Debris Mitigation for Missile Defense Radars

In Phase I, Technology Service Corporation (TSC) demonstrated the feasibility of a signal processing technique for improving the detection, tracking, and discrimination of threat objects in the presence of a dense environment of debris. For Phase II, TSC proposes to develop a signal processing algorithm based on the demonstrated technique together with concept refinements to also be made in Phase II. Debris of the type to be addressed in the proposed work can rapidly increase the radar's track load to the point where tracks must be dropped. The proposed algorithm suppresses the radar signatures of the debris objects relative to objects of more interest, thereby enabling the radar to devote track resources to those objects more likely to be the lethal threat and improving the probability of an early intercept during the ascent phase of the threat trajectory. TSC proposes to work with a radar prime contractor during Phase II to help ensure that there is a path for inserting the algorithm into a BMDS radar program.