PROFESSIONAL ELECTIVE-I

MODERN RADAR SYSTEMS (EC 15301)

Text/Reference Books:

Introduction to Radar Systems - M. I. Skolnik

Radar Fundamentals - G.J. Wheeler.
Radar – principles, technology, applications – Byron Edde
Microwave Imaging - Matteo Pastorino
Radar Foundations for Imaging and Advanced Concepts - R. J. Sullivan,
What is the Radar?
What is the Radar?
Radar is a contraction of the words radio detection and ranging.

❑Radar is an electromagnetic system for the detection and location of

reflecting objects (ship, vehicle, people, natural environment).
❑ It operates by transmitting a particular type of waveform, a pulse-modulated
sine wave for example, and detects the nature of the echo signal.

❑Radar is used to extend the capability of one's senses for observing the
environment, especially the sense of vision.

❑Radar cannot resolve detail as well the eye, nor is it capable of recognizing
the "color" of objects.

❑However, radar can be designed to see through those conditions impervious

to normal human vision, such as darkness, haze, fog, rain, and snow.
Radar operation can be summarized as follows:
What is the Radar?
What is the Radar?
 The Principle of the Radar

2 R = c TR c = 3  108 m / s

For example : TR = 1 m sec  R = 150 Km

 Typical Radar Waveform

−12
Watts = 10 log
10
Target echo is : 10 −12
−3
= −90 dBm
10
 Typical Radar Waveform
The most common radar waveform is a train of narrow, rectangular-shape
pulses modulating a sine wave carrier.

PRI (Pulse Repetition Interval) 1

PRF (Pulse Repetition Frequency) PRF = PRI = 1 m sec  PRF = 1KHz
PRI

 is pulse width 
Duty Cycle =  = 1 sec, PRI = 1m sec  Duty Cycle = 0.001
PRI

Pt is Peak Power 
 Pav = Pt for example: Pt = 1 MWatts  Pav = 1KWatts
Pav is Average Power PRI
 1 nmi = 1.852 km

❑Once the transmitted pulse is emitted by the radar, a sufficient length of time
must elapse to allow any echo signals to return and be detected before the
next pulse may be transmitted.
❑Echoes that arrive after the transmission of the next pulse are called second-
time-around (or multiple-time-around) echoes.
❑Such an echo would appear to be at a much shorter range than the actual
and could be misleading if it were not known to be a second-time-around echo.
❑ The rate at which the pulses may be transmitted is determined by the longest
range at which targets are expected.
❑The range beyond which targets appear as second-time-around echoes is called
the maximum unambiguous range and is given by Run
Pulse spread

Range Resolution
Two targets in Range that can resolved defines the resolution of radar
Pulse Duration – Trade off
 Pulse Compression

❑ Frequency- or phase-modulation can be used to increase the

spectral width of a long pulse to obtain the resolution of a short
pulse.
❑ The pulse carrier might be frequency- or phase-modulated to
permit the echo signals to be compressed in time after reception.
❑ This achieves the benefits of high range-resolution without the
need to resort to a short pulse.
❑ The technique of using a long, modulated pulse to obtain the
resolution of a short pulse, but with the energy of a long pulse, is
known as pulse compression.
Continuous Radar

It depends upon
Radar Block Diagram
 The Radar Range Equation
Target

Ae , G
R
Pt

TX , RX

TX is transmitter
RX is receiver
G is gain of antenna
Ae is effective aperture of antenna
Pt is peak power
 is radar cross section
R is distance (range) of target from radar
The maximum radar range Rmax is the distance beyond which the target
cannot be detected. It occurs when the received echo signal power P, just
equals the minimum detectable signal Smin .Therefore

1
 Pt G  Ae  4
--1
if Pr = S min  Rmax = 
 ( 4 ) 2
S min 

This is the fundamental form of the radar equation.

1
 4   Pt Ae 2  4
--2
G =  2  Ae  Rmax = 
   4  S min 
2


--3
 ❑These three forms illustrate the need to be careful in the
interpretation of the radar equation:
❑For example, from Eq. (3) it might be thought that the range of
a radar varies as λ1/2, but Eq. (2) indicates a λ-1/2 relationship, and
Eq. (1) shows the range to be independent of λ.
❑The correct relationship depends on whether it is assumed the
gain is constant or the effective area is constant with wavelength.
Eq. (1)
 Radar Advantages
➢ Cloud and smoke penetration.
➢ Night vision.
➢ Forest canopy penetration and canopy structure.
➢ Complements visible/infrared sensors (sensitive to terrain features and moisture).
➢ Good for discrimination of terrain structure (roughness) and drainage patterns.

Radar Disadvantages
➢ Interpretation requires knowledge of radar interaction with surfaces.
➢ Speckle (dark and bright pixels) limits interpretation.
➢ Satellite systems are not yet multispectral and multi polarization (usually one band/one
polarization) on most satellite platforms (limits forest canopy information).
➢ Not good for discrimination and mapping of different vegetation types except at very
general levels.
➢ Data analysis can be hindered in steep topography and rough terrain due to extreme
layover effects.
Radar frequencies and the electromagnetic spectrum
 Radar frequencies

❑ Conventional radars generally have been operated at

frequencies extending from about 100 MHz to 36 GHz.

❑ Skywave HF over-the-horizon (OTH) radar might be at

frequencies as low as 4 or 5 MHz, and ground wave HF radars as

low as 2 MHz.

❑ The millimeter radars have operated at frequencies higher than

240 GHz.
 History of the radar
• Before World War II: A simple radar by several country is proposed and applied.

• After World War II: the radar technology grew rapidly.

• Use of Doppler effect in MTI (moving target indicator).
• Use of High power stable amplifier such as klystron, TWT and solid state amplifier
instead of the magnetron tube.
• Use of mono-pulse radar for better accuracy.
• Use of pulse compression technique to achieve the range resolution.
• Use of Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for imaging of ground surfaces.
• Development of Airborne radar.
• Phase array Antenna for electronically scan of environments without mechanical
movement of the antenna.
• Use of HF over-the-Horizon radars to detect aircraft to almost 2000 nmi.
• Use of radar technology to recognize target by extraction of its information.
• radar to gather weather information, wind speed and direction.
• Use of digital signal processing to develop radar.
 Review of Common Radar Types

• CW
• Simple Pulsed Range Radar
• Pulse Doppler
• Pulse Compression (Chirp and Phase Coded)
• Frequency Agile
• MTI (Coherent and Coherent-on-Receiver)
• Mono-pulse
• Phased Array
• SAR
• Bi-static Radars
• Instrumentation
• Multimode
• Other (MLS, ILS, TACAN)
Plan Position Indicator (PPI) Display
 Applications of the Radar
• Military Applications
✓ Space Systems
✓ Airborne Applications
✓ Maritime Applications
✓ Surveillance
✓ Search and Track
✓ Fire Control
✓ Navigation
✓ Missile Guidance
✓ Altimeter
✓ Terrain Avoidance
✓ Weather Mapping

• Civil Applications
✓ Space Systems
✓ Air Transport and Navigation Applications
✓ Maritime Applications
✓ Industry Applications. Speed and distance measurements
✓ Oil and Gas Exploration
✓ The movement of insects and birds.
High Resolution Radars
 New Radar systems

1. Enhanced Meteorological Radars. [Nexrad, Terminal Doppler Weather Radar, Wind profiler, TRMM
satellite weather radar and airborne wind-shear detection radar]
2. Planetary Explorations. [ Magellan for Venus, Cassini for Titan, a moon of Saturn]
3. Interferomectic Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for 3D images.
4. Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR).
5. Ground Penetration Radar (GPR).
6. Serial production of phased array radars. [Patriod, Aegis, Pave Paws, B-1B bomber]
7. Active aperture phased arrays.
8. Ballistic missile defense radars. [GBR and Arrow]
9. HF over the horizon radars. [ROTHR and Jindalee]
10. Battlefield surveillance. [JSTARS]
11. Radars for remote sensing of the environments.
12. Improved air-traffic control radars.
13. New multifunction airborne military fighter/attack radars.
Solution 1 :
Problem 2 :
Solution 2 :
 Example :

P 1.2 A ground-based air-surveillance radar operate at frequency of 1300MHz (L-

Band). Its maximum range is 200nmi (1 nautical mile equal 1852meter) for the
detection of a target with a radar cross section of 1m2. its antenna 12 m wide by 4 m
high, and the antenna aperture efficiency is 0.65. the minimum detectable signal is
10-13 watts. Determine the following:

1. Antenna effective aperture and gain?

2. Peak transmitter power?
3. Pulse repetition frequency (PRF) to achieve a maximum unambiguous range of
200 nmi?
4. Average transmitter power , if the pulse width is 2 micro sec?
5. Duty cycle?
6. Horizontal and vertical beam width?
 Solution :

1. Ae =  A = 0.6512m  4m = 31.2 m2 , c 3 108

= = = 0.2307 m
f 1300 106
 4  4
 G =  2  Ae = 31.2 = 7362.90  GdB = 10 log( 7362.90) = 38.67 dB
   0. 2307 2

2. S min =
Pt G
.

4 R 4 R 2
2
. Ae 
P=
(4 R ) 2 2
S min =
(4 (200 1852) ) 2 2
10 −13 = 12.5 MWatts
G  Ae
t
7362.90 1 32.2

c c 3 108 1
3. 2 R = c T =  f PRF = = = 404 Hz  PRI = = 2.47m sec
f PRF 2 R 2  200 1852m 404

 2 10 −6
4. Pav = Pt = −3
12.5 10 6 = 10.12 KWatts
PRI 2.47 10


2 10 −6
5. Duty = = −3
= 8.097 10 − 4 = 0.0008
PRI 2.47 10

 0.2307  0.2307
6. HBW = 65 = 65 = 1.24 deg . , VBW = 65 = 65 = 3.74 deg .
D 12 D 4