Patent ID: 8570211

Claim:
A method for detecting and avoiding an aircraft collision with birds, said method comprising: providing at least one non-scanning antenna on said aircraft; illuminating a surveillance volume ahead of said aircraft with a radar signal; receiving reflections of said radar signal from radar targets at least as small as birds in said surveillance volume, said receiving operation being performed by the same or a different one of said at least one non-scanning antenna on said aircraft; measuring target parameters of said radar targets, said target parameters include at least range, amplitude, and Doppler shift of each said radar targets; determining the collision threat probability of said aircraft with said radar targets, said collision threat probability determined by the variation of said target parameters with time; alerting the pilot of a collision threat when said collision threat probability exceeds a predetermined threshold; and maneuvering said aircraft to avoid colliding with said birds when alerted of said collision threat, said maneuvering operation being performed by said pilot or an aircraft autopilot.