Analaysis of calibrated sea clutter and boat reflectivity data at C- and X-band in South African coastal waters

The temporal characteristics of low grazing angle sea clutter and boat reflectivity are considered for both fixed and stepped frequency waveforms under a range of environmental conditions and geometrical configurations. Detectability of boats using an asymptotically optimal detector is evaluated empirically, as well as the influence of the local sea on boat reflectivity. Measurements were conducted with a calibrated, coherent, staring, pulsed radar system at C- and X-band frequencies ranging from 6.9 GHz to 10.3 GHz.