New Generation Chart Radar

Northrop Grumman Corporation has introduced a new generation of commercial navigation radar incorporating electronic charts. The new VisionMaster FT are the first of a new series of highly integrated navigation solutions being developed by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit at its commercial marine headquarters in New Malden, United Kingdom. The VisionMaster FT Chart Radar provides the navigator with seamless integration of radar and chart functionality. Combining approved vector-format digital charts with the radar picture enhances situation awareness for watch-standers. The operator can select the desired density of chart information to be shown on the screen, ranging from simplified presentation... (read more)

2005-12-19 12:00:00

WERA Ocean Radar System

Features, Accuracy and Reliability

The WERA (WavE RAdar) system is a shore-based remote sensing system for monitoring ocean surface currents, waves and wind direction. This over-the-horizon oceanography radar picks up back-scattered signals from the rough ocean surface (Bragg effect) from ranges of over 200km. Results from installations all over the world demonstrate the features and flexibility of the system: high resolution monitoring (300m range cell size) over a range of 60km or long range applications with a 3km range cell size, all generated with a high temporal resolution of 10 minutes. WERA operates at radio frequencies between 5 and 50MHz. A vertically polarised electromagnetic... (read more)

2010-05-31 11:03:42

Radar and Tracking Research

Norcontrol IT has become the majority shareholder in Norwegian radar technology company Applied Radar Physics (ARP), which has been involved in radar technology for over 15 years and is located in the Norwegian research centre at Kjeller along with several high-profile Norwegian research organisations. ARP’s standing in international radar research was further acknowledged at the ‘Radar 2003’ conference in Australia, where the company presented a paper on radar signal processing to the world’s foremost radar researchers. (read more)

2004-05-23 12:00:00

German Navy Radar Contract

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to retrofit new-generation navigation radar on more than a hundred German Navy warships. The Northrop Grumman UK-based Sperry Marine business unit was awarded the US$ 4.3 million contract by ET Marine Systeme GmbH, Wilhelmshaven, Germany, prime contractor for the navigation-systems modernisation programme. Under the four-year contract the ships’ existing navigation radar will be replaced by BridgeMaster E 340 radar systems, including commercial, navalised and tactical variants, in X-band, S-band and dual-band configurations. The contract includes training, spares, installation, engineering and project-management support. ET Marine Systeme will integrate the radar with the ships’ electronic chart... (read more)

2005-12-09 12:00:00

Radar Level Sensor

The Valeport VRS20 Radar Level Sensor uses non-contact technology and can be installed easily. The device uses 25GHz pulsed k-band radar to measure water level to an accuracy of ±10mm. It has been designed to work with Valeport’s TideMaster tide logger or to operate as a stand-alone device with optional integrated GPRS telemetry. Alternatively it can interface with a third-party data logger. Non-contact radar technology avoids issues of traditional submerged devices, such as fouling and corrosion. Data collection is a simple process for the Valeport VRS20, with RS232, RS485 and SDI 12 communication as standard. With a wide range 9... (read more)

2013-01-29 12:00:00

Dual Channel Navigation Radar System

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Sperry Marine business unit has introduced a new multi-mode navigation radar system for commercial ships, designed to enhance the radar operator’s situational awareness, particularly in inclement weather, without having to constantly switch between different radar screens. The new BridgeMaster E radar system incorporates a design that permits radar video from two different transceivers to be mixed and displayed simultaneously, presenting a seamless single integrated picture to the radar operator. The system allows the radar antennas to be located several hundred meters apart and to have totally asynchronous rotation speeds, as well as to operate in different frequency... (read more)

2004-03-03 12:00:00

Chilean Ocean Radar Detected Tsunami

The research group lead by Prof. Dante Figueroa from the University of Concepcion in Chile, has reported that their WERA radar system was able to capture the signal of the tsunami that struck northeast Japan in March 2011. This is the first time ever that an ocean radar detected an approaching tsunami. After the strong earthquake occurred in Japan on 11th March 2011, the tsunami generated travelled across the Pacific Ocean and reached the coast of Chile within 22 hours. Following the earthquake and tsunami news, and due to lack of internet access, Prof. Dante Figueroa drove to the remote... (read more)

2011-05-31 11:27:42

Radar-based Nearshore Hydrographic Monitoring

Filling in The White Ribbon

Shore-based marine radar techniques have recently proved to be an excellent tool for monitoring erosion and accretion in the dynamic nearshore area through repeated and automated large-area surveys. The ability to routinely survey intertidal areas has always been logistically challenging and expensive due to the limitations imposed by the tides, weather and access. Advances in remote sensing techniques and the development of new data-processing algorithms have made the surveying of these areas much more cost-effective. There is a global need for greater awareness of the sedimentary dynamics of intertidal regions. These seldom surveyed areas are host to a variety of... (read more)

2017-03-08 01:00:22

Radar-based Nearshore Morphological Monitoring Solution

After a successful three-month trial deployment with a local authority, Marlan Maritime Technologies has announced the launch of SYNOPTIC for radar-based nearshore morphological monitoring. It provides a unique solution for cost-effectively monitoring the dynamic intertidal zones using shore-based radar remote sensing. It delivers a series of regularly updated bathymetric surveys of the nearshore area. The basic principle of the technique is explained in the article ‘Radar-based Nearshore Hydrographic Monitoring’ that was published earlier on this website. You also find a video for a good visualisation. To find out more about SYNOPTIC, visit Marlan on stand V9 during Ocean Business 2017.... (read more)

2017-04-04 05:34:15

New VTS Radar from Atlas Elektronik

A new X-Band radar system with a frequency diversity technique designed for VTS operations, the Atlas 9760 RTX FD has been announced by Atlas Elektronik of Bremen. Featuring superior clutter suppression and enhanced target detection capabilities, the new system is particularly suited for long-range coastal surveillance applications. When combined with high-efficiency antennas such as those with a high gain and/or circularly polarised capability, it can provide ideal performance peaks necessary for critical detection operations. A derivative of established Altas VTS 9760 radar transceiver technology, the new system transmits via two different X-band frequencies with echo returns of both first received... (read more)

2004-05-14 12:00:00