Abstract:
This paper describes a methodology to assess the detectability of targets by
anairborne fire control radar operating in a medium PRF mode in the presence of
strongground clutter as a function of the transmitting and receiving antenna
array weightingfunctions and proportion of failed array elements. It describes
the radar, antenna andclutter modelling processes and the method by which target
detectability is quantified.The detectability of targets in clutter is described
using a detectability map, whichprovides a useful means of comparing target
detectability as clutter conditions change.It concludes that the best target
detectability is to be achieved using those weightingfunctions on transmit and
receive which result in the lowest average sidelobe levelsbut that the margins
between the more highly tapered weighting functions were small.Furthermore, it
concludes that target detectability degrades as the proportion of failedelements
increases. A failure of 5% of the elements gave modest, though
meaningful,degradations in target detectability and would therefore form a
suitable upper limit.
