REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

www.mod.gov.rs

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Material Resources Sector

Defensive Technologies Department

Military Technical Institute

www.vti.mod.gov.rs

HFSW radar design: tactical, technological and environmental challenges

DEJAN NIKOLIĆ 

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, dejan.nikolic@vlatacom.com

Bojan DŽolić

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, bojan.dzolic@vlatacom.com

NIKOLA TOSIĆ

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, nikola.tosic@vlatacom.com

NIKOLA LEKIĆ

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, nikola.lekic@vlatacom.com

VLADIMIR D. ORLIĆ

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, vladimir.orlic@vlatacom.com

BRANISLAV M. TODOROVIĆ

Institute VLATACOM, Belgrade, Serbia, branislav.todorović@vlatacom.com

Abstract: With maximal range of about 200 nautical miles, as along with ship detection and oceanographic monitoring functionalities, HFSW radars provide unique capability of complete Exclusive Economic Zone monitoring. Uniqueness of HFSW propagation, which follows Earth’s curvature, introduces various challenges accordingly, thus making HFSW radar design a very challenging task. The most important factors such as electrical properties of the water and the height of waves on the sea/ocean, levels of natural and man-made noise, interference, as well as sea clutter, must be carefully considered during the design and development processes of HFSW radar. More over, tactical demands represent new challenges, which especially influence installation and operation of HFSW radar.

Keywords: Radar, HF radar, OTH radar, HFSW, vessel detection, marine systems.