Tunable radar compound coherent jamming signal generation based on microwave photonics

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Radar Systems Engineering
• Electronic Warfare and Signal Processing

Background:

• Traditional radar jamming techniques face limitations in complexity and effectiveness.
• The need for advanced, multi-faceted jamming methods is crucial for modern electronic warfare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel photonic-assisted scheme for generating compound coherent radar jamming signals.
• To combine Comb Spectrum Modulation Jamming (CSMJ) and Interrupted Sampling Repeater Jamming (ISRJ) using a single photonic system.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DP-MZM) for signal processing.
• Employed interrupted sampling and comb spectrum modulation on received linear frequency-modulated (LFM) signals.
• Integrated photoelectric conversion to generate the compound jamming signal.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated compound jamming signals with 1-GHz bandwidth at 8 GHz and 18 GHz.
• Demonstrated tunability of CSMJ frequency interval, ISRJ duty cycle, and sampling frequency.
• Achieved significant radar imaging disruption, creating 50 false targets distributed over 120 m after pulse compression.

Conclusions:

• The proposed photonic-assisted scheme is the first to generate CSMJ and ISRJ compound jamming.
• The system is compact, wideband, and tunable, offering significant potential for future electronic warfare applications.
• The demonstrated jamming effectiveness highlights the viability of photonic approaches in advanced radar countermeasures.