Using kinematic ranging to support the tracker

In airborne radars, the tracker receives target reports from the signal processing algorithms. The most import parameters for the tracker are target range and range rate as well as target azimuth and elevation position relative to ownship boresight direction. In addition to these parameters, the tracker also needs target positions and velocities in North-East-Down co-ordinates. Finally, the tracker should receive the target track angle and target ground speed. If, in addition, the airborne radar is able to process jammers, the signal processing algorithms can report spokes to the tracker, where only azimuth and elevation direction of the broadband noise jammers are evaluated. In the literature, these jammer “tracks” are denoted bearing only tracks or “Angle only Tracks”. As the name implies, the track data include only jammer azimuth and elevation position. If “Kinematic Ranging” is applied, estimates of range and range rate can be calculated from “Angle only Tracks”, whereby the ownship platform must carry out a horizontal maneuver in azimuth direction. This paper shows how tracker data can be augmented by parameters calculated from an “Angle only Track” after the maneuver for “Kinematic Ranging” has been carried out.