Optimal phased array radar beam pointing for MTT

Conventional phased array radar control methods are based on concepts originally developed for single target tracking. For a single, isolated target, beam pointing is rather straightforward in that the antenna beam boresight is steered to the predicted position of the target to maximize the expected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For tracking closely spaced targets (CSOs), the beam pointing control is more complicated. The use of multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) that is needed for reliable tracking of CSOs further complicates the radar control. In this paper, beam-pointing control of a phased array radar for tracking CSOs is considered. Beam pointing that minimizes the probability that track measurements are obtained below the maintenance SNR is investigated. A cost function and solution for a single angular coordinate is developed for objects with fixed and known radar cross-sections (RCSs). The result is then generalized to fluctuating targets. Simulation results compare the results of this beam-pointing algorithm to commonly used counterparts.