The modelling of sea clutter and its application to the specification and measurement of radar performance

This paper concentrates on the problem of specifying and measuring the performance of airborne maritime surveillance radars that are required to detect small targets against a background of sea clutter. In particular, the need is identified for the very careful specification of the clutter models used for predicting and comparing the performance of competing radars. It is also shown how the appropriate specification of modelling or simulation methods can address some of the dynamic performance measures that are not covered by traditional specifications. Finally, the role of models in assessing performance is discussed