01
Lift the sensor off the mast
Elevated ISR platforms defeat wave-induced line-of-sight breaks and can help localize a target's control link through geometry.
Case Study / 01
Detecting low-altitude attack UAVs over open water.
An illustrative maritime engagement pattern: layered detection paired with a recoverable, man-in-the-loop interceptor — a regime FlyWell operators know well and one applicable to many littoral environments.
The problem
Why a capable maritime radar can lose a low, slow UAV.
Over a flat or moderate sea at low grazing angles, the water behaves almost like a mirror. Sea geometry — not stealth, not jamming — is what drops the target off the scope.
- Multipath nulls
- Over a flat sea, direct and surface-reflected radar returns cancel in bands. A low, slow attack UAV can drop off the scope inside those nulls and reappear later — a well-known physics problem, not stealth.
- Radar horizon & wave clutter
- Wave action breaks line of sight; many maritime radars are tuned for larger, faster targets and can miss small UAVs even well above the surface.
- No single-sensor solve
- No single radar cleanly holds this target class on its own. The answer is never a better single radar.
What works
Layering, not a magic sensor.
FlyWell does not build maritime radar. Our operators work alongside radar specialists and focus on one thing: finding and defeating UAVs with UAVs.
02
Fuse the layers
Radar tracks, thermal signature, and passive RF cues feed track-building software that follows motion consistent with a UAV, rather than trusting any single sensor.
03
Put a trained pilot in the loop
Autonomous terminal seekers can be fooled by sea glint and false reflections. A recoverable, man-in-the-loop fixed-wing interceptor that can wave off and re-attack closes the kill chain.
Framing
There is no clean single-sensor solve for low, slow attack UAVs over water. What works is layered detection paired with a recoverable, man-in-the-loop interceptor.
Operators, not advertisers.
Further discussion
Detailed technical framing and engagement specifics are shared selectively, in direct conversation.