Performance Prediction for Airborne Multistatic Radar

ABSTRACT: Development and deployment of airborne multistatic radar systems and the algorithms that control them can be greatly aided by accurate modeling and performance prediction. Capturing physical, electromagnetic and environmental real-world effects of multistatics in a simulation capability is imperative to achieve the desired benefits of this effort. Highly parameterized transmitter and receiver models with well-defined command and feedback interfaces, which are capable of real-time simulation, offer great utility to sensing system and control algorithm designers. Past, present, and future multistatic sensing systems can be modeled and controlled to assess performance capabilities in real-world scenarios. Providing the ability to simulate the wide array of situations multistatic systems have to face (ex. varying transmitter cooperativeness, limitations on available emissions, hostile environments where passive operation is critical) allows for critical design decisions to be assessed. Extensive performance metrics must be developed and utilized to handle the complicated task of predicting the value of decision trades in radar design and algorithmic control. The results of this effort will demonstrate the capacity to achieve measured results comparability through accurate and efficient simulation. BENEFIT: An accurate and efficient simulation capability of airborne multistatic systems will aid in the development and deployment of radar systems and their intelligent control algorithms. Benefits to applications such as passive sensing, commercial transmitter exploitation, electromagnetic interference modeling and accountability, intelligent exploitation of emitters of interest, and passive imaging can be achieved for government and commercial needs.