SCAN-WITHIN-A-PULSE (SWAP) CONCEPT FOR MULTISTATIC RADAR VOLUME COVERAGE COORDINATION

A CONTINUING DIFFICULTY WITH MULTISTATIC RADAR DESIGN IS COORDINATION OF THE TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER ANTENNA BEAMS TO COVER THE DESIRED SEARCH VOLUME. CONVENTIONALLY, THE RECEIVING ANTENNA(S) ARE STEERED ELECTRONICALLY AS A FUNCTION OF INTRAPULSE TIME TO THE DIRECTION FROM WHICH TARGET ECHOS COULD BE RECEIVED; THIS PROCESS IS CALLED PULSE CHASING. THE ALTERNATIVE DISCUSSED IN THIS PROPOSAL RESULTS IN LESS COMPLEXITY AT THE RECEIVER(S) WITHOUT ADDING SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE TRANSMITTER. THE CONCEPT INVOLVES A FREQUENCYSENSITIVE ANTENNA EXCITED BY A WIDE BANDWIDTH PULSE TO CAUSE THE TRANSMITTER ANTENNA BEAM TO SWEEP OUT THE ENTIRE SEARCH VOLUME WITHIN A SINGLE PULSE (THE SWAP CONCEPT). THIS ALLOWS A COMPLEX OF FIXED RECEIVER ANTENNA BEAM(S) TO COVER THE DESIRED AZIMUTH EXTENT. THE RF FREQUENCY OF EACH RECEIVER IS SWEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DESIRED RANGE COVERAGE. THE ISSUES TO BE STUDIED UNDER THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDE CANDIDATE GEOMETRIES, ANTENNA TYPES, WAVEFORM DESIGN, SNR AND SCR, TARGET AND CLUTTER PROCESSING, RECEIVER TUNING ALGORITHMS, COHERENCY, POTENTIAL RANGE PERFORMANCE, MEASUREMENT ACCURACIES, AND OTHER TOP-LEVEL SYSTEMS CONSIDERATIONS.