AESA Fighter Radar Seminar

Objectives

The Seminar has three three primary objectives: 

1) Define the requirements of an AESA Radar integrated in a weapons system from a pilots point of view.

2) Present the theory of an AESA Radar and learn how to design modes and predict performance from the requirements up.

3) Provide the detailed documentation, simulations and tools to put the "theory into practice."

Some of the new things you will learn

• How to design an advanced 6DOF "Linear Phase Matched FIR" estimator with angular kinematics for tracking 50+ high performance fighters and drones.  Discover how the Optimal 6DOF mechanization minimizes the current as well as the extrapolated target state errors to meet the requirements for "lead pursuit weapons" and track maintenance. Using a BVR missile simulation, learn how to optimize the 6DOF estimator along the entire missile flight path and extend its lethal range. 

• How to incorporate Computer Aided Design (CAD) techniques to adapt the AESA search/track waveforms to a rapidly changing environment, to maximize the detection range, minimize Probability of Intercept (LPI) and false alarms.

• How to implement STAP, Adaptive Beamforming, amplitude and phase based null cancellors, and the mysterious endoclutter Ground Moving Target Indicator mode using a "Universal Matched FIR Filter" design technique.

• How to implement Radar 2d and 3d SAR for estimating the range, azimuth and height of potential targets to deliver standoff "smart bombs" on stationary or moving ground targets.

Synopsis

1. Introduction to AESA RADAR. 

The evolution of RADAR, an overview of the AESA modes, signal processing, complex signals, matrices, FFT’s, weighting functions, and optimal "matched" FIR filters for track, antenna null formation, Stap, pulse compression, and ground moving target detection, geolocation and jammer cancellation.

2. Requirements Analysis. 

RADAR requirements analysis using a weapons simulator, to define mode interleaving, weapon guidance, passive sensor integration, electronic warfare, low probability of intercept (LPI), air-air search, multi-target track and SAR  from a pilot’s point of view.

3. Receiver-Exciter: 

Super-heterodyne receivers, frequency multipliers, analog and advanced digital IF sampling-synchronous detectors.  Phase coding, linear/non-linear frequency coding.  Digital pulse compression FIR filters including matched, integrated, and peak sidelobe reduction filters, with recursive sidelobe weighting.

4. AESA Array Antennas. 

Fundamental concepts, one and two-dimensional antenna patterns, gain, beamwidth, weighting functions, grating lobes, array steering, monopulse vector processing. Universal Matched filters for Interferometric cancellers, adaptive beamforming, and amplitude/phase based spatial notch filters.  STAP and recursive STAP Matched Filters for canceling clutter and jamming.  Advanced matrix-based Matched Filters for multi-channel slow-moving ground target detection, geolocation, and jammer cancellation.

5. Airborne RADAR Equation.  

The air-air and air-ground airborne RADAR equations with IF Filters, A/D integrators, coherent / non-coherent integration, and pulse compression.  Target cross-section modeling, detection theory and numerical methods for computation of the probability of detection.

6. Airborne RADAR Clutter. 

Airborne RADAR clutter sources, Radar FFT maps and templates, constant clutter gamma model, and the all-important and rarely discussed ambiguous clutter RADAR equation. Ray Trace based Radome models and their degradations, image lobes, clutter simulations, and distributions.

7. CFAR.  

Probability theory, target modeling, and the computation of the CFAR detection threshold.  Cell averaging, High PRF, Greatest Of, Ordered Statistic, advanced Shaped and Predictive Template driven CFAR’s with integrated Radome models augmented with dynamic real time clutter measurements, and image morphology to locate  clutter and false alarm regions in the Radar FFT.

8. Air-Air Search Modes.   

Processing and performance predictions for short range Air Combat Modes, all aspect Medium PRF search with LPI and long range automatic optimization options.  The Hi-PRF very long-range Alert-Confirm waveform.  Detection in main beam clutter, LPI, MOfN range correlators, guard channels, and backend STC. PRF design, ghost false alarm reduction techniques, high-speed automatic waveform selection algorithms to maximize detection range, minimize LPI and false alarms, with adaptation to a rapidly changing measured environment. 

9. Track Modes

Kalman (MVE) & Advanced (LSQ) FIR Filters. Kalman theory, Singer Gauss Markov and derivative polynomial target models, symbolic math for computing the Kalman Q and STM matrixes, P matrix initialization, metrics, and designs for optimizing performance during acquisition, and transients.  Linearization techniques and the Cleve Moler numerical method for computing the Jacobian (and the Co-Variance matrix) ,  coordinate systems, coupled and decoupled trackers. Optimal model-based least-squares FIR filters with 6DOF angular kinematics for weapon lead pursuit guidance and track maintenance. Median filtering and other more advanced "before and after" editing techniques for smooth lock transfers in tight formations and impulse removal from interference, multi-path, clutter, and jamming in a war time environment.

10. Mapping Modes.  

Synthetic Aperture RADAR, stretch pulse compression, azimuth compression, motion compensation, autofocus algorithms, INS and IMU modifications for targeting, height computations using stereo 3D SAR. Automatic target detection and recognition designs using the extensive Sandia national labs "MSTARS" public database of SAR military target images, and clutter.