RADIOLOCATION

Tracking Radar

Jordi Mateu
Jordi Berenguer

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Course Contents
I. Introduction to Air Navigation and Surveillance
Functions
II. Pulsed Radar
[Link] Clutter
[Link] Radar
V. Tracking Radar
[Link] Radar (SSR)
[Link] Dependent Surveillance (ADS‐B)
[Link] Radar
[Link]‐collision and Ground Proximity Warning
Systems

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar ‐ Outline
1. Angle Tracking

2. Monopulse Tracking
1. Amplitude Comparison
2. Phase Comparison

3. Canonical Scan & Sequential Scan

4. Limitation of Tracking Accuracy

1. Glint or Angle noise
2. Low noise Tracking

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar

Normal RADAR detects the presence of a Target (Surveillance Sensor).

Nevertheless RADAR may locate targets in space (2D ‐ 3D), track targets and
predict its position.

Types of Tracking RADAR:

• Rapid Tracking of a single target
• High observation rate 100 measures/s
• STT (Single Target Tracking) • Main Appl.: Aircraft & missile tracking

• Tracking of many thousands of aircrafts

• ADT (Automatic Detection Tracking) • Low observation rate 10‐12 measures/s
• Main Appl.: ATC

• Tracking of many thousands of aircrafts

• PART (Phased‐Array Radar Tracking) • High observation rate 100 measures/s
• STT + ADT
• Main Appl.: Air‐defense weapon system
• TWS (Track while scan) • Main Appl.: ATC

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

TRACKING RADAR

ANGLE TRACKING

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Angle Tracking

Pencil Beam antenna

The antenna switches the beam

between two different angular
Narrow beam <> Large antenna positions, with a SQUINT angle φQ
respect the boresight line.
CONCEPT

a1 a1

a2 a2

 q q  q q

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Angle Tracking

Pencil Beam antenna

Narrow beam <> Large antenna

CONCEPT

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Angle Tracking

Pencil Beam antenna

Narrow beam <> Large antenna

CONCEPT

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Angle Tracking Systems

Angle Tracking

Simulatenous lobbing Time sharing lobbing

(Monopulse) (Canonical & sequential)

Amplitude comparison Phase Comparison

Target Tracking

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

ANGLE TRACKING

MONOPULSE RADAR

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Monopulse Radar

Simultaneous lobbing Monopulse RADAR

Parabolic Reflector

Feeding horn

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Monopulse Radar with 2 antennas

Tx
Rx Σ

θ
Rx
Δ

Σ Δ

θ θ

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Monopulse Radar: Block diagram

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

X‐Band Magic Tee (Hybrid)

|S11| >10dB
Isolation: 20 dB H & E arms
Bandwidth: 9,8 – 10,8GHz

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Monopulse Radar: Two Coordinate Angle
Tracking

Merrill I. Skolnik, “Introduction to Radar Systems”. 3rd. Edition.

Mc Graw Hill 2001

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

ANGLE TRACKING

PHASE COMPARISON MONOPULSE

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Angle Tracking: Phase comparison

Interferometric radar

2
 sin 


RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

ANGLE TRACKING

TIME SHARING LOBE

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Time sharing lobe: SEQUENTIAL LOBING

Limitation of accuracy due to time variation of the compared measurements

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Time sharing lobe: CONICAL SCAN

PRF >> Conical Scan Frequency (CSF)

Minimum PRF > 4∙(CSF)

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Time sharing lobe: CONICAL SCAN

Merrill I. Skolnik, “Introduction to Radar Systems”. 3rd. Edition.

Mc Graw Hill 2001

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

LIMITATIONS TO TRACKING
ACCURACY

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Glint or Noise angle

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Glint from complex targets

One possible solution to solve it, is to

make use of frequency agility, with a
minimum frequency separation of

⁄
∆
2

being D the target depth.

Merrill I. Skolnik, “Introduction to Radar Systems”. 3rd. Edition.
Mc Graw Hill 2001

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

LOW ANGLE TRACKING

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Tracking Radar: Low Angle

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

Low angle: Multipath error

• Sidelobe region:
– The surface is illuminated by the near side lobes.
– The degradation begins with an elevation angle < 6 beamwidths
above the horizon.
• Main‐beam region:
– The degradation is severe for an elevation angle < 0,8
beamwidth.
• Horizon region:
– The phase difference between the directed and the reflected
path is more or less equal, that means that the signal is
cancelled at the target, thus providing a very low scattered
signal.

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer

TRACKING RADAR COMPARISON

Monopulse Conical Scan

SNR 2 to 4 dB > ‐
Precision High Low
Complexity Very High Low
Minimum number of pulses 1 4
Countermeasures Robust Vulnerable

RADIOLOCATION J. Mateu ‐ J. Berenguer