Comparison of vertically and horizontally polarized radar antennas for target detection in sea clutter — An experimental study

An experimental study of small target detection in sea clutter using vertically and horizontally polarized radar antennas is presented. The experimental study is performed to detect a person in water (PIW) and a fast rescue craft (FRC). The vertically and horizontally polarized X-band radar data were recorded simultaneously from a mobile radar platform located at Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. Two commercial marine radars with grazing angles less than 1° were used. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the vertically polarized antenna is equally effective for detecting small targets at close range and low sea states as a horizontally polarized antenna.