Optimum radar polarisation for target detection in sea clutter

The detection performance of a radar in sea clutter is dependent on a wide range of factors. For a noncoherent radar, using the envelope of the received signals for detection, the performance at a given range is principally dependent on the size of the clutter return, the signal-to-noise ratio and the amplitude statistics of the target and clutter. The paper describes the influence of vertical or horizontal polarisation on the detection performance. It is shown that the choice of polarisation can have a considerable effect on the performance and that the optimum choice is a complex function of the radar parameters, sea conditions and engagement geometry. For a given set of radar parameters and sea conditions it is shown that there is a critical height, below which the use of vertical polarisation will be optimum