DOA estimation by exploiting the amplitude modulation induced by antenna scanning

We propose a beamsplitting-like approach to estimate the directions of arrival (DOA) of multiple radar targets present in the mainlobe of a rotating antenna. The proposed method is based on the maximum likelihood (ML) technique and it avoids the need for a difference channel by exploiting knowledge of the antenna main beam pattern. Two scenarios are considered: multiple targets with unknown deterministic complex amplitudes and multiple targets with Gaussian distributed random complex amplitudes. The performance of the proposed estimator is investigated through Monte Carlo simulation and it is compared with the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB).