Waveform optimisation for efficient resource allocation in airborne AESA radar systems

In an AESA radar, highly efficient search and track operations can be achieved when the agile beam-steering capability of the E-scan antenna is used to implement an alert-confirm target detection and acquisition strategy, and dynamic management is employed to optimise the resources devoted to track maintenance. The full operational benefits are best realised when multiple waveforms, individually optimised for search detection, for target confirmation/track formation and for track maintenance are employed. Furthermore, an appropriate balance in characteristics and performance must be established between these waveforms in order that radar resources are used efficiently. Criteria guiding the choice of waveforms for air-to-air search, target confirmation and tracking functions in an airborne AESA radar are discussed, and an approach to determining the optimum balance of waveform sensitivities described. The level of performance improvement possible is illustrated for a typical example, using results from an AESA radar simulation and performance model.