Radar Principles

Course structure

What you will learn

On successful completion of the course you will be able to:

• Analyse radar detection performance in noise and clutter, relating these principles to conventional radar system design,
• Assess the performance and identify particular operational advantages of modern multi-function radar and SAR systems,
• Critically assess the detection performance of a radar system, given its design parameters,
• Produce a viable radar system design, given a suitable specification of the required radar performance,
• Generate and analyse radar waveforms and target echoes with MATLAB.

Core content

• Introduction: comparison with other sensors, frequency bands, relationship between size, wavelength and range, target data, historical notes,
• Radar detection theory: radar range equation, Pd, Pfa and SNR relationships, FAR, No. hits, Integration (quadrature detection),
• Pulsed Radar Parameters: PRF, pulse width, duty ratio, peak and average powers, min range, eclipsing, max unambiguous range, low PRF, spectrum of pulsed radar, signal bandwidth, matched reception, range resolution. Search radar application,
• Losses: effect of clear air, precipitation, multipath; Losses associated with radar system, including the antenna (beam-shape loss),
• CW and FM ranging: The Doppler effect, Doppler sensing, clutter rejection, Doppler filtering/velocity gating. Two phase linear saw-tooth modulation, ranging, effect of Doppler, velocity and range measurement. Missile seeker,
• Radar cross-section: principal factors; surface reflection effects; forms of scattering; echo mechanisms; variation of RCS with angle; typical values; Swerling models,
• Pulse compression: frequency coding (FMOP); Phase coding (PMOP); matched filtering; range and velocity resolution; Compressed pulse width; Range-velocity coupling,
• Clutter: surface and volume backscatter coefficient; spatial and temporal variation; estimation of clutter return and signal-to-clutter ratio for volume and surface clutter; statistical description for clutter; clutter spectrum and de-correlation time,
• CFAR: Constant false alarm rate systems; Clutter statistics and CFAR performance,
• Pulse-doppler radar: principle of operation; clutter spectrum; characteristics of HPRF and MPRF systems; FMICW in range measurement; multiple PRFs in range measurement. Airborne early-warning radar: requirements; design drivers and solution; typical parameters. Battlefield surveillance radar: requirements; system design; unambiguous range and velocity measurement,
• MTI radar: System diagram; clutter rejection by single and double delay line cancellers; blind speed,
• GMTI: MTI from an airborne platform, target measurement accuracy in range and in angle; clutter Doppler spread Tracking Radar. Monopulse and conical scan angle- trackers; range and velocity gates for range and Doppler tracking; angle-tracking errors; track-while-scan systems; continuity tracking synthetic-aperture radar: Cross range resolution, unfocussed SAR, focussed SAR, array length, array processing, resolution, Doppler Beam.

Upgrade to a professional qualification

When taken as a Short Course for Credit, 10 credit points can be put towards either the Sensors Electronic Warfare PgCert, Military Electronic Systems Engineering Foundations PgCert, Guided Weapon Systems MSc or Military Electronic Systems Engineering MSc.

Find out more about short course credit points.

Who should attend

This course is aimed at those who are new to radar system technologies. It is suitable for those who are involved with the design of radar systems and want to rigorously consolidate their foundations, background knowledge, or expand on specific radar concepts.

Students must have completed both Electromagnetic Propagation and Devices and Signal Processing, Statistics and Analysis in order to take this as a Short Course for Credit. There are no prerequisites if taken as a Standalone Short Course.

Speakers

Dr Alessio Balleri