Signal processing of wide bandwidth and wide beamwidth P-3 SAR data

This research is concerned with multidimensional signal processing and image formation with FOliage PENetrating (FOPEN) airborne radar data which were collected by a Navy P-3 ultra wideband (UWB) radar in 1995. The digital signal processors that were developed for the P-3 data commonly used a radar beamwidth angle that was limited to 35 deg. Provided that the P-3 radar beamwidth angle (after slow-time FIR filtering and 6:1 decimation) was 35 deg, the P-3 signal aperture radar (SAR) system would approximately yield alias-free data in the slow-time Doppler domain. We provide an analysis here of the slow-time Doppler properties of the P-3 SAR system. This study indicates that the P-3 database possesses a 50 deg beamwidth angle within the entire [215, 730] MHz band of the P-3 radar. We show that the 50-degree beamwidth limit is imposed by the radar (radial) range swath gate; a larger beamwidth measurements would be possible with a larger range swath gate. The 50-degree beamwidth of the P-3 system results in slow-time Doppler aliasing within the frequency band of [444, 730] MHz. We outline a slow-time processing of the P-3 data to minimize the Doppler aliasing. The images which are formed via this method are shown to be superior in quality to the images which are formed via the conventional P-3 processor. In the presentation, we also introduce a method for converting the P-3 deramped (range-compressed) data into its alias-free baseband echoed data; the utility of this conversion for suppressing radio frequency interference signals is shown     

Radar: The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper

The Cassini RADAR instrument is a multimode 13.8 GHz multiple-beam sensor that can operate as a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imager, altimeter, scatterometer, and radiometer. The principal objective of the RADAR is to map the surface of Titan. This will be done in the imaging, scatterometer, and radiometer modes. The RADAR altimeter data will provide information on relative elevations in selected areas. Surfaces of the Saturn’s icy satellites will be explored utilizing the RADAR radiometer and scatterometer modes. Saturn’s atmosphere and rings will be probed in the radiometer mode only. The instrument is a joint development by JPL/NASA and ASI. The RADAR design features significant autonomy and data compression capabilities. It is expected that the instrument will detect surfaces with backscatter coefficient as low as −40 dB.RADAR Team LeaderThis revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

传统雷达的改进与现代雷达的发展并驾齐驱

在西方国家大力开发有源相控阵雷达的同时,传统的机械扫描雷达还大量地存在于现役战斗机中。为提高这部分空中力量的作战能力,老式雷达的技术更新也在加紧进行中     

雷达的革命

氮化镓(GaN)的出现为多功能雷达(包括通信、干扰)开辟了新的应用前景。有源阵列天线实际上已占领雷达市场,在近十年开发的新型战斗机或监视飞机上占有一席之地     

Radar nomenclature

Like much of the equipment used by the armed forces, both civil and military radar systems may be allocated an identification resolved from a synonym, mnemonic, project name, number, application notation, or specialised nomenclature and sometimes may even be based upon the whims of an intelligence reporting service. Of these, mnemonics are very popular; whilst of designation systems used by the US armed forces is probably best known, whilst the Russian system is least understood. Other well-known identification systems and schemes are those employed in Sweden, France, and the UK and are amplified in this article.     

雷达有源干扰信号对雷达侦察装备的影响

分析了有源干扰信号进入舰载雷达侦察机的条件;根据有源干扰信号特征,讨论了其对雷达侦察装备的影响机理;采用半实物仿真方法验证了压制干扰信号对雷达侦察装备的信号分选能力产生较为直接的影响。     

Synthetic Aperture Radar

The general theory of side-looking synthetic aperture radar systems is developed. A simple circuit-theory model is developed; the geometry of the system determines the nature of the prefilter and the receiver (or processor) is the postfilter. The complex distributed reflectivity density appears as the input, and receiver noise is first considered as the interference which limits performance. Analysis and optimization are carried out for three performance criteria (resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and least squares estimation of the target field). The optimum synthetic aperture length is derived in terms of the noise level and average transmitted power. Range-Doppler ambiguity limitations and optical processing are discussed briefly. The synthetic aperture concept for rotating target fields is described. It is observed that, for a physical aperture, a side-looking radar, and a rotating target field, the azimuth resolution is ?/? where ? is the change in aspect angle over which the target field is viewed, The effects of phase errors on azimuth resolution are derived in terms of the power density spectrum of the derivative of the phase errors and the performance in the absence of phase errors.     

Millimeter Radar Instrumentation

Millimeter wavelength radars are used to study plasma effects associated with ionized flow fields of projectiles launched at hypersonic speeds into a free-flight ballistic range. Two CW Doppler radars, at frequencies of 35 and 70 Gc/s, measure the nose-on backscattering radar cross sections during flight. The design and performance of the two radars are described in detail. A signal simulator provides absolute calibration. The purpose is to measure changes that occur in the radar cross sections of hypersonic projectiles caused by highly ionized flow fields. Under certain conditions the nose-on backscattering radar cross section of a blunt-nosed metal projectile decreases drastically when a thin, shock-produced layer of ionized gas covers the projectile. A theoretical analysis of this effect is given. Comparisons between theoretical predictions and experimental data show good correlation.     

Target-Motion-Induced Radar Imaging

Imaging from ground-based (stationary) radars of moving targets is often possible by utilizing a "synthetic aperture" developed from the target motion itself. The theory and experimental results associated with such processing are addressed. An aircraft is imaged from both a straight flight and a turn with recognizable results. Analysis shows that two-phase components exist in the radar return, one being gross velocity induced, the other being interscatterer interference within the target itself. The former phase must be removed prior to imaging and techniques are developed for this task. Preprocessing, range curvature, range alignment, motion compensation, and presumming are all addressed prior to presenting the experimental results. Coherence processing intervals, range collapsing, and range realignment are all examined during the processing aspects of the paper.     

High-Performance Weather Radar

A maser preamplifier designed into an X-band weather radar set AN/ MPS-34 increased the radar's sensitivity by 12.5 dB to an over-all 118.5 dBm. Many low-performance, obsoleted sets could be converted to a high-performance system through the inclusion of a maser. A qualitative discussion of the maser's operation is presented, and the quantitative effects of the maser low noise temperature on the radar's overall noise figure is derived. The meteorological targets not previously detectable are analyzed, and anticipated target detection is forecast.     

Radar Literature Sources

This correspondence presents information on radar literature sources to augment the International Cumulative Index on Radar Systems[1]. The purpose is to provide information on languages and translations of some technical journals and to give additional journals with sources of abstracts of engineering reports and patents on radar.     

Distributed Array Radar

Distributed array radar (DAR) is a concept for efficiently accomplishing surveillance and tracking using coherently internetted mini-radars. They form a long baseline, very thinned array and are capable of very accurate location of targets. This paper describes the DAR concept. Factors involving two-way effective gain patterns for deterministic and random DAR arrays are analyzed and discussed. An analysis of factors affecting signal-to-noise ratio is presented and key technical and performance issues are briefly summarized.     

"狼群"干扰对单、双基地雷达的干扰分析

"狼群"干扰是美国正在研制的一种分布式干扰.文中分析了"狼群"干扰对单、双基地雷达的影响,结果表明,"狼群"干扰对单、双基地雷达构成了严重的威胁.在理论分析计算的基础上,提出了抗"狼群"干扰的可能方法.     

Radar detection in clutter

Clutter is defined as any unwanted radar return. The presence of clutter in a range/Doppler cell complicates the detection of a target return signal in that cell. In order to quantify the effect of clutter on the probability of detection, we must first specify sets of models suitable for representing the clutter and target. The simplest and most common model for clutter is based on the gamma density. We include two additional models, the NCG and NCGG clutter models for low grazing angles. They are motivated by physical arguments, the latter of which can accommodate the well-known phenomenon of speckle. Using one of these models for clutter together with one of several models for targets, we determine, in a range/Doppler cell, expressions for probabilities of detection of a target in the presence of clutter. It is important to control the probability of false alarms. The presence of clutter in a cell necessitates an increase in the detection threshold setting in order to control false alarms, thus lowering the probability of detection. If the clutter level is unknown, then we need to take measurements of the clutter and use it to adjust the threshold. The more clutter samples we take, the better the estimate of the clutter level and the less is the resulting detection loss. Using the expressions for the probability of detection in clutter, we can quantify the detection loss for a pair of commonly used constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) techniques and investigate how the loss varies with different parameter values, especially with regard to the number of clutter samples taken to estimate the clutter level.