As most people know, currently Indonesian people have mastered the technology of RADAR, mainly on coastal surveillance RADAR and vessels RADAR with Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology. The mastery of technology covers the design, antenna fabrication, electronic devices (transmitter and receiver), signal processing devices, Plan Position Indicator (PPI) / Operator display and detecting-tracking ability.
Why using our RADAR, not the others?
Not only on main technology of RADAR, but also the mastery of technology continues to other critical areas such as anti jamming technology with frequency hopping method, specific algorithms implementation to enhance RADAR’s detecting and tracking performance and also the image of low detectable objects like cFar and Doppler FFT, etc. Overlaying technology with electronic maps, sensors such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) , weather data, gyro, compass and others have also been successfully implemented.
Furthermore, with the mastery of overlaying techniques refined by direct programming in the graphic card (previously by conventional programming) with parallel programming and multi threading, RADAR network monitoring (multiple RADARs) in a single map can be successfully carried out without consuming a massive and expensive computing power.
In data communication, the data traffic between the RADAR antenna and remote observation monitor (for instance located in different island) which used to require 10 Megabit/s or higher data bandwidth, it can now be optimized into less than 200 kilobit/s. It means that a RADAR antenna located in a remote area can be optimally monitored in a central monitoring unit using a common communication data channel such as GSM.
Database system is also embedded as a part of the ecosystem so that data recording can be carried out for various data types like structured data, semi structured data or unstructured ones. The recorded data can be used for an analysis, a replay and other possible purposes, in case they are needed. Database system is also used as a vessel supporting data, either for the RADAR unit or for the monitoring unit.
The Systemic Use
Based on the explanation above, such technology has currently been implemented and used by Indonesian navy force specifically in Indonesian warship (KRI) of Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin in which the RADAR has been in service for over a year. One RADAR has also been installed in other Indonesian warship, KRI Oswald Siahaan and still undergoing Harbor Acceptance Test (HAT) and Ship Acceptance Test (SAT), and another RADAR is also soon going to be installed and used in KRI Yos Sudarso in which the unit is still under fabrication process.
In addition to our RADARs, we also produce ECDIS (Electronic Chart and Display Information System) which has been installed in 3 different Indonesian warships including KRI Dewa Rutji. ECDIS is an electronic navigation device implementing electronic chart S57/S63 complying with International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) as well as all integrated sensors like gyro, compass, AIS, GPS, Navtex, Wheatherfax in a single unit of monitoring display.
The latest product we are developing is RADAR surveillance system for vessels traffic and other existing moving objects in waterways or ship harbors. This system is also named as Vessel Traffic Surveillance (VTS) with extended range enabling the received data to be integrated with the some applications in the harbor’s system such as Billing application, Manifest application, etc. Currently, several of our applications are being tested in the Harbor of Tanjung Priok.
The implementation of RADAR surveillance or VTS in Indonesian waterways and harbors is very poor and this fact makes us believe that the technology we are offering is highly needed by our country. The technology supply developed by its own people gives this country a lot of advantages and some of them are:
- Our technology independency
- The development and improvement of the related basic skills
- More cost-efficient systemic supply
- Direct operational and after sale supply, etc.
Industry, Educational and Research institutions Partnership
The industry we have been developing in term of RADAR and Radio Frequency (RF) devices as well as the software shall not surely run independently. This industry requires a partnership with several other industries such as:
- Console industry/metal industry or RADAR’s stator and rotor manufacture
- Print Circuit Board (PCB) industry
- Mecatronic industry
- Electronics industry for modules manufacture like frequency divider, power supply, motor regulator, etc.
- Computer and the supporting software industry.
The support of research institutions such as Indonesian Science and Research Institution (LIPI) and BPPT as well as educational institutions such as Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and University of Indonesia (UI) –which is equipped with its own research and measuring laboratory – has been proven very vital and effective in giving us practical technical advises and also in conducting researches to find solutions to our basic scientific problems. Some algorithms implementations solving the problems of how to eliminate the effects of the interferences were recommended by the intellectuals of those institutions.
The Point is to use National Products
The mastery of further technology will give us more advantages. The further technologies are:
- Pulse Compression RADAR
- Synthetic Aperture RADAR
- Over the Horizon RADAR
- Weather RADAR
By having better software and all integrated systems applied in this technology, there will be more opportunities for our people to be researchers and developers, and it will surely bring more advantages to our country for having independent systems developed by its own people, as all of us have expected.