Modeling of a bistatic airborne radar for assessing the quality of radar images generated in the forward-looking zone

Аuthors

, Sergiev S. A.

Innopolis University, Innopolis, Russia

Abstract

The study presents a mathematical model for assessing the quality parameters of a radar image formed in the forward-looking zone of a bistatic airborne radar. The model is designed for radars operating in the wavelength range from 2 to 4 cm. The model uses radar parameters, radar operating mode parameters, carrier trajectory parameters, and terrain conditions parameters as input variables. The study showed that with a baseline length between radar carriers and a flight altitude of 1000 m, course angles of the main lobe of the transmitting antenna from 0° to -60° and course angles of the main lobe of the receiving antenna from 15° to 60°, the length of the radar image varies from 180 to 1300 m, and the width - from 70 to 250 m. With a ratio of the baseline length between radar carriers to flight altitude from 0.5 to 2.0, a flight altitude of 1000 m, course angles of the main lobe of the transmitting antenna from 0° to -45° and course angles of the main lobe of the receiving antenna from 15° to 60°, the resolution of the radar image lies in the range from 0.12 to 0.45 m in horizontal range and from 0.06 to 0.15 m in azimuth. The signal-to-noise ratio of the radar image background varies by approximately 20 dB depending on the type of underlying surface. For practical application of the model, we have developed a tool in the form of an online calculator.

Keywords:

airborne radar, bistatic radar, forward-looking, radar image resolution, radar image signal-to-noise ratio

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