OPTIMARE SLAR
X-band side-looking airborne radar for
The OPTIMARE SLAR is a cloud-penetrating X-band imaging radar for day and night airborne maritime surveillance. It has been the standard technique for airborne oil spill surveillance for decades and integrates directly with the MEDUSA® mission management suite.
The standard radar for airborne oil spill surveillance
SLAR has been the prime technique for airborne oil spill surveillance since the 1970s. The OPTIMARE SLAR is a modern, lightweight X-band radar with a unique ultra-thin antenna design that minimises aerodynamic drag and simplifies aircraft modification. It produces wide-swath, geo-referenced radar images that are fed directly into the MEDUSA® mission management system for real-time display and post-flight analysis. Cloud penetration and all-weather capability make it the backbone sensor in most OPTIMARE mission configurations.
Download product handoutWhat the OPTIMARE SLAR does
Wide-area coverage
Swath widths up to 80 km per side give operators a broad maritime picture from a single pass.
Oil spill detection
Radar contrast between oil films and clean water surface makes SLAR the primary spill detection sensor.
All-weather operation
X-band radar penetrates cloud and operates day and night without degradation.
MEDUSA® integration
Radar imagery is geo-referenced and streamed directly into the MEDUSA® operator console.
Low-drag antenna
Ultra-thin antenna design minimises aircraft modification cost and aerodynamic impact.
Vessel detection
Detects and tracks surface vessels within the radar swath alongside spill monitoring.
Key parameters
Mission use cases
Often deployed together
IR/UV Line Scanner
Dual-channel infrared and ultraviolet line scanner for oil spill and thermal mapping
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VIS Line Scanner
High-resolution visible-band line scanner for geo-referenced maritime imagery
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OctoPod
All-in-one belly-mounted sensor pod for multi-sensor airborne surveillance
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Contact the India team for a technical briefing, integration discussion, or to request the product handout.