Echomax make an extensive range of passive, active and inflatable radar reflectors which are used for a wide range of marine, oil exploration, navy targets, radar - satellite mapping and recently in automotive applications.
The US Navy use the EM230BR for targets, EM305PE as targets and use on their nuclear submarines for enhanced radar visibility when surfaced and EM400 as missile targets. The photos show them in action. The largest EM400 has a maximum response of 228M2 and was also chosen by the Canadian Coastguard for their 300 offshore buoys.
Echomax make in their own factory three inflatable radar reflectors. The EMA03i inflatable ball reflector is SOLAS type approved for use in life rafts. During tests by a Norwegian search helicopter for a life raft which is invisible to radar, fitted with an EMA03i reflector was picked up at 4nm.
The Echomax Active XS dual band Radar target enhancer, EM230 passive and inflatable radar reflectors are all mandatory fits on the Golden Globe Around the World 2018 single handed yacht race which prohibits any electronic navigation instruments or mobile phones and is a 50 year celebration of Sir Robin Knox Johnson epic voyage in 1968.
The new range of trihedral target corner reflectors with corner sizes ranging from 33mm to 1600mm are being used by Trinity House, Catapult, Airbus and leading car manufacturers. Echomax trihedrals will soon be positioned over London for use in tracking satellite responses and possible earth movement over the path of the new underground line.
AIS and RTE are both valuable safety aids but operate in different ways. Whilst AIS gives relative positions of vessels which are both equipped with tuned and working AIS it does not respond to Radar which is still the prime collision avoidance tool. RTE enhances the vessels radar image in most instances and those who feel AIS is a substitute for an RTE do so at their peril.
In January, Echomax shipped five of their EM325 yellow passive radar reflector with a massive 86M2 response and 2M and 1.4M stainless 316L pedestals to the Gulf for use on oil installations.
Echomax test all their reflectors in the QinetiQ Anechoic Chamber and publish the results on their website: www.echomax.co.uk
