Marine vessel height detection and display system at Logan International Airport

This paper describes a high resolution dual radar system designed to detect and track tall ships in Boston Harbor and to report this information to air traffic controllers. The system consists of a conventional X-band marine radar for tracking ships and a narrow beam, W-band radar system used to scan ships to determine their height. The system provides coverage of ships within a 10,000-ft wide surveillance zone in the Boston Harbor Channel centered on the approach to Runway 4R/22L. The system provides controllers with a visual display of ship position, height and time of entry and exit into and out of the runway protection zone. The system also provides audible alerts whenever ships exceed allowable height limits. This paper describes the radar system, height measurement methodology, display features and operational utility. Example data demonstrate ship height measurement accuracy of approximately 10-ft at 1 nm range.