Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) for harbour protection applications D. W. O’Hagan * , A. Capria † , D. Petri † , V. Kubica ‡ , M. Greco § , F. Berizzi †§ , A. G. Stove ** * Fraunhofer-FHR, Wachtberg, Germany † CNIT – RaSS (Radar and Surveillance Systems) National Lab., Pisa, Italy ‡ Royal Military Academy, Belgium § Dept. of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy ** Thales Defence and Mission Systems, Crawley, U.K. Abstract—In this paper we investigate the feasibility of using Passive Bistatic Radar, PBR, to provide security for a harbour area. There have been numerous publications on the suitability of passive radar for air surveillance applications. However, this paper focuses predominantly on maritime applications. We investigate the ability of passive radar to detect, track, and eventually manage, marine vessels (boats). The paper includes a case-study of the Livorno Harbour in Italy. Livorno has been chosen as it represents a busy maritime hub. Simulations are provided to determine the theoretical radar performance, which are then compared with experimental results from a DVB-T-based passive radar. It will be shown that passive radars represent a viable solution for harbour protection applications. I. INTRODUCTION A number of nations and organisations have an interest in investigating the potential of bistatic and passive bistatic radar to act as a security sensor for the protection of special areas. The special areas, designated sanctuary zones, of particular focus in this investigation are important harbour areas. Harbour protection sensors, therefore, should be capable of detecting ground-based, marine-based, and airborne targets. Other works have shown the relevance of passive radar for air and ground surveillance of targets. However, the primary objective of this work is to investigate the use of passive radar for monitoring marine traffic (ships, etc.) in the proximity of a harbour. It is not always feasible for port authorities to invest in an expensive infrastructure of primary radars. Therefore, cost-competitive passive radars utilising illuminators of opportunity may provide a better means to manage vessel traffic within a harbour. This can include the monitoring of potentially malevolent operators, such as illegal fishing vessels, hazardous cargo transporters and smugglers. Furthermore, multiple passive sensors could be networked to extend radar coverage and improve target localisation. II. THE HARBOUR AREA For this work, the harbour of Livorno (Leghorn), Italy, has been taken as a realistic case study to assess the capability of passive radar to monitor harbour traffic. Livorno (Fig. 1) has been chosen as it presents a favourable scenario, not only for the presence of various targets (including petroleum tankers), but also for different kinds of illuminators of opportunity. Fig. 1. Livorno Harbour Livorno is one of the busiest harbours in Italy. This is evident from the number of shipping routes in Fig. 2. All of the shipping routes from Genoa, in the north of Italy, to the south of the Mediterranean Sea, pass in front of Livorno, yielding an abundance of potential targets.