The Navy wants synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to spot small boats.
"Traditionally SAR has been used to provide imagery of fixed structures on land," according to the Navy research solicitation. "Objects moving in the scene were unfocused and generally not of value. For large vessels at sea in relatively calm conditions, some advanced focusing algorithms are able to provide high quality imagery but are not useful for small vessels with very dynamic movements."
Resource: Read the research solicitation
SAR allows sensor platforms to operate at higher altitudes and at steeper angles than other sensors.
