Date of Award

6-1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Michael A. Temple, PhD

Abstract

A new real beam interferometric processing technique, called Adaptive Clutter Erasure (ACE), is investigated for applicability to ground clutter suppression in airborne radar systems. By analysis and simulation, the viability of the ACE concept as a next generation clutter suppression technique is demonstrated to achieve performance enhancements commensurate with currently implemented techniques. Research results indicate the ACE concept provides a reliably consistent 10dB Signal-to-Clutter Ratio (SCR) advantage over the APG-63, an operational radar system used for baseline comparison. ACE system concept development and performance predictions are conducted in conformity with the physical and operational design parameters of the APG-63, namely the operating frequency band, typical tracking scenarios, aperture size and polarization, element spacing and weighting, and field pattern response. Performance degradations for the limited number of scenarios where ACE provides minimal or no advantage, i.e., scenarios including platform roll or large target depression angles, are "as expected" in the sense that simulation results are consistent with theoretically established principles.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-DS-ENG-98-05

DTIC Accession Number

ADA353788

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