Abstract: The interception of a surface vessel is an important function of a nation's maritime military capability. Here we explore a scenario where a reconnaissance aircraft is used to cue a surface naval vessel to intercept a suspect vessel amongst a number of non-target vessels. The effect of upgrading the aircraft's radar suite from non-imaging to imaging-capable is examined. Substantial savings of up to 11% in flight time and 16% in fuel consumption are found when the latter is used. Greater savings are generally found for larger (in radar cross-section) target vessels and these savings increase with the number of non-targets vessels present—12, 24 and 36 vessels are tested here. The situation is found to worsen significantly if sufficient standby aircraft are not available to maintain target surveillance during refuelling times. Therefore, acquisition of expensive technology must be accompanied by appropriate platform maintenance and operating policies.