MULTISTATIC RADAR TECHNOLOGY

THE LOW RADAR CROSS SECTION AIR TARGET AND FUTURE ECM, ESM, AND ARMS ARE CREDIBLE, DIFFICULT THREATS THAT DEMAND AN AIR DEFENSE CAPABILITY NOT NOW AVAILABLE. ONE PROMISING SOLUTION INVOLVES A MULTISTATIC RADAR (MSR). TO COUNTER THE REDUCTION IN BACKSCATTERED ENERGY FROM LOW CROSS SECTION TARGETS, IT VIEWS THE TARGET FROM DIFFERENT ASPECT ANGLES AND THROUGH BISTATIC ANGLES WHERE THE REFLECTED ENERGY MAY, IN FACT, BE ENHANCED. ALSO, THE HIGH-VALUE RECEIVE PORTION OF THE SYSTEM IS PASSIVE, THUS SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCING THE SYSTEM'S FUNCTIONAL AND PHYSICAL SURVIVABILITY. VIABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF MSR HAS BY NO MEANS BEEN PROVEN AT THE PRESENT TIME, AND CAN OCCUR ONLY BY USING THE STATE-OF-THE-ART AND ALSO PROJECTED FUTURE CAPABILITIES OF DIGITAL, ANALOG, MECHANICAL, AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROPOSAL EVALUATES THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH MSR IMPLEMENTATION, DISCUSSES APPROACHES AND CONCEPTS FOR RESOLVING EACH ISSUE, IDENTIFIES THE PRESENT LIMITATIONS OF THE TECHNOLOGIES, AND IDENTIFIES FUTURE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS FOR MAKING MSR MORE ATTRACTIVE WITH RESPECT TO SIZE, WEIGHT, POWER, RELIABILITY, AND COST. A PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A MSR TESTBED, RECOMMENDED FOR PHASE II, IS ALSO PRESENTED.