Combining Multifrequency Multistatic Radars and Smart Radar Buoys for Augmented Maritime Surveillance

The growth of illegal fishing, commercial shipping, piracy, smuggling and the emergence of autonomous, low-observable vessels make maritime surveillance increasingly challenging. Conventional coastal radar-based surveillance systems are often affected by performance degradation due to sea clutter, adverse climatic conditions and limited line-of-sight coverage. In this article, we describe an innovative combination of a multifrequency multistatic radar network deployed along the coast for the surveillance of vessels and low-altitude drones. The spatial coverage of the radar system is enhanced by a smart buoy equipped with sensing, communication and onboard computing capabilities, deployed at sea at the edge of the multistatic radar’s line of sight. This combination of spatially distributed radar transmitters and receivers, when properly managed, increases the detection range and tracking capabilities of the entire system, improving situational awareness in complex marine environ-ments. Providing persistent coverage in areas beyond the reach of “classical” coastal infrastructure, the proposed architecture can support scalable deployment for coastal security, maritime traffic management, search-and-rescue operations, and environmental monitoring.