Patent ID: 8456349

Claim:
A method for detecting and precisely determining locations of birds in a surveillance volume around an airport to provide alerts of imminent aircraft collisions with said birds, said method comprising: providing at least one bistatic radar receiver at said airport, said bistatic radar receiver being receive only; illuminating said surveillance volume with radar signals from a plurality of bistatic transmitters, said bistatic transmitters being transmit only; receiving reflections of said radar signals at said bistatic radar receiver from said birds in said surveillance volume; determining said locations of said birds from a location of said bistatic radar receiver, locations of said bistatic transmitters, and said reflections received at a single said bistatic radar receiver; displaying said locations of said birds on a monitor and providing an operator alert of said imminent aircraft collisions with said birds; and communicating said locations of said birds and said operator alert to air traffic controllers or aircraft pilots so that aircraft can be diverted or take evasive action thus preventing a bird strike.