polarimetric radar’s superior detection ability is the combined utilization of different polarizations (horizontal, vertical and circular), while standard navigation radars only utilize horizontal polarization. Furthermore, we are able to process the background noise from the antenna, and the turbulence and fluctuations naturally produced by the sea. A two square meter object is big enough to be significantly visible in the sea.
In calm weather a vertical polarized antenna is superior. This is because the echoes are significantly stronger in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane, utilized ordinary X-band radars.
A “combo” polarimetric radar will therefore be favorable in all weather conditions, from calm to storm.
Detect small targets through dense fog
Fog is a major problem for everyone at sea. The fog can be extremely limiting for the detection capabilities of ordinary navigation radars. The micro sized water droplets that the fog consists of reflect so strongly that a standard marine radar gets detection problems. Of course, you knew this already. A good polarimetric radar system on the other hand, can detect through thick fog, and you will be able to, discover targets at a much longer distance and in greater detail than with a standard navigational radar.
Sea-Hawk outperforms traditional radars in all conditions, but even more so in foggy conditions.
Remote radar view
The Remote Display functionality is extremely useful when operating in waters with lots of small targets. You can view the Sea Hawk radar display from the client display(s) on board and the picture can be transferred to another vessel or ashore. You can zoom in and out, review the surrounding surface, all online in client mode.
Surface Detection
"The windy conditions and the strong current is making navigation tricky. He is navigating as close to the platform as he possibly can, even with the strong wind and current pushing on the streamers. Thanks to the polarimetric radar view the Master can maneuver very close to the platform, although it is windy and the night falls."
Similar to an aerial photo
Sea-Hawk can detect the surface within the radar horizon, displaying it similarly to an unusually detailed aerial photo. We bring radar detection to a level you could only dream about until recently.
The surface is constantly changing. It could be a person in the water, a life raft, a little fishing marker, a fishing boat, a sailing boat, flotsam/ jetsam or driftwood. Or maybe you are navigating through ice, where Sea-Hawk will detect the ice bed around you, and the moving snow would be presented similar as to how we detect waves and currents.
Polarization is the key. The size, shape and distance of the small targets of course reflect the radar signals differently. They generate fluctuations in the surface and background clutter which is significant, in addition to the echo from the target itself. This is for example how an ice berg so easily is identified by a polarimetric antenna. The shadow behind the ice berg is significant and visible on the screen. That shadow is a very good indication to what you are looking at when you are operating in the ice.
Behind the scenes
It is verified that a polarimetric radar is able to detect small targets at much longer distance than a standard navigation radar. The reason for our polarimetric radar’s superior detection ability is the combined utilization of different polarizations (horizontal, vertical and circular), while standard navigation radars only utilize horizontal polarization. Furthermore, we are able to process the background noise from the antenna, and the turbulence and fluctuations naturally produced by the sea. A two square meter object is big enough to be significantly visible in the sea.
In calm weather a vertical polarized antenna is superior. This is because the echoes are significantly stronger in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane, utilized in ordinary X-band radars. A “combo” polarimetric radar will therefore be favorable in all weather conditions, from calm to storm.
We have verified that Sea-Hawk will detect an extremely thin skim of oil or chemicals, also in calm weather. Again it is the capability to use the sea clutter information that comes to play here.