High-Resolution Doppler and Azimuth Estimation and Target Detection in HFSWR: Experimental Study

Area of Science:

• Radar Systems Engineering
• Signal Processing
• Oceanography

Background:

• High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) is crucial for long-range surveillance.
• Existing HFSWR systems face challenges in primary signal processing and target detection.
• Current methods often rely on Range-Doppler Fast Fourier Transform (RD-FFT) maps, which have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel high-resolution algorithm for HFSWR primary signal processing.
• To enhance radar target detection performance in HFSWR systems.
• To improve the quality of Range-Doppler (RD) maps for better analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a high-resolution Range-Doppler (RD-HR) map estimation algorithm.
• Formation of RD-HR maps for each element in the receive antenna array.
• Averaging RD-HR maps across all antennas for target detection.
• Application of a high-resolution MUSIC-type algorithm for azimuth estimation.

Main Results:

• The proposed RD-HR map offers significantly better contrast and target detectability compared to traditional RD-FFT maps.
• The algorithm successfully improves primary signal processing performance in HFSWR.
• Azimuth estimation is effectively performed for detected targets.

Conclusions:

• The new high-resolution algorithm represents a significant advancement in HFSWR signal processing.
• It overcomes limitations of existing methods, particularly in the presence of strong Bragg lines.
• The enhanced performance leads to more reliable radar target detection.