Evolving Coastal Surveillance Radar

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] In June 2019, a small North Korean wooden boat was discovered at Samcheok Port in Gangwon Province, highlighting issues with coastal surveillance. At the time, the military stated that "small wooden boats are difficult to detect" in response to concerns that the North Korean vessel had reached near Samcheok Port without being detected by our military's surveillance network, and promised to develop countermeasures. Subsequently, a project was launched to replace the coastal surveillance radar (GPS-98K) supplied to the Army, and it was decided that the domestic defense company STX Engine would develop it. To observe the radar technology that will protect the coast, I visited the STX Engine Yongin Research Center on the 17th.

Upon entering the Yongin Research Center, there were rows of test buildings for satellite system sonars capable of detecting enemy submarines. A research center official explained, "STX Engine's Electronics and Communications Headquarters has developed various radars for coastal surveillance and naval vessels for 30 years since the Daewoo Telecom era," adding, "STX Engine was also the first to domestically develop the GPS-98K, which is currently operated along Korea’s coast, back in 1998."

On the fourth floor, I was able to see the coastal surveillance radar. However, it was the export model GPS-800K, an earlier version before the Coastal Surveillance Radar-II that will be deployed to our military. STX Engine explained that the Coastal Surveillance Radar-II will be developed based on this model.

The coastal surveillance radar is divided into radar, transmitter, receiver, and data center components. The radar is 3.7 meters long and looks like a heavy steel rebar. However, the components inside are state-of-the-art equipment. The radar emits radio waves in beam form and receives the waves reflected from objects. Using the received waves, it can measure the location and distance of the object. The small radar, resembling a steel rebar, can detect objects up to 32 km away. It can detect a person moving within 2 km with 100% accuracy.

Kim Jin-gi, director of the Radio Communications Research Institute, said, "The coastal surveillance radar currently under development can accommodate troop reductions due to defense reforms," adding, "Previously, one radar required one operator, but now one operator can operate four radars."

The transmitter, which receives the radar waves, looks like a small box less than 1 meter in width and length. Inside the box, several other boxes resembling computer hardware are installed. It is the equipment that collects and analyzes the radio waves received by the radar, serving as the core device equivalent to the brain in a human. The transmitter distinguishes whether the object identified by the radio waves is an actual object or just waves on the coast, thereby identifying targets.

The radio waves identified by the transmitter were transmitted directly to the screen. A research center official turned on the monitor to show a screen used during test evaluations at a West Coast unit. The monitor displayed the area with lines and dots. The lines represented breakwaters or iron towers, and fishing boats departing were indicated by various symbols showing their locations. The targets on the screen were also linked and operated in conjunction with the radar used by the coastal police. If an unreported fishing boat or object approached the coast, the transmitter would autonomously judge and sound an alarm.

Ha Jae-sul, head of STX Engine Electronics and Communications Research Center, said, "While the coastal radar has important military purposes, it is also a defense measure to prevent illegal immigrants during peacetime," adding, "Replacing outdated radars will help maintain public safety."

According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the National Assembly, out of approximately 140 surveillance radars deployed in border coastal areas, over 100 have exceeded their service life. The aging rate reaches 71.4%, making replacement urgent. However, seeing a company with outstanding technology in search radars such as naval radars developed domestically brought a sense of relief.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.