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arXiv · 2602.08450

UAV-Supported Maritime Search System: Experience from Valun Bay Field Trials

Stefan Ivić·Luka Lanča·Karlo Jakac·Ante Sikirica·Stella Dumenčić·Matej Mališa·Zvonimir Mrle·Bojan Crnković
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Abstract

This paper presents the integration of flow field reconstruction, dynamic probabilistic modeling, search control, and machine vision detection in a system for autonomous maritime search operations. Field experiments conducted in Valun Bay (Cres Island, Croatia) involved real-time drifter data acquisition, surrogate flow model fitting based on computational fluid dynamics and numerical optimization, advanced multi-UAV search control and vision sensing, as well as deep learning-based object detection. The results demonstrate that a tightly coupled approach enables reliable detection of floating targets under realistic uncertainties and complex environmental conditions, providing concrete insights for future autonomous maritime search and rescue applications.

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Stefan Ivić, Luka Lanča, Karlo Jakac, Ante Sikirica, Stella Dumenčić, Matej Mališa, Zvonimir Mrle, Bojan Crnković. 2026-02-09. UAV-Supported Maritime Search System: Experience from Valun Bay Field Trials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.08450

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