AIRBORNE RADAR SYSTEMS

AIRBORNE RADAR SYSTEMS

PRESENTED BY:
SHAHZAD MASOOD ISLAHI
2003/MS-II-E-84
Array Signal Processing

TYPES OF RADAR
DOPPLER RADAR

CW

PULSED

HIGH
PRF

MEDIUM
PRF

LOW
PRF
COHERENT
ON Rx

FULLY
COHERENT

FULLY
COHERENT

FULLY
COHERENT

FULLY
CHERENT
NON
COHERENT

Fully coherent pulsed-doppler radar

Pulse-Doppler Radar
The radar that is capable of measuring the frequency shift
between the transmitted frequency and the frequency of
reflections received from the objects. Doppler radars most
often used to discriminate between the return from a desired
target and that from undesired objects, usually ground clutter.
f=transmitting frequency
v=component of aircraft velocity in
direction of observer

f v
f d
c

The total doppler shift observed in twice the one-way shift and
is given by

f d

NOTE

CW radars are not used for airborne surveillance

because of the constraints associated with
achieving an acceptable antenna installation.
A typical airborne radar might have a PRF of
1000Hz that provides an unambiguous range of
150km (80nmi).
X-band (9 GHz) radar in a Mach-2 aircraft might
have a PRF of 250kHz to ensure detection and
unambiguous velocity measurement of target.
Medium PRF is often the best choice of waveform
for airborne.

Applications
High Resolution ground mapping
SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)
IFF (Identification of friend or foe)
Tracking Radar
Surveillance Radar
Weather Radar

Phased-Array Pulse-Doppler Radar

Implementation

It must operate in a relatively hostile environment

characterized by extreme vibration. Mechanical and acoustic
isolation from the aircraft in combination with robust
component design is imperative for the suppression of
suppression of spurious sidebands so as to permit detection
of small, low flying targets.
The need for compactness dictates corporate-feed beam
forming for AI (Airborne Interceptor) applications. The
weighted outputs of each element are summed in a
constrained feed typically constructed from waveguide or
coaxial cable.
Angle measurement may be enhanced by implementing
monopulse so that difference-azimuth and differenceelevation channels have to be implemented in parallel with
the sum channel.

Passive & Active Phased Arrays

Both passive and active phase arrays are employed for airborne radars .

Passive arrays employ a conventional central transmitter and

receiver so that individual elements are driven only by passive
devices such as phase shifters.
An active array is implemented so that each element is driven
by an independent transmit amplifier and receiver as well as
passive devices such as phase shifters and possibly attenuator.
It can provide significantly greater flexibility and pattern control
than a passive array, though at substantially higher per-element
cost. Active arrays employ diode phase shifters.
Ferrite phase shifters are typically used for passive arrays to
minimize loss. Solid-sate diode phase shifters afford faster
switching speed and more compact mechanization, but have
greater loss.

Phase Shifters

Digitally switched phase shifters

Diode phase shifters
Switched line, Hybrid coupled, Loaded line

Ferrimagnetic phase shifters

Reggia-Spencer phase shifters
Latching ferrite phase shifters
Electromechanical phase shifters
T/L, Rotary Waveguide

MEMS phase shifters

Typical solid-state T/R module

Examples
APQ-164

Westinghouse Electric Corporation developed the first deployed

U.S. airborne two-dimensional phase array radar, the APQ-164
used in the B-1B bomber. This radar employs a passive array to
perform navigation and weapon delivery function. The APQ-164
achieved initial operational capability in 1986.

MiG-31

The MiG-31 holds the distinction of being the first operational

phased-array radar. It is reportedly capable of tracking ten targets
simultaneously and guiding missiles to four targets simultaneously.
The array supports integrated L-band IFF operation as well as Xband AI function.

APG-77

Wetinghouse Electric Corporation and Texas Instruments Inc.

developed jointly a solid state active array APG-77 for F-22
aircraft.

Datron Lens Rx Antenna , Radome Height 6.5

Top View of Potential B-2 MILSTAR

Datron Radome vs. Milstrar Radome

Direct Broadcast Satellite

Cable-in-the Sky
1500 element Ku-band Array

Synthetic Aperture Radar

High resolution ground mapping has become an important

mode for airborne fire control Radars. Detailed images are
needed in terrain matching navigation, surveillance mapping,
and ground target classification and identification.
The map resolution required for airborne radar applications
typically ranges from 35m down to as little as 1m or 2m,
sometimes less. Range resolution is achieved by using pulse
compression.
The cost of SAR lies in the complex signal processor required
and the associated demand of the precision of other system
parameters.

Pulse Compression
In general applications, radar waveforms may be
modulated in phase or frequency to increase
bandwidth of the transmitted pulse.
This enhanced bandwidth may then be used by
matched filtering on receive to increase range
resolution of the radar system.
This general technique, called pulse compression,
is often used in modern radar systems to maintain
a required range and resolution while increasing
pulse energy and resulting average power.

Airborne Weather Radar

The weather targets are colour-coded by the intensity

of the return.
Airborne weather radar is intended to detect and
display hazardous weather systems that present a
potential danger to the aircraft. The types of weather
systems that present the greatest potential danger are
wind shear and microburst, which frequently exist in
thunderstorms.
Microbursts are sudden violent downward air currents
that occasionally exist beneath thunderstorms. They
tend to exist close to the ground, where they pose
maximum risk to aircraft on final approach. There have
been many fatal accidents attributed to microbursts.

The display correlation to approximate rainfall is given

Rainfall rate
Colour
Black

Very light or no returns

Less than 0.7 mm/hr.

Green

Light returns

0.7 - 4 mm/hr

Yellow

Medium returns

4 - 12 mm/hr.

Red

Strong returns

Greater than 12 mm/hr.

Magenta

Turbulence

N/a

Colour / rainfall correlatio

Airborne weather radar displa

References
Airborne Pulsed Doppler Radar
Second Edition
Guy Morris Linda Harkness