Multiple platform target motion analysis: performance and limitations

This paper deals with the analysis of performance of source trajectory estimation by using the measurements provided by multiple towed arrays (or platforms). In numerous practical situations, the manoeuvring ability of the receiver (e.g. a ship towing linear arrays) is limited leading thus to consider that the observer motion is rectilinear and uniform. Even if this hypothesis appears quite limitative, practical and tactical considerations fully justify its interest. This leads to consider multiple (platform) target motion analysis (denoted MTMA) and to analyse the performance of such trajectory estimation methods