Cognitive radar: Critical techniques and limits

Cognitive radar is a new popular concept in recent years. A cognitive radar combines adaptivity and knowledge-aid concept in its design, which is the direction of radar in future. The critical techniques of this design is analyzed in the paper, including waveform design for an optimal and adaptive MIMO radar respectively, and the key concept of KA system. As an advancing technique, cognitive radar also has its limits which restrict its progress, which is also clarified here. A high-level architecture airborne radar is proposed in the end of this paper.