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Bird-aircraft strikes pose a significant safety hazard to aircraft, pilots and passengers, costing military and commercial aviation over $2 billion each year through aircraft damage, out-of-service delays and lost lives.
DeTect’s MERLIN® Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar (ABAR) is the world’s first production bird radar system and the most advanced, widely deployed technology available for bird-aircraft strike hazard management.
Introduced in 2003, MERLIN® provides real-time detection, tracking and alerting of hazardous bird and drone activity at commercial airports, military airfields, and military training and bombing ranges. With over 1,000 systems installed worldwide and more than 15 million hours of logged operating time, MERLIN® is the proven standard for aviation safety.
MERLIN® is the only bird radar system to have been evaluated and certified for real-time, tactical flight safety use by the US government, and the only bird radar approved for and in operational use at a commercial airport control tower under national flight safety standards.
DeTect provides more than radar hardware.
Every MERLIN® deployment is supported by DeTect’s proprietary detection and display platform, a purpose-built operational intelligence system that transforms radar sensor data into real-time dashboards, risk alerts and strike hazard reports.
This integrated hardware and software approach delivers:
MERLIN®’s full True3D architecture provides complete 3D airspace coverage 360 degrees around an airport or airfield, with dedicated scanning of runways and approach and departure corridors.
High-resolution solid-state S-band Doppler radar scans the airspace continuously, detecting birds, flocks and drones from ground level to above aircraft operational altitudes.
Military-grade tracking algorithms and clutter suppression differentiate birds, drones, aircraft and vehicles with precision, filtering targets by size and mass to identify genuine hazards.
MERLIN® Advisor risk alerting software continuously monitors bird activity and automatically calculates real-time birdstrike risk for each runway corridor, displaying it as LOW, MODERATE or SEVERE. Automated visual, audible and text message alerts are delivered simultaneously to tower controllers, airfield managers and bird control teams.
DeTect MERLIN® ABAR systems are designed for the operational demands of commercial airports, where real-time situational awareness and early warning are critical to maintaining safe aircraft operations.
MERLIN® delivers continuous radar surveillance of bird and drone movements around runways and flight paths, providing airport operators with the intelligence needed to reduce birdstrike risk, support wildlife management teams and maintain safe operations in all weather conditions.
DeTect MERLIN® ABAR systems are engineered to meet the demanding requirements of military airfields, training ranges and forward-deployed operations.
MERLIN® provides real-time bird and drone detection across military aviation environments, supporting Bird-Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) management programs, air traffic control, flight operations and security forces from a single integrated platform.
With US Department of Defense Authorization to Operate and a documented record across US Air Force, US Navy and international military airfield deployments, MERLIN® is the trusted standard for military aviation safety.
Real-time Monitoring – Continuous radar surveillance of bird movements around runways and airport airspace
High Detection Accuracy – Track small targets and bird flocks with precision across large airfield environments
Early Warning Alerts – Allow teams and air traffic control to respond before birds enter critical flight paths
Operational Decision Support – Visual dashboards provide airport operators with clear situational awareness
Day / Night Operation – Continuous monitoring in rain, fog, snow and low-light conditions
Flexible Deployment – Systems can be installed permanently or deployed as mobile radar units
Reliability – Designed for continuous operation in demanding airport and airfield environments
MERLIN’s advanced bird and drone detection capabilities are visualized and brought to life for users via DeTect’s HARRIER Integrated Airspace Awareness & Threat Response System. HARRIER is an integrated user interface platform purpose-built for airports. It fuses data from multiple sensors (RF detection, radar, cooperative tracking, and EOIR cameras) into a single unified display, enabling operators to detect, identify, track, verify, and respond to airspace threats in real time.
Most airport airspace awareness solutions are single-sensor or loosely integrated. HARRIER is a full operational stack: sensor fusion, geofencing, automated camera handoff, visual recording, persistent tracking, standards-aware relay interfaces, and role-based command & control on a single web interface. Built for airport operations. Proven sensor technology from leading manufacturers.
An Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar (ABAR) uses high-resolution True3D radar to detect, track and alert operators to hazardous bird and drone activity around airport runways and flight paths in real time. DeTect’s MERLIN® ABAR system is the world’s first production bird radar and the most widely deployed technology of its kind, used at commercial airports and military airfields worldwide.
MERLIN® Advisor software continuously monitors bird activity in runway approach and departure corridors and automatically calculates the current birdstrike risk level, displaying it as LOW, MODERATE or SEVERE. Alerts are delivered simultaneously to tower controllers, airfield managers and bird control units via user-selectable visual, audible and text message options.
Yes. MERLIN® uses solid-state S-band Doppler radar designed for continuous operation in rain, fog, snow and low-visibility conditions, which represent some of the highest-risk periods for bird-aircraft strikes. Unlike X-band and FMCW systems, MERLIN® maintains reliable detection performance in adverse weather.
Yes. MERLIN® can be deployed as a dual-function Bird and Drone Detection Radar (BDR-DDR). The counter-UAS upgrade adds drone classification software and RF detectors to identify RF and Wi-Fi controlled drones and locate their operators. This upgrade can be added to any MERLIN® BDR system at any time.
Yes. MERLIN® systems have US Department of Defense Authorization to Operate and are in use at US Air Force, US Navy and international military airfields. Mobile MERLIN® systems are USAF ATTLA certified for ground, ship and air transport and have been actively deployed in forward-base and war zone operations.
MERLIN® systems are available in standard mobile and fixed skid unit configurations. For large, multi-runway airports and airfields, multiple fixed-mount sensor packages are networked to provide full 3D coverage. All components are fully remote controllable. Systems are scalable, allowing operators to install a base system initially and expand coverage as requirements grow.
All target data is continuously written to the MERLIN® SQL database for playback, archiving and analysis. The integrated MERLIN® Reporter automatically generates standard and custom BASH management reports. An optional incident recorder module retains 48 to 72 hours of full radar data to support event and mishap investigations. Data is also exportable to GIS and Google Earth.
Yes. MERLIN® is the only bird radar system approved for and in operational use at a commercial airport control tower under national flight safety standards, and the only system evaluated and certified for real-time tactical flight safety use by the US government (NASA and the US Air Force).
DeTect pioneered multi-function radar technology, developing the world’s first production model capable of detecting and tracking small airborne targets including birds, bats and drones.
Since 2003, DeTect’s team of technologists, biologists and BASH specialists has continued to advance True3D detection systems used across commercial aviation, military aviation, wind energy and environmental monitoring.
MERLIN® uses state-of-the-art solid-state S-band Doppler radar, providing all-weather detection of birds in fog, rain and snow. The S-band frequency does not cause interference with other airport radars or telemetry systems, unlike X-band and FMCW systems that are susceptible to false positives from insects and limited performance in wet conditions.
By providing accurate, real-time information on bird and drone activity around airports and airfields, MERLIN® systems help aviation operators reduce birdstrike and drone risk, protect aircraft and passengers, and support safer operations worldwide.
With MERLIN®, users receive more than a radar system.
Every deployment is supported by DeTect’s team of application specialists with extensive experience in radar systems, BASH management and airfield operations, including a former Chief of the US Air Force BASH Team, former Head of US Air Force Europe Bird Control, US FAA qualified biologists, US National Transportation Safety Board certified Mishap Investigators, and noted international experts in radar ornithology and BASH.
DeTect provides comprehensive support with every system delivery, including site modelling and design, engineering, installation, concept of operations (CONOPS) development, system integration and site-specific operator training.
MERLIN® systems are available for purchase, long-term lease and short-term rental, with or without DeTect operators and are backed by a full parts and labor warranty that covers the complete system. Since 2003, over 1,000 MERLIN® radar systems have logged over 15 million hours of operating time with an established record of high system uptime, high reliability and low maintenance and repair costs.
