Mitigation of Radar Clutter Using Algorithmic Techniques

In Phase I, TSC developed a clutter mitigation technique that will allow radars of the BMDS to better detect, track and discriminate targets in the presence of tumbling dipole clutter and jamming countermeasures. The clutter mitigation technique is based on a novel adaptive signal processing (generalized STAP) algorithm that discriminates among classes of scatterers that move on general non-linear space-time paths. The generalized STAP algorithm is a novel synthesis of ideas from TSC’s successful 3D radar imaging programs with adaptive signal processing. The algorithm is unlike techniques that attempt to ‘burn through’ clutter by using a combination of very large relative bandwidth, ultra-long coherent integration and exhaustive hypothesis testing. Instead, it adaptively produces deep detection nulls in a subspace of the joint image-motion space of ballistic target scatterer motion. This processing will facilitate detection, 3D radar imaging and precise motion estimation of targets. In Phase II, an innovative algorithm is offered that adaptively cancels radar dipole clutter and jamming prior to target detection, for subsequent 3D radar imaging or any other type of signal processing. TSC will further mature the algorithm and quantify its performance relative to other leading clutter suppression techniques using benchmark clutter data from the Hercules CCWG.