Tocaro Blue has demonstrated tracking probability rates above 99% for both Small and Medium Contact vessels during an internal J-5 Full Perception “Circles PSA Test”, highlighting the potential of its ProteusCore™ radar processing software for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) applications.
Tocaro Blue’s 30 ft XO EXPLR acted as the Test Vessel. A 30ft aluminum vessel from Towboat Us was the Medium Contact vessel and a 32ft fiberglass Grady White acted as the Small Contact vessel.
The three hour test was conducted offshore southwest of Pensacola, Florida, using a Furuno DRS25ANXT six foot open array X-band radar paired with ProteusCore. The test configuration used Tocaro Blue’s 30 ft XO EXPLR as the Test Vessel, with a 30 ft aluminum vessel supplied by Towboat US representing the Medium Contact and a 32 ft Grady White serving as the Small Contact.
Despite the radar being mounted approximately 17 ft above the waterline, significantly lower than the expected 30+ ft height of eye on an MUSV, ProteusCore achieved a 99.8% Track Probability for the Medium Contact and 99.9% for the Small Contact.
The test also used smaller contact vessels than those specified in the J-5 criteria, adding further differences from a full scale MUSV test configuration. ProteusCore operated using standard tracking settings rather than a configuration specifically tuned to maximise true positives.
ApolloCore™ Configuration App showing footage captured during the J-5 test.
Throughout the test, the system demonstrated its ability to reject sea clutter and radar main bang, while avoiding tracking low flying aircraft and appropriately handling shoreline and channel markers. It also continued tracking vessels outside the formal J-5 test scenario without requiring constant operator intervention or radar tuning.
With US Navy J-5 test submissions approaching at the end of September, Tocaro Blue’s results provide a relevant indication of how machine learning based radar processing could support perception requirements for MUSV builders.
