Modification of the Tropospheric Refraction and Radar Target Height Determination Formula

The objective of this paper is to modify the tropospheric refraction model and radar target height determination formula (RTHDF) for wider applied range and better performance. For this purpose, the conventional refraction models and RTHDF are analyzed firstly; a novel refraction model and RTHDF using linear optimization are presented, discussed and validated. Based on this model, an iterative algorithm which provides a promising tool for accurate target height values is addressed. Compared to the performance of conventional theories´, the superiority of the modified model and iterative algorithm is demonstrated using the statistical data provided by Central Radio Propagation Laboratory (CRPL), American National Bureau of Standards (ANBS). Finally, the modified RTHDF is derived and assessed by experimental results.