Fast craft tracking improved by digital technology

摘要

David Tinsley looks at a recently-completed fast-ship research project. A recent project backed by the German federal government promises an advance in radar performance, through improvements in automatic acquisition, tracking and display of targets. Seagoing trials associated with the Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)-sponsored programme, entitled Integrated Navigation on High-Speed Craft (INasS 1), were recently conducted aboard a German coast guard vessel. The enhancements have been achieved through an extension of 8bit digital processing techniques, and the research project has also encompassed studies into laser and infrared sensors in support of radar operations. The University of Wismar's Institute of Shipping at Warnemucnde had responsibility for simulating the manoeuvring characteristics of fast craft, in addition to the testing of infrared sensors.